MicroRNA-98 regulates osteogenic differentiation of human bone mesenchymal stromal cells by targeting BMP2.

To study the effects of microRNA-98 (miR-98) on human bone mesenchymal stromal cells (hBMSCs). The patients undergoing hip arthroplasty were selected by inclusion/exclusion criteria for this study. The extracted hBMSCs were detected of osteogenic differentiation by alizarin red S staining, and of cell phenotype by flow cytometry. Bioinformatics, dual luciferase report, western blotting, RT-PCR and immunoblotting were used in our study. The hBMSCs were divided into miR-98 mimics, miR-98 negative control (NC), miR-98 inhibitors, Mock and miR-98 inhibitors + siBMP2 groups. Human bone mesenchymal stromal cells were extracted and purified in vitro and had specific cytological morphology, surface markers and abilities of self-renewal and differentiation. Compared with the NC group and Mock group, the miR-98 mimics group showed increased miR-98 level while the miR-98 inhibitors group decreased miR-98 level (both P < 0.01). Dual luciferase reporter showed BMP2 was the target gene of miR-98. The levels of mRNA and protein expression of BMP2, protein expression of RUNX2, alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin content significantly decreased in the miR-98 mimics group while increased in the miR-98 inhibitors group and showed no changes in the NC group and Mock group (all P < 0.05). The miR-98 mimics group showed obviously declined stained red particles and the miR-98 inhibitors group showed opposite result. After lowering the expression of miR-98, osteogenic differentiation ability of hBMSCs rose, which was weakened by the transfection with siBMP2. miR-98 may regulate osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs by targeting BMP2.

Detection and clinical significance of genes in primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma.

In clinical practice, we found that some primary gastrointestinal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma had different prognosis. This study aimed to explore the role of IGH rearrangement, p53 and ATM gene variations in the assessment of prognosis in primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma. In 50 cases of primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma (1) IGH arrangement was found in 59.5% of patients with primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma; IGH arrangement was found in 48.4% of patients with primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma at stage I-II and in 90.9% of patients at stage III-IV (χ(2) = 6.093, p < 0.05). Average survival time in patients with IGH rearrangement was 16.39 months, being shorter than that in patients with non-IGH rearrangement (38.13 months) (t = 3.239, p < 0.01). (2) p53 gene deletion was found in 31.0% of patients with primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma; p53 gene deletion was found in 22.6 % of patients with primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma at stage I-II and in 54.5% of patients at stage III-IV (χ(2) = 3.882, p < 0.05). Average survival time in patients with p53 gene deletion was 8.0 months, being shorter than that of patients with normal p53 gene (32.81 months) (t = 3.609, p < 0.01). (3) ATM gene deletion was found in 23.8% of patients with primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma; ATM gene deletion was found in 16.1 % of patients with primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma at stage I-II and in 45.5% of patients at stage III-IV (χ(2) = 3.849, p < 0.05). Average survival time in patients with ATM gene deletion was 6.10 months, which is shorter than that of patients with normal ATM gene (31.71 months) (t = 3.503, p < 0.01). (4) IGH rearrangement, p53 and ATM gene deletion were no correlation with tumor location. (5) Average survival time in primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma patients of non-gene or single gene change was 33.42 months, which is longer than that of patients with multiple genes change (6.67 months) (t = 4.013,p < 0.01). There was a high incidence of IGH rearrangement or p53 and ATM gene deletion in patients at stage III-IV. The average survival time was shorter in these patients. Average survival time in primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma patients with multiple genes abnormalities was shorter than that in non-gene or single gene change patients. IGH rearrangement, p53 and ATM gene deletion may play a synergistic role in the occurrence and development of the primary gastrointestinal MALT lymphoma. Patients with multiple genes abnormalities had poor prognosis, and they should be advised early united chemotherapy.

The role of tumor parenchyma and brain cortex signal intensity ratio in differentiating solitary fibrous tumors and meningiomas.

