Investigation of the ultrastructural characteristics of foxtail and broomcorn millet during carbonization and its application in archaeobotany

Fossilized caryopses (or grains) of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) are important archaeobotanical materials for the study of early human agricultural activities.The morphology and ultrastructural characteristics of carbonized modern millets caryopses treated in a drying oven and burning in a field were investigated at different temperatures to study how fossilized millets are formed.The caryopses shrank gradually at temperatures below 200°C,and starch granules in the endosperm retained their crystalline structure.At 250°C the foxtail millet caryopses expanded,whereas the broomcorn millet caryopses were greatly deformed.At this temperature,the structure of the starch granules of both millets became amorphous.At 300°C the caryopses partially turned to ash and became porous,and the ultrastructure of the starch granules was transformed into alveolate cavities.Fossil caryopses from the prehistoric storage cellar at the Beiniu Site retained their crystalline structure and were formed by the dehydrating effect of carbonization,indicating that water molecules were not involved in the starch crystallization.The results of a field burning experiment demonstrated that the ultrastructure of carbonized caryopses placed on the ground under the fire was amorphous.The amorphous ultrastructure of the carbonized caryopses recovered from the archaeological layers is consistent with the expected structure of caryopses that have been carbonized at 250°C.Therefore,we suggest that the recovered caryopses were formed at about 250°C by baking rather than by burning in an open fire.     

Ovicidal activity of two fungal pathogens （Hyphomycetes）against Tetranychus cinnabarinus （Acarina：Tetranichidae）

The carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinna-barinus, is an economically important pest that devastates varieties of crops worldwide and develops significant resistance to common chemical pesticides, most of which lack ovicidal activity. In the present study, two isolates of entomopathogenic fungi, Beuaveria bassiana SG8702 and Pae-cilomyces fumosoroseus Pfrl53, were bioassayed against T. cinnabarinus eggs at 25 ℃ under a photophase of 12 : 12 (L:D). Infected eggs on Vicia faba var. minor leaves failed to hatch due to distortion and shrinkage and had fungal outgrowths when maintained under moist conditions. Sprays of B. bassiana conidia to T. cinnabarinus eggs (on leaves) at the concentrations of 58, 298 and 1306 conidia/mm2 (3 replicates per concentration and 35-65 fresh mite eggs per replicate) resulted in corrected egg mortalities of 20.4±4.2%, 36.0±7.6% and 64.6±12.5% (F=43.14, P <0.01), respectively; sprays of P. fumosoroseus at 129, 402 and 2328 conidia/mm2 caused egg mortalities of 16.1±11.1%,     

Evidence for transmission of aphid-pathogenic fungi by migratory flight of Myzus persicae alates

The alates of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, were daily trapped from the air from late October through early January and carried to laboratory for determination of fungal infection by individually rearing them for 7 d on detached cabbage leaves in Petri dishes. Among 760 alates trapped, 266 (35%) were found carrying various fungal pathogens, 87.3% of them died due to mycosis during the first 3-day period of rearing and the rest died in the following two days. Most of the deaths of the alates were attributed to entomophthoralean fungi, taking 94.4%, and the rest were the hyphomycetous fungus Beauveria bassiana. Among the Entomophthorales-killed alates, P. neoaphidis took a proportion of 66.1%, Z. anhuiensis 22.6%, E. planchoniana 9.7%, and N. fresenii 1.6%, respectively. Two alates were found suffering from cross infection of two fungal species, i.e. P. neoaphidis with Z. anhuiensis and N. fresenii, respectively. The results represent the first report on transmission of aphid-pathogenic fungi by M. persicae alates through migratory flight.     

Isotopic composition of helium in eclogite from the Dabie Mountains, central China and its geological significance

Isotopic geochemical characteristics of helium in garnet and omphacite of eclogite in the Dabie Mountains are discussed. Concentrations of³He and⁴He in garnet and omphacite are 3.9 × 10⁻¹⁴–24.0 × 10⁻¹⁴ and 0.48 × 10⁻⁷–9.42 × 10⁻⁷cm¹³.g⁻¹, respectively. Values of³He/⁴He have a range of (1.19–4.63) × 10⁻⁷. Helium In the eclogite is derived from both mantle and crust. Isotopic geochemical data of helium indicate that eclogite in the Dabie Mountains might be formed in depleted mantle and the age of the cologite would be Indo-China epoch.     

Microcalorimetric study on the antibiotic activity of clarithromycin and erythromycin

By using LKB-2277 Bioactivity Monitoring System, the heat effect changes in the process of inhibitory action of clarithromycin and erythromycin onEscherichia coli at 37°C were determined. Quantitative analysis showed that relationship between antibiotic concentrationc and rate contantk ofEscherichia coli growth, and half inhibitory ratio concentration IC₅₀: clarithromycin:k=0. 030 03–1. 1736×10⁻³ c, 8. 45 mg ·L⁻¹; erythromycin:k=0.031 08–8.4657×10⁻⁴ c, 14. 45 mg·L⁻¹. As a result of the microcalorimetry experiments, it not only indicated that antibacterial activity of clarithromycin was stronger than that of erythromycin, but also reported the changeable features of thermodynamics of the bacterial cell in biological, biochemical and metabolic process under different drug action. Foundation item: Supported by Natinal Natural Science Fundation of China (29973030), Natural Science Fundation of Hubei Province (98J052) and Post-doctoral Science Fundation of China Biography, SHEN Xue-song (1956-), Associate professor Research direction: biothermochemistry.     

