Physiological effect of graphene oxide on tobacco BY-2 suspension cells and its immigration

More and more attentions are paid to the potential effect of graphene oxide (GO) in environment and human beings. In order to evaluate the effect of GO on plant, tobacco BY-2 suspension cells were employed as material, and the physiological effect of GO on tobacco BY-2 suspension cells and its immigration were investigated. The results showed that low concentrations of GO (25 and 50 μg/mL) promoted cells growth (increased by 11.22 % in 50 μg/mL GO), while higher concentrations of GO (100 and 200 μg/mL) induced inhibition in cell growth (decreased by 9.68 % in 200 μg/mL GO). GO caused an increment in activity levels of SOD, POD and CAT, but the activity levels decreased with the extension of culture time in higher concentration. The results showed that GO could make cell nuclei fragment and loose in a higher concentration. These results imply that there is an adverse effect of GO on plant cells, and suggest that nano pollution should be paid attention to

The Chinese pine genome and methylome unveil key features of conifer evolution

Conifers dominate the world's forest ecosystems and are the most widely planted tree species. Their giant and complex genomes present great challenges for assembling a complete reference genome for evolutionary and genomic studies. We present a 25.4-Gb chromosome-level assembly of Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) and revealed that its genome size is mostly attributable to huge intergenic regions and long introns with high transposable element (TE) content. Large genes with long introns exhibited higher expressions levels. Despite a lack of recent whole-genome duplication, 91.2% of genes were duplicated through dispersed duplication, and expanded gene families are mainly related to stress responses, which may underpin conifers' adaptation, particularly in cold and/or arid conditions. The reproductive regulation network is distinct compared with angiosperms. Slow removal of TEs with high-level methylation may have contributed to genomic expansion. This study provides insights into conifer evolution and resources for advancing research on conifer adaptation and development

Research report (Southwest Region University Transportation Center (U.S.))

Report on a methodological framework to help highway agencies develop maintenance plans that are minimally impacted by budget fluctuations. It includes a case study testing the effectiveness of the methodology using data from the Texas Department of Transportation

Study on Soil Desalination Process of Saline-Alkaline Grassland along the Yellow River in Western Inner Mongolia under Subsurface Drainage

This study aimed to explore the characteristics of water and salt transport in saline-alkali grassland, effectively guide the ecological construction of saline-alkali grassland along the Yellow River in western Inner Mongolia, and provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the ecological restoration of saline-alkali grassland and regional environmentally sustainable development. The desalination process of saline-alkali soil under the condition of subsurface pipe drainage was simulated using an indoor soil tank test. The variation in soil leaching water consumption, the salinity of the leaching filtrate with time, the accumulation of the filtrate, and the desalination rate of the filtrate under the condition of continuous leaching with a 25 mm head were analyzed. At the same time, the variation process of soil conductivity at 0~40 cm (upper layer), 40~80 cm (middle layer), and 80~120 cm (lower layer) was analyzed. Subsurface pipe drainage can reduce the soil salt content, while reducing the control area of the subsurface pipes can accelerate the soil desalination rate, thus improving the quality of saline-alkali soil. In addition, the leaching effect under 30 cm partition spacing was better than that under 35, 40, and 45 cm partition spacing, and the corresponding desalination rate was higher. Under stable continuous leaching with a 25 mm head, the entire leaching process can be divided into three stages: the rapid desalination, moderate desalination, and stable stages. During the desalination process, the upper, middle, and lower layers were desalinated synchronously, and the desalination rate of the upper layer was the highest, followed by the desalination rate of the middle and lower layers

Development of real-time reverse transcription PCR for detection of Maize chlorotic mottle virus based on a novel molecular marker

Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) infects maize plants and causes significant losses in corn production worldwide. In this study, a real-time TaqMan RT-PCR assay for efficient detection of MCMV was described. A pair of primers amplifying a 131-bp DNA fragment and a TaqMan probe was designed targeting the novel molecular marker based on MCMV genome analysis sequences. The assay designed was highly specific, producing no signal from other viruses, and the sensitivity of the assay was 0.16 fg/reaction of total RNA, which was approximately 252-fold higher than conventional RT-PCR gel electrophoresis method. Compared with the real-time TaqMan reverse transcription PCR targeting coat protein gene, the novel assay has more specificity and sensitivity to detect MCMV in maize. Therefore, the assay is a useful tool for large or middle-scale corporations and entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau to detect MCMV in maize seeds or plant tissues

Investigation of Adhesive Resistance of Aluminum Alloy by Sandblasting and Electrochemical Machining

A novel method for fabricating an adhesive resistance surface is presented. Sandblasting and electrochemical machining were introduced to prepare micro-nano structures on the sample surface. Then, the prepared sample was immersed in a tridecafluoroctyltriethoxysilane ethanol solvent. The surface of the aluminum alloy sample roughened and covered with low-surface-energy chemical groups was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). Surface wettability and adhesive resistance of the treated sample were characterized by water contact angles, area fraction, sliding angle and solid surface energy. Furthermore, the effects of some process parameters, such as sand size, current density, electrochemical machining time, and electrolyte concentration, on the contact angle, area fraction, sliding angle and the solid surface-energy of the modified sample surfaces were provided. The results show that the combination of binary micro-structures and surface modification of tridecafluoroctyltriethoxysilane plays a role to improve adhesive resistance of the aluminum alloy surface

Purification and Identification of EPS Produced by Five Lactic Acid Bacteria and Evaluation of Their Effects on the Texture of Fermented Goat Milk

Extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) produced by five lactic acid bacteria (Limosilactobacillus fermentum B55, Limosilactobacillus fermentum B62, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 7830, Pediococcus acidilactici B30, and Lactobacillus helveticus K2) were purified and identified, and their effects on the texture of fermented goat milk were evaluated. The purified EPS fractions EPS 1a, EPS 2b, EPS 3c, EPS 4d, and EPS 5e of strains B62, 7830, K2, B55, and B30 were obtained with ion exchange chromatography, and their molecular weights were 2.41 × 104, 1.62 × 104, 6.42 × 103, 6.45 × 103, and 1.26 × 104 Da, found using gel permeation chromatography. The infrared spectrum results showed that these substances all contained polysaccharide characteristic absorption peaks, most of which contained O-H bonds, C-H bonds, hydroxyl and carboxyl bonds, and groups. The analysis of monosaccharide composition presented that EPS1a was composed of guluronic acid, rhamnose, and galactose, with a molar ratio of 2.7:1:2.4; EPS2b and EPS3c were composed of guluronic acid; EPS4d was composed of guluronic acid, glucose, and galactose, with a molar ratio of 1:1.1:1.2; and EPS5e was composed of glucose and galactose, with a molar ratio of 1.6:1, indicating the differences in the composition and structure of EPS produced by various strains. Compared with the control group that only had the starter added, adding EPS-producing strains could promote acid production and improve the texture of fermented goat milk, and its acidity, hardness, consistency, viscosity, and viscosity index were higher

Research on Pump Inspection Cycle Early Warning Method Based on Big Data

At present, the existing indicator diagram can only be used for expost judgment and can not give early warning, and the influencing factors of pump inspection period are nonlinear, multi constrained and multi variable. In this paper, big data machine learning method is used to carry out relevant research. Firstly, around the influencing factors of pump inspection cycle, relevant data are collected and the evaluation index of pump inspection cycle is designed. Then, based on feature engineering technology, the production parameters of oil wells in different pump inspection periods are calculated to form the analysis sample set of pump inspection period. Finally, the early warning model of pump inspection period is established by using machine learning technology. The experimental results show that: the pump inspection cycle early warning model established by stochastic forest algorithm can identify the pump inspection status of single well, and the accuracy rate is about 85%