BACKGROUND: Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) and meningiomas (MA) have similar clinical and radiographic presentations but require different treatment approaches and have different prognoses. This emphasizes the importance of a correct preoperative diagnosis of SFT versus MA. OBJECTIVE: In this study, investigated the differences in imaging characteristics between SFT and MA to improve the accuracy of preoperative imaging diagnosis of SFT. METHODS: The clinical and imaging data of 26 patients with SFT and 104 patients with MA who were pathologically diagnosed between August 2017 and December 2022, were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical and imaging differences between SFT and MA, as well as between the various pathological grades of SFT, were analyzed. RESULTS: Age, gender, cystic change, flow void phenomenon, yin-yang sign, lobulation, narrow base, tumor/cortex signal ratio (TCSR) > 1.0 in T1-weighted imaging (T1WI), TCSR ≥ 1.1 in T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), peritumoral edema, and absence of dural tail sign varied between SFT and MA. As per the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, TCSR > 1 in T1WI has the maximum diagnostic accuracy for SFT. Cranial or venous sinus invasion had a positive effect on SFT (Grade III, World Health Organization (WHO) grading). CONCLUSION: Among the many radiological and clinical distinctions between SFT and MA, TCSR ≥ 1 exhibits the highest predictive efficacy for SFT; while cranial or venous sinus invasion may be a predictor of WHO grade III SFT.

[Effect of Saikosaponins-d on reversing malignant phenotype of HepG2 cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of SSd on reversing the malignant phenotype of HepG2 cells and to investigate its mechanism in order to prove that SSd is a new choice to prevent and treat HCC. METHODS: HepG2 cells were cultured and treated by different concentration (0 mg/L, 2.5 mg/L, 5.0 mg/L, 10.0 mg/L and 20.0 mg/L) of SSd for 24 h, and treated by 10 mg/L of SSd for 0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72h respectively. The cell inhibition rates were measured by MTT assay. Then cells were treated by 10 mg/L SSd for 48 hr in experimental group and treated by no SSd as a control, their morphological changes were observed by contrast phase microscope. The concentrations of ALB and AFP in clear supernatant liquid of cells were detected by radio-immunity and chemiluminescence. The cell migration rates were observed by transwell method, the relative expression levels of p27 mRNA were measured by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The inhibitive effect of 10 mg/L SSd was the most significant among different concentrations ( F = 265.06, P less than 0.01). The shape of HepG2 from experimental group turned into small and round, and their volume ratios of nucleus to plasma decreased. ALB in supernatant liquid of HepG2 was higher ( t = 7.83, P less than 0.05, and its AFP was lower ( t = -10.72, P less than 0.01) as compared to control group. Cells migrated were fewer and p27 mRNA expression of HepG2 was higher in experimental group than that in control group (t = 22.00, P less than 0.05). CONCLUSION: SSd could reverse the malignant phenotype of HepG2 cells. It was suggested that the up-regulation of p27 mRNA expression play an important role in the differentiation of HepG2 cells treated by SSd.

[Effects of vertical rotary subsoiling with combined organic and inorganic fertilization on water use efficiency and yield of forage maize in a semi-arid area.] / åŠå¹²æ—±åŒºç«‹å¼æ·±æ—‹è€•å’Œæœ‰æœºæ— æœºè‚¥é æ–½å¯¹é¥²ç”¨çŽ‰ç±³æ°´åˆ†åˆ©ç”¨æ•ˆçŽ‡å’Œäº§é‡çš„å½±å“.

