Progressive Impairment of Motor Skill Learning in a D-Galactose- Induced Aging Mouse Model

Abstract.-Chronic administration of D-galactose (D-gal) has been reported to cause behavioral deterioration in mice similar to what is observed in the aging process, but the effect of D-gal on motor skill learning has not been examined. In the present study, mice were treated with D-gal (100 mg/kg/day) for a period ranging from 1 to 9 weeks, and motor skill learning was assessed using the rotarod test. D-gal-treated mice exhibited deficits in performance, including a shorter latency to fall and a decrease in intersession improvement compared to controls. Notably, motor skill deficiencies in mice subjected to short-term D-gal treatment (2-4 weeks) were rescued through repeated training, while there was no comparable improvement in mice receiving D-gal over a long term (≥ 5 weeks). The decline in rotarod performance reached a plateau at 7 weeks of D-gal exposure, suggesting that there is a ceiling effect. These results provide evidence that D-gal impairs motor learning capacity in a time-dependent manner, and demonstrate that chronic administration of D-gal is a reliable model for the behavioral decline associated with aging

How Does Bio-Organic Fertilizer Combined with Biochar Affect Chinese Small Cabbage’s Growth and Quality on Newly Reclaimed Land?

The cultivated land area in China is approaching the red line for farmland protection. Newly reclaimed land possesses a large exploratory potential to become a reserved land resource. Identifying a fertilization strategy is vital for improving the poor properties and weak fertility of newly reclaimed land. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of traditional compound fertilizer (Fc) or bio-organic fertilizer (Ft), alone or in combination with biochar addition (6.85 t·ha−1 and 13.7 t·ha−1) on the growth, photosynthesis, yield and quality of Chinese small cabbage (CSC) plant. The results showed that compared to single compound fertilizer application, bio-organic fertilizer application promoted the plant’s growth, indicated by the plant height, stem diameter and leaf area index (LAI), and significantly enhanced the yield and dry matter accumulation of CSC. In terms of the combination with biochar, the promoting effects were positively related to the biochar addition rate in the compound fertilizer group, while it was better to apply bio-organic fertilizer alone or in combination with biochar at a low rate of 6.85 t·ha−1. The highest yield was obtained under B2Fc and B1Ft with 29.41 and 37.93 t·ha−1, respectively, and the yield under B1Ft was significantly higher than that under B2Fc. The water productivity (WP) significantly improved in response to both kinds of fertilizer combined with biochar at 6.85 t·ha−1. There was a significant difference between the photosynthetic characteristics of plants treated with single-compound fertilizer and those treated with bio-organic fertilizer. The photosynthetic characteristics increased under compound fertilizer combined with biochar, while they regressed under bio-organic fertilizer combined with biochar. The quality of CSC, especially that of soluble sugars and total phenolics, improved under single bio-organic fertilizer application compared with that under single-compound fertilizer. The nitrite content of the plants increased with increasing biochar addition rate in both fertilizer groups. In conclusion, there is a significant promoting effect of applying bio-organic fertilizer to replace chemical fertilizer alone or combining compound fertilizer with low-rate biochar addition on newly reclaimed land. It is a recommended fertilization strategy to substitute or partially substitute chemical fertilizer with bio-organic fertilizer combined with biochar in newly reclaimed land, and it is of great significance to achieve fertilizer reduction

A Study on Infiltration Characteristics and One-Dimensional Algebraic Model Simulation in Reclaimed Soil with Biochar

The cultivated land area in China is approaching the red line of farmland protection. The newly reclaimed land will become a vital reserved land resource, and it possesses a large exploratory potential. Newly reclaimed soil usually has low productivity with poor physical and chemical properties as well as weak fertility, and it is prone to serious soil erosion. The effects of corn straw biochar and rice husk biochar (at the mass ratio of 2%, 4%, and 8%) on the soil infiltration process and soil moisture distribution in the soil profile were studied. The results showed that the infiltration duration was prolonged, and the wetting front migration distance and infiltration rate were decreased under biochar addition treatments, except under the low addition rate for rice husk biochar. The Philip model and Kostiakov model accurately described the water infiltration process of the newly reclaimed soil with both kinds of biochar. The two kinds of biochar used in this study affected both the initial infiltration rates and stable infiltration rates, and water infiltration was more sensitive to rice husk biochar and its addition rate. The moisture in the soil profile after infiltration was simulated using a one-dimensional algebraic model. The surface soil moisture was improved with both kinds of biochar addition, and the water retention ability was enhanced with an increased biochar addition rate. In conclusion, corn straw biochar with a high addition rate is beneficial for inhibiting soil water infiltration and improving weak water retention ability in the newly reclaimed area, which is a recommended choice for efficient soil construction in newly reclaimed land

