Effects of Antimony Stress on Photosynthesis and Growth of Acorus calamus

This study was aimed to explore that effects of Sb on physiological parameters of Acorus calamus and the possibility of using A. calamus as a remediation plant. A. calamus potted experiments were conducted using different concentrations (0, 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg) of antimony potassium tartrate (Sb3+) (marked as CK, T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively) and potassium pyroantimonate (Sb5+) (marked as CK, T′1, T′2, T′3, and T′4, respectively). The effects of Sb stress (Sb3+ and Sb5+) on leaf photosynthetic pigments, biomass, photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of potted A. calamus were studied. With the rise of Sb3+ concentration from T1 to T4, the leaf pigment contents (chlorophyll a, b, carotenoid), plant height, dry weight, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), evaporation rate (E), PSII maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and PSII electron transfer quantum yield rate (ΦPSII) of A. calamus all reduced, while intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) significantly increased. The reduction of Pn was mainly induced by non-stomatal limitation. Chlorophyll a/b ratio increased significantly versus the control, while carotenoid/chlorophyll ratio (Car/Chl) first decreased and then increased. The leaf Chl a, Chl b, Car, plant height, dry weight, Pn, Gs, E, Fv/Fm, and ΦPSII all maximized in T′1 (250 mg/kg), but were not significantly different from the control. As the Sb5+ concentration increased from T′2 to T′4, the above indices all decreased and were significantly different from the control. Moreover, intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) decreased significantly. The reduction of Pn was caused by non-stomatal limitation, indicating the mesophyll cells were damaged. The Car/Chl ratio was stable within 0–500 mg/kg Sb, but decreased in T3 and T4, and rose in T′3 and T′4. After Sb3+ and Sb5+ treatments, translocation factor varied 19.44–27.8 and 19.44–24.86%, respectively. In conclusion, different form Sb3+ treatment, Sb5+ treatment showed a Hormesi effect, as low-concentration treatment promoted A. calamus growth, but high-concentration treatment inhibited its growth. The two forms of Sb both caused unfavorable effects on A. calamus, but the seedlings did not die and were modestly adaptive and Sb-accumulative. A. calamus, which is easily maintained and cultivated, can serve as a good candidate for phytoremediation of water contaminated with Sb

The improvement of suspension training for trunk muscle power in Sanda athletes

The aim of this study was to investigate whether both suspension training (ST) and traditional training (TT) can improve Sanda athlete's strength quality of trunk muscles and to explore the effect of suspension training on Sanda athletes' trunk muscle power production. Twelve elite Sanda athletes from the Competitive Sports School of Shanghai University of Sport were randomly assigned to experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). EG and CG were regularly trained with suspension training and traditional strength training for 40 minutes three times per week. The total duration of training was 10 weeks. The measurements including peak torque (PT), PT/body weight (BW), and rate of force development (RFD) were used to assess trunk muscles strength. The results showed that there were significant differences between the two groups' performance when it was tested at the higher velocity of dynamometer (test of muscle power), but less significant differences when the two groups performance was tested at the lower velocity of dynamometer (test of maximum strength). The conclusion of this study is that compared with traditional training methods, suspension training can improve back and trunk flexion muscles strength more effectively. In particular, suspension training can improve the explosive power of trunk extension and flexion muscles

A High-Performance Magnetic Shield with MnZn Ferrite and Mu-Metal Film Combination for Atomic Sensors

This study proposes a high-performance magnetic shielding structure composed of MnZn ferrite and mu-metal film. The use of the mu-metal film with a high magnetic permeability restrains the decrease in the magnetic shielding coefficient caused by the magnetic leakage between the gap of magnetic annuli. The 0.1–0.5 mm thickness of mu-metal film prevents the increase of magnetic noise of composite structure. The finite element simulation results show that the magnetic shielding coefficient and magnetic noise are almost unchanged with the increase in the gap width. Compared with conventional ferrite magnetic shields with multiple annuli structures under the gap width of 0.5 mm, the radial shielding coefficient increases by 13.2%, and the magnetic noise decreases by 21%. The axial shielding coefficient increases by 22.3 times. Experiments verify the simulation results of the shielding coefficient of the combined magnetic shield. The shielding coefficient of the combined magnetic shield is 16.5%. It is 91.3% higher than the conventional ferrite magnetic shield. The main difference is observed between the actual and simulated relative permeability of mu-metal films. The combined magnetic shielding proposed in this study is of great significance to further promote the performance of atomic sensors sensitive to magnetic field

Analysis and Measurement of Differential-Mode Magnetic Noise in Mn-Zn Soft Ferrite Shield for Ultra-Sensitive Sensors