Both reasonable soil tillage and fertilization management play critical roles in improving the yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of forage maize in the semi-arid area of Loess Plateau. A field experiment was conducted at Dingxi experimental station of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences between 2017 and 2019. We explored the effects of tillage method and fertilization type on yields and WUE of forage maize, as well as the economic benefits. There were four treatments in the experiment, including traditional rotary tillage + organic-inorganic fertilization (TOF), deep rotary tillage + organic-inorganic fertilization (DOF), and vertical rotary subsoiling + organic-inorganic fertilization (VROF), and the traditional rotary tillage + inorganic fertilization as the control (TF). Our results showed that, compared with DOF, TOF, TF, and VROF all decreased soil water storage in 0-300 cm soil layer at flowering stage, ranging from 16.9 mm to 79.9 mm, but they all increased soil water consumption by 9.7-22.4 mm during vegetative growing stages, 11.0-19.8 mm during reproductive stage in the dry years. Due to significant improvement in water absorption, VROF increased dry matter weight at maturity by 3.9%-13.4% compared to other treatments. Similarly, plant height, ear length, grain number per ear, 100-grain weight, and double ear rate under VROF were significantly increased, while bald head length was decreased significantly, when compared with other treatments. As a result, over the three experimental seasons, VROF increased the grain and biological yield by 4.3%-51.5% and 4.3%-25.7% compared to other treatments, respectively. Accordingly, WUE calculated by grain and biomass yields were increased by 2.7%-36.9% and 3.6%-13.5% under VROF, compared to other treatments. VROF increased the unit gross total output value and the net income by 5.1%-32.9% and 6.9%-80.5% respectively, compared to other treatments. These results demonstrated that VROF is a drought-resistant and yield-increasing farming technology for sustainable forage maize production in the semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau, Northwest China.

[Investigation on multiband attenuation compatibility of carbon nanotubes].

The present investigation was focused on how to realize the attenuating compatibility of the electromagnetic defilade material in UV-Vis-Infrared band. Optical spectra of CNTs was investigated on the basis of analytical technologies such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, laser scattering, and electron microscopy. It was demonstrated that the multi-band attenuation characteristic of CNTs is effectively associated with additives, concentrations and configurations. The measured sample with a concentration of 0.04 g x L(-1), in which the radius of CNTs was 30-50 nm, bore the maximum value of the extinction coefficient of 7.825 m2 x g(-1) at the point of 265 nm. Meanwhile, this kind of CNTs presents outstanding unified attenuation properties in infrared wave band when the thickness of the CNTs film is 0.1 mm and the total mass of CNTs is 0.349 mg in optical path. Especially, the unified attenuation goes beyond 90% in 4.0-6.25 and 7.0-16.7 microm.

[Cytotoxicity of dichloroacetic acid in lymphocyte and expression of chemokine receptor CXCR2 and chemokine receptor CXCR3 mRNA].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of trichloroethylene (TCE) and its by-products (trichloroacetic acid, TCA; dichloroacetic acid, DCA) on the normal human peripheral blood lymphocyte and the role of DCA in dermatitis medicamentosa- like induced by trichloroethylene (DMLT). METHODS: Lymphocyte was isolated from peripheral venous blood, and cytotoxicity of human lymphocytes treated with different concentrations (0.02 approximately 30.00 mmol/L) of DCA was determined at indicated times (2 h and 4 h) based on the MTS assay. Action of DCA on cell viability, membrane integrity was assessed by neutral red uptake (NRU) assay and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release test and measurement of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (FQ-RT-PCR) was employed for detection and quantization of the chemokine receptor CXCR2 and chemokine receptor CXCR3 mRNA in peripheral blood lymphocyte treated with different concentrations of DCA. RESULTS: DCA had a more vital effect on peripheral blood lymphocyte than TCE and TCA. A concentration-dependent release of LDH was observed at 4 h after cells were exposed to different doses of DCA (0.88, 1.75, 3.50 and 7.00 mmol/L) (P < 0.05), and DCA also caused an inhibition of SOD activity in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.05). The results of FQ- RT- PCR indicated that CXCR2 and CXCR3 mRNA were all over- expression. At 48 h after the DCA of 0.5 mmol/L and 10.00 mmol/L was used, CXCR2 and CXCR3 mRNA were 10.34, 5.66-fold and 19.43, 8.75-fold of those in the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: DCA is of a great cytotoxicity and may be one of crucial evocators on DMLT.

Transcriptome and metabolome analysis reveals regulatory networks and key genes controlling barley malting quality in responses to drought stress.

