Chitosan-Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles Improve Salinity Tolerance in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

High-salinity (HS) stress is a global element restricting agricultural productivity. Rice is a significant food crop, but soil salinity has a detrimental impact on its yield and product quality. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been found as a mitigation method against different abiotic stresses, even HS stress. In this study, chitosan-magnesium oxide NPs (CMgO NPs) were used as a new method for rice plants to alleviate salt stress (200 mM NaCl). The results showed that 100 mg/L CMgO NPs greatly ameliorated salt stress by enhancing the root length by 37.47%, dry biomass by 32.86%, plant height by 35.20%, and tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in hydroponically cultured rice seedlings. The application of 100 mg/L CMgO NPs greatly alleviated salt-generated oxidative stress with induced activities of antioxidative enzymes, catalase by 67.21%, peroxidase by 88.01%, and superoxide dismutase by 81.19%, and decreased contents of malondialdehyde by 47.36% and H2O2 by 39.07% in rice leaves. The investigation of ion content in rice leaves revealed that rice treated with 100 mg/L CMgO NPs maintained a noticeably higher K+ level by 91.41% and a lower Na+ level by 64.49% and consequently a higher ratio of K+/Na+ than the control under HS stress. Moreover, the CMgO NPs supplement greatly enhanced the contents of free amino acids under salt stress in rice leaves. Therefore, our findings propose that CMgO NPs supplementation could mitigate the salt stress in rice seedlings

Online_Supplement – Supplemental material for In Search of Precision in Absorptive Capacity Research: A Synthesis of the Literature and Consolidation of Findings

<p>Supplemental material, Online_Supplement for In Search of Precision in Absorptive Capacity Research: A Synthesis of the Literature and Consolidation of Findings by Yue Song, Devi R. Gnyawali, Manish K. Srivastava and Elham Asgari in Journal of Management</p

Comprehensive Characterization of the Transformation of Wastewater Effluent via Advanced Oxidation Processes Using Nontarget Mass Spectrometric Analysis

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been extensively studied, employing preselected target compounds to evaluate their performance; however, this might overestimate their performance in real water. Herein, we applied nontarget mass spectrometric analysis to characterize the transformation of wastewater effluent during UV/H2O2 and UV/peroxydisulfate (PDS) processes. A total of 8,986 detected features, including 169 identified micropollutants, were categorized as stable features, unstable features, and transformation products (TPs) based on their transformation behaviors. Approximately 40% of the detected features were resistant to both AOPs, highlighting their need for additional treatment. The UV/H2O2 process eliminated a wider range of organic compounds than the UV/PDS process with the participation of H2O2-related nonradical reactive species, while the UV/PDS process exhibited high selectivity in degrading organic compounds at a faster rate. Oxygen addition and dealkyl group reactions were the most common reaction types in the AOPs. Linkage analysis with the four representative reactions of toxic TPs implied the higher probability of the UV/PDS process yielding high-toxicity products compared with the UV/H2O2 process. This study provides a comprehensive view of the two AOPs and is helpful to improving understanding of their performance in treating wastewater effluent

Comprehensive Characterization of the Transformation of Wastewater Effluent via Advanced Oxidation Processes Using Nontarget Mass Spectrometric Analysis

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been extensively studied, employing preselected target compounds to evaluate their performance; however, this might overestimate their performance in real water. Herein, we applied nontarget mass spectrometric analysis to characterize the transformation of wastewater effluent during UV/H2O2 and UV/peroxydisulfate (PDS) processes. A total of 8,986 detected features, including 169 identified micropollutants, were categorized as stable features, unstable features, and transformation products (TPs) based on their transformation behaviors. Approximately 40% of the detected features were resistant to both AOPs, highlighting their need for additional treatment. The UV/H2O2 process eliminated a wider range of organic compounds than the UV/PDS process with the participation of H2O2-related nonradical reactive species, while the UV/PDS process exhibited high selectivity in degrading organic compounds at a faster rate. Oxygen addition and dealkyl group reactions were the most common reaction types in the AOPs. Linkage analysis with the four representative reactions of toxic TPs implied the higher probability of the UV/PDS process yielding high-toxicity products compared with the UV/H2O2 process. This study provides a comprehensive view of the two AOPs and is helpful to improving understanding of their performance in treating wastewater effluent

Modeling the electrical field of IRE for the AT.

<p>At 1800 V/cm, the electric field distribution between the two electrodes was nearly uniform. However, a higher electric field intensity emerged at the edge of the electrode.</p

Immunohistochemistry.

<p>Immunostaining of endothelial cells with an anti-rabbit CD31 antibody on tissues of normal AT (control) and IRE-treated ATs (from 2 w to 24 w). The scale bars represent 50 μm.</p

Angiogenesis Analysis.

<p>Quantification of the average vascular cross-sectional area in IRE-ablated, distal and proximal regions following sham operations (controls) and IRE ablations. The error bars represent the standard deviation.</p

Enantioselective Toxicity in Adult Zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) Induced by Chiral PCB91 through Multiple Pathways

This study aimed to further investigate the toxic mechanism of chiral polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 91 in adult zebrafish (<i>Danio rerio</i>) exposed to racemic (rac-), (+)-, or (−)-PCB91 for 63 days. The enantioselective mortalities of adult zebrafish exposed to rac-/(+)-/(−)-PCB91 were 95.86, 50.08, and 81.50%, respectively. Tubular necrosis and cellular hypertrophy occurred in the kidneys of (−)-PCB91-treated groups, whereas demyelination and immune cell infiltration occurred in brains of the rac-, (+)-, and (−)-PCB91-treated groups. Additionally, exposure to chiral PCB91 enantioselectively induced neurotoxicity, apoptosis, and inflammation in brain tissues owing to perturbations of gene expression, protein content and sphingolipid levels. The high mortality after rac-/(+)-PCB91 exposure might be due to toxic effects on brain tissue, while the high mortality after (−)-PCB91 exposure might be due to toxic effects on kidney as well as brain tissues. Thus, our findings offer an important reference for elucidating the enantioselective toxicological mechanism of chiral PCBs in aquatic organisms

Histological evaluation of the rabbit ATs following sham operation, RFA and IRE ablation with TEM.

<p>The local details of tenocytes (<i>c</i>) and collagen fibers (<i>f</i>) are separated by a dividing line in the same photograph. (Control) A normal tenocyte and obvious transverse bands on each parallel collagen fibril with small interfibrillar gaps. (RFA-3 d) A typical necrotic cell with a dissolved membrane and blurred cytoplasmic components. Collagen fibrils were difficult to distinguish from the degenerative ECM. (IRE-3 d) A necrotic tenocyte with a blurred cell membrane, degenerative organelles and a dissolved nuclear membrane. The architecture of the collagen fibrils is relatively intact. (IRE-4 w) A regenerated tenoblast with a clear nuclear membrane and nucleolus. Collagen fibrils were slightly separated by small interfibrillar gaps. (IRE-6 w) Larger interfibrillar gaps and smaller fibril diameters. (IRE-24 w) An approximately normal tenocyte with a clear nuclear membrane and conspicuous nucleolus. Collagen fibrils appeared normal with clear bands and small interfibrillar gaps. The scale bars represent 0.5 μm.</p

Gross specimens of IRE-ablated AT with vascular perfusion at each time point.

<p>The blue regions represent the Microfil filling in the blood vessels.</p