Growth, Nutrient Uptake, and Foliar Gas Exchange in Pepper Cultured with Un-composted Fresh Spent Mushroom Residue

Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) can be used as the component of growing medium for the culture of crop plants. Fresh SMS may have the potential as an alternative to peat to raise horticultural plants. In this study, five container media characterized by the proportions of SMS to commercial peat in 0% (control), 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% were used to raise pepper (Capsicum annum L.) plants. Initial SMS was found to have low available nitrogen (N) content (<20 mg kg-1) but moderate extractable phosphorus (P) content (900 mg kg-1). In the second month photosynthetic rate was found to decline in the 75% treatment. At harvest in the third month, plants in the 100% treatment nearly died out. The 25% treatment resulted in the highest height (19 cm) and diameter growth (0.3 cm), shoot (0.6 g) and root biomass accumulation (0.13 g), fruit weight (3 g), and shoot carbohydrate content (98 mg g-1), but lowest foliar acid phosphatase activity (30 µg NPP g-1 FW min-1). With the increase of SMS proportion in the substrate, the medium pH and electrical conductance (EC) increased with the decrease of foliar size. The available N and P contents in the substrates showed contrasting relationship with N and P contents in pepper plants. Therefore, fresh SMS cannot be directly used as the substrate for the culture of pepper plants. According to our findings fresh SMS was recommended to be mixed in the proportion of 25% with commercial peat for the culture of horticultural plants

Salary Satisfaction of Employees at Workplace on a Large Area of Planted Land

Salary satisfaction (SS) perception by employees can be affected by psychological impacts from the workplace setting. Landscape attributes of green and blue spaces (GBS) may account for this effect, but relevant evidence is rarely verified. In this study, a total of 56 Chinese industrial parks were chosen as study sites, where employee satisfaction was assessed by rating facial expression scores (happy, sad, and neutral emotions) in photos obtained from social networks (Sina Weibo and Douyin). The structures of the GBSs were characterized remotely by largeness of size, height, and visible ratio of green view (GVI) in a 2 km radius buffer area around the workplace. Street view images from Baidu map were selected for estimating GVI using a pre-trained deep learning model and botanical experts evaluating woody plants’ diversity. The results indicated that SS can be estimated with the maximum likelihood analysis model against the happy score, which ranged within 8.37–18.38 (average: 13.30 ± 2.32) thousand RMB. A regression model indicated SS was lowered by a larger green space area in agreement with a reduced happy score. Further, sad scores in highland areas with tall plants and a strong depression on the happy score was associated with a greater plant diversity. Interesting from this study, the designed apparent size of green space should be considered in green space construction near a workplace to prevent perceptional decline towards SS, while blue space is irrelevant in this relationship. Similarly, the diversity of woody plants should be planned to control its negative impact on the perception of positive emotions, with plant diversity beyond a comfortable level perhaps further decreasing SS

Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract Ameliorates Diabetic Bladder Dysfunction via the Activation of the Nrf2 Pathway.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM)-induced bladder dysfunction is predominantly due to the long-term oxidative stress caused by hyperglycemia. Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) has been reported to possess a broad spectrum of pharmacological and therapeutic properties against oxidative stress. However, its protective effects against diabetic bladder dysfunction have not been clarified. This study focuses on the effects of GSPE on bladder dysfunction in diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin. After 8 weeks of GSPE administration, the bladder function of the diabetic rats was improved significantly, as indicated by both urodynamics analysis and histopathological manifestation. Moreover, the disordered activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GSH-Px) and abnormal oxidative stress levels were partly reversed by treatment with GSPE. Furthermore, the level of apoptosis in the bladder caused by DM was decreased following the administration of GSPE according to the Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay. Additionally, GSPE affected the expression of apoptosis-related proteins such as Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3. Furthermore, GSPE showed neuroprotective effects on the bladder of diabetic rats, as shown by the increased expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) and decreased expression of the precursor of nerve growth factor (proNGF). GSPE also activated nuclear erythroid2-related factor2 (Nrf2), which is a key antioxidative transcription factor, with the concomitant elevation of downstream hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1). These findings suggested that GSPE could ameliorate diabetic bladder dysfunction and decrease the apoptosis of the bladder in diabetic rats, a finding that may be associated with its antioxidant activity and ability to activate the Nrf2 defense pathway

Effect of GSPE on the expression of NGF and proNGF in the bladder.

<p>A. The protein expression of NGF in the bladder of the three groups, * n = 5, P = 0.000 vs. the Control group. # n = 5, P = 0.025 vs. the DM group. B. The protein expression of proNGF in the bladder of the three groups, * n = 5, P = 0.001vs. the Control group. # n = 5, P = 0.031vs. the DM group.</p

General characteristics of the three groups.

<p>The values represent the mean ± SEM of 10 animals per group;</p><p>^a, n = 10, P = 0.000 vs. Control</p><p>^b, n = 10, P = 0.038 vs. DM</p><p>^c, n = 10, P = 0.000 vs. Control</p><p>^d, n = 10, P = 0.000 vs. Control</p><p>General characteristics of the three groups.</p

Effect of GSPE on the Nrf2 pathway in the bladder.

<p>A. IHC staining results of Nrf2 in the mucous and muscular layers of bladder tissues. The arrow shows Nrf2 positive staining is mainly located in the nucleus of the bladder cells. Scale bar, 50 μm. B. The protein expression of total Nrf2 in the bladder of the three groups, * n = 7, P = 0.011 vs. the Control group. # n = 7, P = 0.004 vs. the DM group. C. The protein expression of nuclear Nrf2 in the bladder of the three groups, * n = 7, P = 0.003 vs. the Control group. # n = 7, P = 0.018 vs. the DM group. D. The protein expression of HO-1 in the bladder of the three groups, * n = 5, P = 0.005 vs. the Control group. # n = 5, P = 0.002 vs. the DM group.</p

Functional and morphological evaluation of the bladder in the control, DM, DM/GSPE group.

<p>A, cystometrograms of the three groups; B, the statistical results of maximal bladder pressure. * n = 5, P = 0.003 vs. the Control group. # n = 5, P = 0.004 vs. the DM group; C, the statistical results of resting pressure; D, histological sections of the bladder via HE staining showed that there was structural damage and inflammatory cell infiltration in the DM group while GSPE could improve the morphological changes. The arrow shows inflammatory cells infiltration. Scale bar, 20 μm.</p

Effect of GSPE on oxidative stress in the bladder.

<p>A, GXH-Px activity in the bladder of the three groups, * n = 9, P = 0.001 vs. the Control group. # n = 9, P = 0.025 vs. the DM group; B, T-SOD activity in the bladder of the three groups, * n = 9, P = 0.000 vs. the Control group. # n = 9, P = 0.023 vs. the DM group; C, MDA level in the bladder of the three groups, * n = 9, P = 0.000 vs. the Control group. # n = 9, P = 0.013 vs. the DM group.</p