Malting quality will be greatly deteriorated when barley plants suffer from post-anthesis drought stress, however there is a marked difference among barley genotypes in the responses of malting quality to drought stress, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the genotypic difference remain unclear. We made transcriptome and metabolome analysis on the developing grains of two barley genotypes differing in the responses to drought stress. Post-anthesis drought treatments led to decreased grain weight and ß-glucan content, increased grain protein content and ß-amylase activity. Drought stress enhanced H2O2 and heat-shock protein accumulation in the two barley genotypes, with the drought-tolerant genotype showing higher capacity of scavenging H2O2 and reducing misfolded protein accumulation than the drought-susceptible genotype. Moreover, the drought-tolerant genotype was more efficient in redistributing assimilates stored in the vegetative tissues into the developing grains. After re-watering to relieve drought stress, the drought-tolerant genotype can further modify auxin transport and ethylene signaling, enhancing redistribution of assimilates into grains. Transcriptome comparisons and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) identified some key genes regulating the responses of malting quality traits to drought stress, such as RLK-LRR, ß-glucosidase and HSP . In conclusion, less change of main malting quality traits in the drought-tolerant genotype under post-anthesis drought stress is attributed to its higher capacity of alleviating the stress injury through scavenging ROS and redistributing the metabolites stored in the vegetative organs into the developing grains.

Advances in studies on ion transporters involved in salt tolerance and breeding crop cultivars with high salt tolerance.

Soil salinity is a global major abiotic stress threatening crop productivity. In salty conditions, plants may suffer from osmotic, ionic, and oxidative stresses, resulting in inhibition of growth and development. To deal with these stresses, plants have developed a series of tolerance mechanisms, including osmotic adjustment through accumulating compatible solutes in the cytoplasm, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging through enhancing the activity of anti-oxidative enzymes, and Na+/K+ homeostasis regulation through controlling Na+ uptake and transportation. In this review, recent advances in studies of the mechanisms of salt tolerance in plants are described in relation to the ionome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome, and the main factor accounting for differences in salt tolerance among plant species or genotypes within a species is presented. We also discuss the application and roles of different breeding methodologies in developing salt-tolerant crop cultivars. In particular, we describe the advantages and perspectives of genome or gene editing in improving the salt tolerance of crops.

Reversible single-crystal-to-single-crystal conversion of a photoreactive coordination network for rewritable optical memory storage.

Reversible single-crystal-to-single-crystal photocyclization-cycloreversion reaction of a stilbene-based coordination network exhibits a conspicuous fluorescence change. The controllable fluorescence and high fatigue resistance feature of this bistable material make it a single-crystalline device for applications in rewritable optical memory storage systems.

[Effects of micro-ridge-furrow with plastic mulching and bunching seeding on soil hydrothermal environment and its response to photosynthesis and grain yield of spring wheat]. / å ¨è†œå¾®åž„æ²Ÿç©´æ’­å¯¹æ˜¥å°éº¦åœŸå£¤æ°´çƒ­çŽ¯å¢ƒçš„å½±å“åŠå ¶å ‰åˆå’Œäº§é‡æ•ˆåº”.