Buried Straw Layer Coupling Film Mulching Regulates Soil Salinity of Coastal Tidal Soil and Improves Maize (Zea mays L.) Growth

[Aims] The saline soil in continuous silting tidal areas will become a crucial reserved land resource in China. A prominent problem is controlling soil salinization for improving agricultural water and land resources’ productivity in coastal areas. [Methods] An experiment was conducted to study the effects of different mulching and tillage measures on soil salt-water status and maize growth. There were four treatments: (1) film mulching (FM), by only setting a transparent plastic film (with a thickness of 6 μm) on the surface soil; (2) straw deep-burying (SDB), in which only straw was buried as a layer at a soil depth of 30 cm; (3) combining film mulch with deep-buried straw (F+S), in which a straw layer was buried at a soil depth of 30 cm with plastic film mulching on the soil surface; and (4) control (CK), by simulating standard local practice. [Results] The results showed that the soil water storage (SWS) under FM and F+S was significantly higher than others, and F+S showed the best role in soil water conservation. The film mulching had a reasonable effect on soil salinity regulation during the whole maize growth stage; the soil salt content at 0–30 cm was decreased by 1 g/kg and 0.74 g/kg under F+S and FM, respectively. Compared to CK, the plant height, LAI, SPAD value, and yield were all improved under mulching and tillage. The growth process of maize and water-use efficiency (WUE) under F+S was more significantly improved than those under other treatments. [Conclusions] Overall, the F+S can be recommended as a suitable strategy for regulating soil salt and moisture, and thus improving crop productivity in coastal tidal areas

Nano-embossing technology on ferroelectric thin film Pb(Zr_0.3,Ti_0.7)O₃for multi-bit storage application

Abstract In this work, we apply nano-embossing technique to form a stagger structure in ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate [Pb(Zr0.3, Ti0.7)O3 (PZT)] films and investigate the ferroelectric and electrical characterizations of the embossed and un-embossed regions, respectively, of the same films by using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and Radiant Technologies Precision Material Analyzer. Attributed to the different layer thickness of the patterned ferroelectric thin film, two distinctive coercive voltages have been obtained, thereby, allowing for a single ferroelectric memory cell to contain more than one bit of data.</p

Comprehensive analyses of molecular features, prognostic values, and regulatory functionalities of m6A-modified long non-coding RNAs in lung adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has a high incidence and recurrence rate. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of RNA has become a promising epigenetic marker in tumors. The dysregulation of both RNA m6A levels and m6A regulator expression levels reportedly affects essential biological processes in various tumors. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a subgroup of RNAs over 200 nucleotides in length that do not code for protein, can be modified and regulated by m6A, but the relevant profile in LUAD remains unclear. Results The m6A levels of total RNA were decreased in LUAD tumor tissues and cells. Multiple m6A regulators were abnormally expressed at both the RNA and protein levels, and were related in expression patterns and functionally synergistic. Our microarray revealed 2846 m6A-modified lncRNA transcripts as well as its molecular features, 143 of which were differentially m6A-modified and manifested a negative correlation between expression levels and m6A modification levels. More than half of the differentially m6A-modified lncRNAs associated with dysregulated expression. The 6-MRlncRNA risk signature was a reliable indicator for assessing survival time of LUAD patients. The competitive endogenous regulatory network suggested a potential m6A-induced pathogenicity in LUAD. Conclusions These data have demonstrated that differential RNA m6A modification and m6A regulator expression levels were identified in LUAD patients. In addition, this study provides evidence increasing the understanding of molecular features, prognostic values, and regulatory functionalities of m6A-modified lncRNAs in LUAD