The magnetic noise generated by the ferrite magnetic shield affects the performance of ultra-sensitive atomic sensors. Differential measurement can effectively suppress the influence of common-mode (CM) magnetic noise, but the limit of suppression capability is not clear at present. In this paper, a finite element analysis model using power loss to calculate differential-mode (DM) magnetic noise under a ferrite magnetic shield is proposed. The experimental results confirm the feasibility of the model. An ultrahigh-sensitive magnetometer was built, the single channel magnetic noise measured and the differential-mode (DM) magnetic noise are 0.70 fT/Hz1/2 and 0.10 fT/Hz1/2 @30 Hz. The DM magnetic noise calculated by the proposed model is less than 5% different from the actual measured value. To effectively reduce DM magnetic noise, we analyze and optimize the structure parameters of the shield on the DM magnetic noise. When the outer diameter is fixed, the model is used to analyze the influence of the ratio of ferrite magnetic shielding thickness to outer diameter, the ratio of length to outer diameter, and the air gap between magnetic annuli on DM magnetic noise. The results show that the axial DM magnetic noise and radial DM magnetic noise reach the optimal values when the thickness to outer diameter ratio is 0.08 and 0.1. The ratio of length to outer diameter is negatively correlated with DM magnetic noise, and the air gap (0.1–1 mm) is independent of DM magnetic noise. The axial DM magnetic noise is less than that of radial DM magnetic noise. These results are useful for suppressing magnetic noise and breaking through the sensitivity of the magnetometer

Zoledronic acid inhibits the growth of cancer stem cell derived from cervical cancer cell by attenuating their stemness phenotype and inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest through the Erk1/2 and Akt pathways

Abstract Background Zoledronic acid is the most potent osteoclast inhibitor and is widely used for advanced cancer patients with bone metastasis, but its role on cancer stem cells (CSCs) remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to identify the stemness phenotypic characteristics of CSCs derived from cervical cancer cells and explore the anti-cancer efficiency of zoledronic acid on these cells, as well as the possible molecular mechanisms. Methods Stemness phenotypic identification of cervical cancer cells derived CSCs was performed via sphere formation efficiency (SFE), tumorigenesis, immunofluorescence staining, Transwell assay, and western blot. Anti-cancer efficiency of zoledronic acid on these cells (including proliferation, stemness phenotype, apoptosis, and cell cycle) was carried out through MTT assay, SFE, transwell, DAPI staining, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, TUNEL staining, and western blot, both in vitro and in vivo. Results Enhanced self-renewal ability, including SFE and tumorigenesis, was verified in cervical cancer cells derived CSCs compared to parental cervical cancer cells. Specifically, the expression of ALDH1, Sox2, CD49f, Nanog, and Oct4 was significantly up-regulated in cervical cancer cells derived CSCs. Furthermore, enhanced migratory ability was observed in these cells along with up-regulated N-cadherin and Vimentin and down-regulated E-cadherin. Zoledronic acid inhibited cervical cancer cells derived CSCs proliferation in vitro and in vivo. The stemness phenotype of these CSCs including tumor sphere formation, migration, as well as the expression of the aforementioned associated markers was also suppressed. In addition, zoledronic acid significantly induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of cervical cancer cells derived CSCs in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanistically, the expression of phosphorylated Erk1/2 and Akt was significantly increased in cervical cancer cells derived CSCs compared to parental cervical cancer cells. Zoledronic acid inhibited phosphorylated Erk1/2 and Akt in cervical cancer cells derived CSCs. IGF-1, a potent stimulator for Erk1/2 and PI3K/Akt, attenuated the aforementioned anti-cancer effect of zoledronic acid. Conclusions Zoledronic acid inhibited the growth of cervical cancer cells derived CSCs through attenuating their stemness phenotype, inducing apoptosis, and arresting cell cycle. The suppression of phosphorylated Erk1/2 and Akt was involved in this process

Soybean hairy roots produced in vitro by Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation

Soybean is one of the world's most important oil and protein crops. Efficient transformation is a key factor for the improvement of soybean by genetic modification. We describe an optimized protocol for the Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation of soybean and the induction of hairy root development in vitro. Cotyledons with 0.5-cm hypocotyls were cut from 5-day-old seedlings and used as explants. After infection and co-cultivation, hairy roots were produced in induction culture medium after 10–12 days. Using this method, 90%–99% of the infected explants of five different cultivars produced hairy roots within one month. Observations using reporter constructs showed that 30%–60% of the hairy roots induced were transformed. Based on high transformation efficiency and short transformation period, this method represents an efficient and rapid platform for study of soybean gene function