The relieving of drought and cold restriction on spring wheat development is one of the key factors increasing wheat yield in arid areas of central Gansu Province. A field experiment with spring wheat (Longchun No. 35) was carried out in central Gansu Province from 2016 to 2018. There were three treatments: 1) micro-ridge-furrow with whole field plastic mulching and bunching seeding (PRF), 2) whole field soil plastic mulching and bunching seeding (PMS), 3) bunching seeding without mulching (CK). We measured soil temperature in 0-25 cm profile, soil water content in 0-300 cm profile, leaf SPAD, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, aboveground biomass in different growth stages, and grain yield to understand the effect of PRF on soil hydrothermal environment, spring wheat yield and water use efficiency (WUE) from the aspect of soil hydrothermal, canopy development and grain yield. The results showed that mean soil temperature in 0-25 cm profile of PRF and PMS increased by 2.8 ℃ and 2.5 ℃ at the seedling stage, decreased by 1.4 ℃ and 0.9 ℃ from filling to maturity stage, respectively. Soil water storage in 0-300 cm profile of PRF and PMS increased by 59.7 mm and 41.8 mm from sowing to seedling stage. Water consumption of PRF and PMS increased by 46.1 mm and 39.8 mm from seedling to filling stage. PRF increased average soil temperature in 0-25 cm profile by 0.3 ℃ at seedling stage, but decreased by 0.5 ℃ from filling to maturity stage, and increased soil water storage in 0-300 cm profile by 18.0 mm from sowing to seedling stage. PMF increased water consumption by 13.0 mm from booting to maturing stage, as compared with PMS. Based on the optimizated soil hydrothermal conditions, leaf SPAD value, aboveground biomass, net photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate of PRF increased, as compared with PMS and CK. The PRF increased grain yield by 9.1% and 36.5%, WUE by 5.9% and 30.8% compared to PMS and CK, respectively. Consequently, PRF increased soil temperature at wheat seedling stage, reduced it from filling to maturing stage, improved wheat water consumption from sowing to filling stage, increased leaf SPAD value and aboveground biomass, promoted photosynthetic function in leaf from seedling to filling stage, and consequently led to increased yield and water utilization. Such effects were more significant in dry year (2016 and 2017).

[Effects of organic fertilizer application on flag leaf C/N ratio, photosynthetic characteristics and yield of spring wheat with full plastic film mulching]. / å ¨è†œè¦†åœŸä¸‹æ–½æœ‰æœºè‚¥å¯¹æ˜¥å°éº¦æ——å¶ç¢³æ°®æ¯”ã€å ‰åˆç‰¹æ€§å’Œäº§é‡çš„å½±å“.

A field experiment was conducted in the rain-fed semi-arid region of central Gansu in 2016 and 2017, with the treatments 1) hill-drop flat planting with full plastic film mulching (PMS), 2) hill-drop flat planting with full plastic film mulching plus organic fertilizers (PMO), and 3) hill-drop flat planting without soil mulching (CK). We investigated the relations among soil moisture, photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration rate (Tr), C/N ratio, and total nitrogen of flag leaf from the heading stage to the seed-filling stage in different treatments to probe into their effects on the yield and yield components of spring wheat variety 'Longchun 27'. The results showed that organic fertilizer application could increase soil moisture at the middle and late growth stages of spring wheat. PMO increased soil water storage in 0-300 cm depth from the heading stage to the seed filling stage by 4.6% and 8.5%, decreased population canopy temperature by 0.1-1.3 ℃ and 1.4-4.9 ℃, increased net photosynthetic rate of flag leaf by 9.3% and 29.7%, stomatal conductance by 30.9% and 103.8%, transpiration rate by 5.1% and 55.0%, total nitrogen content by 6.6% and 18.9%, and decreased C/N ratio by 6.4% and 22.8%, respectively. Compared with PMS and CK, PMO significantly improved grain number per spike and 1000-grain weight, and increased grain yield by 9.1% and 53.7%, respectively. From the heading stage to filling stage, the Pn and gs of flag leaf had negative correlation with C/N, while C/N was negatively correlated with grain yield. Consequently, PMO could improve soil water storage and promote photosynthesis of flag leaf, reduce the intensity of physiological drought stress and the limitations of nitrogen absorption and assimilation in flag leaf from the heading stage to the seed-filling stage, and increase grain number and grain weight and consequently the yield of spring wheat in semi-arid region.

Drought-stimulated activity of plasma membrane nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase and its catalytic properties in rice.

The activity of plasma membrane (PM) nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase and its catalytic properties in rice was investigated under drought stress conditions. Drought stress led to decreased leaf relative water content (RWC) and, as a result of drought-induced oxidative stress, the activities of antioxidant enzymes increased significantly. More interestingly, the intensity of applied water stress was correlated with increased production of H2O2 and O2 (-) and elevated activity of PM NADPH oxidase, a key enzyme of reactive oxygen species generation in plants. Histochemical analyses also revealed increased H2O2 and O2 (-) production in drought-stressed leaves. Application of diphenylene iodonium (DPI), an inhibitor of PM NADPH oxidase, did not alleviate drought-induced production of H2O2 and O2 (-). Catalysis experiments indicated that the rice PM NADPH oxidase was partially flavin-dependent. The pH and temperature optima for this enzyme were 9.8 and 40 degrees C, respectively. In addition, drought stress enhanced the activity under alkaline pH and high temperature conditions. These results suggest that a complex regulatory mechanism, associated with the NADPH oxidase-H2O2 system, is involved in the response of rice to drought stress.

[A study of Raman spectra denoising based on empirical mode decomposition].

The multiresolution empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is a new method of analyzing signal. It can be interpreted as a temporal and spatial filtering based on the extremum characteristic scale of the signal. This method can preserve the nonlinearity and non-stability of signal, and has potential superiority in filtering and denoising. In the present paper, a new denoising method of Raman spectra on the basis of empirical mode decomposition with multiresolution filtering is presented. First, Raman spectra polluted by the white noise is decomposed into several intrinsic mode function (IMF) components of different time scale based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD). Then, the IMF components of high frequencies are preprocessed using the threshold method, and we add these IMF components to the IMF components of low frequencies to achieve denoising signal. For various noise levels, the effects of three methods (the EMD threshold denoising, the wavelet threshold denoising and the EMD low-pass filtering) are analyzed by processing the noisy p-xylene spectra. The results show that the EMD threshold denosing method eliminates the noise effectively. In addition, this method also preserves the detailed information of the original spectra well. By contrast with the wavelet threshold denosing method, the EMD threshold denoising requires no prior knowledge about the sample composition and no selection of the suitable decomposition level, and the adaptation is in evidence. The new method will have a good application prospect in Raman spectra denoising.

[Relationship between p53 gene and chromosome 13q14 variations and prognosis in primary intestinal lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: Some research has shown that primary intestinal lymphoma with the same immunophenotype has different prognosis. It suggests that the prognosis of this disease is not determined by a single factor but may be related to genetic or chromosomal variations. The p53 gene is an important tumor suppressor gene, and 13q14 deletion is a common chromosomal abnormality of lymphocyte proliferation diseases. This study aimed to explore the role of the p53 gene and chromosome 13q14 variations in the assessment of prognosis in primary intestinal lymphoma. METHODS: p53 gene and chromosome 13q14 expression in paraffin sections of 30 cases of primary intestinal lymphoma and 10 cases of lymph node reactive hyperplasia were ascertained using an improved FISH technique. RESULTS: p53 gene deletion was found in 22.7% of patients with primary intestinal lymphoma at stage I-II and in 75.0% of patients at stage III-IV (x2=6.903, p<0.01). The 30 patients with primary intestinal lymphoma were pathologically classified into-mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) (n=14) and non-MALT types (n=16). The MALT lymphoma group had significantly lower incidence of p53 gene deletion (14.3% vs 56.3%; x2=5.662, p<0.05). Average survival time in patients with p53 gene deletion was 13.41 months, being shorter than the patients with normal p53 gene (36.1 months) (t=2.637, p<0.05). 13q14 deletion was found in 40.0% of patients with primary intestinal lymphoma, but none of patients with lymph node reactive hyperplasia showed 13q14 deletion. 13q14 deletion was not significantly related to the pathological type and the clinical stage of primary intestinal lymphoma as well as the survival time. There was no significant correlation between p53 gene and 13q14 deletions. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high incidence of p53 gene deletion in patients with non-MALT lymphoma or at stage III-IV. p53 gene deletion is related to a high tumor malignant degree and a poor prognosis, while-chromosome 13q14 variation is not associated with the prognosis in patients with primary intestinal lymphoma.

Template-confined growth of Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite micro-wire arrays for stable polarized photodetectors.

The detection of the polarization states of light is of great significance for the analysis of biological tissue morphologies, image display systems and sensors. Although organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite crystals have excellent photoelectric properties, which make them very suitable for the preparation of photodetectors, their applications in polarized light detection are hindered by their isotropy and instability. Here, we solved this problem by fabricating a stable 2D layered Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite into anisotropic micro-wire arrays with a template-confined method. Based on this anisotropic structure, a high-performance photodetector with a dark current as low as 10-12 A, high responsivity of 3.5 A W-1, detectivity exceeding 1 × 1015 Jones and a fast response with a rise time of 4.1 ms and a decay time of 3.3 ms was achieved and successfully applied for high-performance polarization detection. More importantly, the device maintained a superior performance even after being exposed to an environment of 60% relative humidity without encapsulation.

Impacts of different soil fertility improvement practices with film mulched ridge-furrow til-lage on soil nutrient content, maize yield, and water use efficiency in Northwest China.

Improvement of soil quality is one of the most important ways to enhance fertility for efficient dryland crop production. However, the effects of different fertilization measurements with film mulched ridge-furrow tillage on soil fertility, crop yield, and water use efficiency (WUE) of maize largely remain unknown. A three-year field experiment was conducted at the Zhuanglang Experimental Station, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, located in the semiarid region of the Loess Plateau, Northwest China during 2014-2016. Maize breed Funong No.1 was used during the study. There were four treatments, including: 1) conventional planting (CP, served as control), 2) film mulched ridge-furrow with straw incorporation (FS), 3) film mulched ridge-furrow with optimizing fertilization (FF), and 4) film mulched ridge-furrow with controlled fertilization (FC). Seasonal and yearly changes of soil water content, topsoil organic matter (SOM), soil available nitrogen (AN), phosphorus (AP) and potassium (AK) concentration and crop yield were measured. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer partial factor productivity (PFPN and PFPP), soil profile water storage (WC), crop seasonal water consumption (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) were calculated. The results showed that FS, FF and FC effectively improved soil fertility via synergistic regulation of soil hydrothermal and nutritional condition. Water-fertilizer interaction effect greatly enhanced incorporated straw decomposition and crop growth, resulting in more returning of straw nutrients and crop biomass to soil, thus significantly increased soil water and fertilizer supply capacity. Compared to CP, the three treatments of FS, FF and FC efficiently increased the concentrations of SOM, AN, AP, and AK by 0.27 g·kg-1, 4.44 mg·kg-1, 0.20 mg·kg-1 and 4.53 mg·kg-1 with an order of FC＞FF＞FS, but had no significant difference among them. Meanwhile, in contrast to pre-sowing WC200, the three year's sum of FS,FF and FC increased WC200 at the end of growing season by 107.41, 38.99 and 28.35 mm, respectively. On average, FS, FC and FF significantly reduced maize ET by 60.50, 37.7 and 34.15 mm to CP, with a relative decrease of 12.6%, 7.9% and 7.1% respectively. By the synergistic effect of modified water and fertilizer environment, the three soil fertility improvement strategies greatly enhanced maize growth from tasseling to maturity stages in the relatively dry year. They affected maize growth in relatively more rain and warmer year, resulting in significantly increased maize yield by improving the yield traits (double ear rate, grain number per ear and 100-grain mass), PFPN, PFPP and WUE. Compared to CP, the PFPN,PFPP of FS, FF and FC increased by 1.82, 1.65, 1.62 and 2.41, 1.69, 1.63 times respectively. Yield and WUE were increased by 5986.1, 4972.31, 4585.63 kg·hm-2 and 13.27, 12.65, 14.01 kg·mm-1·hm-2 correspondingly raised by 81.5%, 67.7%, 62.5% and 86.5%, 82.5%, 91.3%. In conclusion, FS was more effective in water harvesting and drought resistance, while FC and FF were effective for high yield.

Characterization of high-yield performance as affected by genotype and environment in rice.

We characterized yield-relevant characters and their variations over genotypes and environments (locations and years) by examining two rice varieties (9746 and Jinfeng) with high yield potential. 9746 and Jinfeng were planted in two locations of Shanghai, China, during 2005 and 2006. The results show that there was a large variation in grain yield between locations and years. The realization of high yield potential for the two types of rice was closely related to the improved sink size, such as more panicles per square meter or grains per panicle. Stem and leaf biomasses were mainly accumulated from tillering stage to heading stage, and showed slow decline during grain filling. Meanwhile, some photosynthetic characters including net photosynthesis rate (Pn), leaf area index (LAI), specific leaf area (SLA), fluorescence parameter (maximum quantum yield of PSII, Fv/Fm), chlorophyll content (expressed as SPAD value), as well as nutrient (N, P, K) uptake were also measured to determine their variations over genotypes and environments and their relationships with grain yield. Although there were significant differences between years or locations for most measurements, SLA at tillering and heading stages, Fv/Fm and LAI at heading stage, stem biomass at heading and maturity stages, and leaf nitrogen concentration at tillering and heading stages remained little changed, indicating their possible applications as selectable characters in breeding programs. It was also found that stem nitrogen accumulation at tillering stage is one of the most important and stable traits for high yield formation.

QTL analysis of flag leaf in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) for morphological traits and chlorophyll content.

To understand genetic patterns of the morphological and physiological traits in flag leaf of barley, a double haploid (DH) population derived from the parents Yerong and Franklin was used to determine quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling length, width, length/width, and chlorophyll content of flag leaves. A total of 9 QTLs showing significantly additive effect were detected in 8 intervals on 5 chromosomes. The variation of individual QTL ranged from 1.9% to 20.2%. For chlorophyll content expressed as SPAD value, 4 QTLs were identified on chromosomes 2H, 3H and 6H; for leaf length and width, 2 QTLs located on chromosomes 5H and 7H, and 2 QTLs located on chromosome 5H were detected; and for length/width, 1 QTL was detected on chromosome 7H. The identification of these QTLs associated with the properties of flag leaf is useful for barley improvement in breeding programs.

Target therapy of TRIM-14 inhibits osteosarcoma aggressiveness through the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway.

Osteosarcoma is the most common cause of cancer-associated mortality and the prognosis is yet to be fully elucidated due to the paucity of effective therapeutic targets that significantly influence the quality of life and mean survival rates of patients with osteosarcoma. Studies have showed that tripartite motif-containing (TRIM)-14 is a member of the TRIM protein family that has a vital role in tumor progression and metastasis and promotes angiogenesis, invasion and apoptotic resistance of bone cancer. In this study, a chimeric antibody targeting TRIM-14 (Chanti-TRIM) was constructed and the molecular mechanism of target therapy for TRIM-14 was investigated in osteosarcoma cells and xenograft mice. The growth, migration and invasion properties of U-2OS cells were analyzed following incubation with 10-160 mg/ml Chanti-TRIM. Apoptosis of U-2OS cells was detected after Chanti-TRIM treatment. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9-mediated nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signal pathway was analyzed in U-2OS cells treated with Chanti-TRIM. The inhibitory efficacy of Chanti-TRIM was studied in U-2OS-bearing xenograft mice. Our results demonstrated that neutralizing TRIM-14 expression markedly inhibited the growth, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells, in vitro and in vivo. We found that TRIM-14 depletion decreased cell viability and induced cells apoptosis in vitro. In addition, we identified Chanti-TRIM inhibited growth and promoted apoptosis induced by cisplatin through MMP-9-mediated NF-κB signal pathway. Furthermore, we observed that Chanti-TRIM treatment inhibited osteosarcoma growth in vivo. Histological analysis indicated that apoptotic bodies were increased and NF-κB nuclear translocation factors, including Ikkß, p65 and IkBα, were decreased in tumors treated by Chanti-TRIM. In conclusion, these results showed that Chanti-TRIM markedly inhibited the progression of osteosarcoma, suggesting Chanti-TRIM may be a potential anti-cancer agent that functions via the activation of the NF-κB pathway for osteosarcoma.