Neuropeptide Y receptors in a protozoaStylonychia mytilus

Radio ligand binding assays(RLBA) were used to study neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors in a protozoa Stylonychia mytilus. The experimental results showed that 2-3×10+3/mL Stylonychia cells incubated in Pringsheim solution which contained 3H-NPY could specifically bind 3H-NPY and concomitantly present saturable characteristic. This suggested that Stylonychia possessed some specific binding sites for NPY. Scatchard transformations of binding assay for the NPY receptors at 25℃ are compatible with the specific activity of 42.47 fmol/10+3 cells and the binding equilibrium constant of 0.113 nmol/L. The data of 125I-NPY binding assay to the membrane protein extract of Stylonychia indicated that there was a significant difference between the amount of total bound and nonspecific bound of 125I-NPY. This result indicated that NPY receptors were probably localized mainly on the cell membrane.     

Determination of Cd-MT in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pteria penguin</Emphasis> with indirect non-competitive ELISA

Cadmium-metallothionein (Cd-MT) of Pteria penguin was used to immunize domestic rabbit in order to obtain polyclonal antibody against Cd-MT. Using the anti-Cd-MT antibody, a method of indirect non-competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (non-competitive ELISA) was established to detect shellfish Cd-MT. In this case, the minimum detectable concentration of P. penguin Cd-MT was (4.563±0.051) ng/mL. The linear range of detection was 9.75-2.0×104 ng/mL. Intra-assay relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 11.6%, and inter-assay RSD less than 6.7%. The recovery rates ranged from 83.7% to 119.0%. The polyclonal antibody against Cd-MT of P. penguin can also be used to detect MT of other four types of shellfish. In the crude extracts from different organs of P. penguin, the MT concentrations determined by this method matched well with the concentrations of cadmium detected by the atomic absorption spectroscopy.     

Description of mechanism function about dehydration of cobalt oxalate dihydrate by multiple rates isotemperature method

0　IntroductionThetechnologyofthermalanalysishasbeenwidelyusedinthestudyofthermalbehaviorandthermalcharacterofsolidstatereaction ,theprimaryintentionofthermalanalysiskineticsistoestablishseparatevaluesofapparentactivationenergyE ,themostprobablemechanism g(α)andthepre exponentialfactorA ,meanwhilethedeterminationofg(α)hasgraduallybeenthefocusofthisfield .Inthisfield ,therearemostlygeneralkineticsmethodsused presently ,suchasCoats Redfern’s[1 ] integralmethod ,Achar’s[2 \〗differentialmet…     

GCC box in<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis PDF1.2</Emphasis> promoter is an essential and sufficient cis-acting element in response to MeJA treatment

The expression of Arabidopsis PDF1.2 gene isregulated by jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET). It also has been well documented that GCC box is an element responsive to ET, however, the responsive mechanism of JA in such plant defense gene expression is unclear. In this paper, the authors define the essential cis-acting element in PDF1.2 promoter responsive to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) through fragment deletions and site-directed mutageneses combiningAgrobacterium-mediated transient reporter gene expression in tobacco leaves. Firstly, the MeJA inducible expression o fPDF1.2 was confirmed by using the upstream -1.86 kb fragment of PDFI.2 gene. Secondly, the upstream -300— -243 bp fragment of the promoter was evidenced to respond to MeJA. To further characterize this promoter region, three point mutations were introduced into the -300— -243 bp fragment of the promoter. This result showed that the mutation of GCC box abolished MeJA induction, whereas the mutations of the G box-like and the imperfect palindrome sequence did not significantly decrease MeJA inducible effect, indicating that GCC box in PDFI.2 is essential for MeJA induction. The sufficient responsiveness to MeJA of this GCC box was further investigated by 4xGCC fused upstream to the CaMV 35S minimal promoter. This result suggested that the fused promoter was able to activate reporter gene expression in response to MeJA. Thus these results indicate that the GCC box in PDFI.2 is an essential and sufficient element to confer MeJA induction.     

A tumor suppressor genefhit prokaryotic expression and identification

The recombinant expression vector pGEMD-fhit which contains full encoding region offhit gene was constructed. The recombinant was introduced into the BL21 (DE3) strain ofE. coli and induced by 1 mmol/L IPTG to express a 29×10³ polypeptide offhit fusion protein. And the 29×10³ protein was sensitive and specific in reaction with anti-fhit antibody in Western blot. Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (39770373) Biography: SUN Yan (1975−), female, Master of science, Research direction: gene engineering     

Carbon sequestration within millet phytoliths from dry-farming of crops in China

Phytoliths are noncrystalline minerals that form inside cells and cell walls of different parts of plants. Organic carbon in living cells can be occluded in phytoliths during plant growth. It has been documented that the occluded carbon within phytoliths is an important long-term terrestrial carbon reservoir that has a major role in the global carbon cycle. Common millet and foxtail millet have become typical dry-farming crops in China since the Neolithic Age. The study of carbon conservation within phytoliths in these crops could provide insights into anthropogenic influences on the carbon cycle. In this study, we analyzed the carbon content in phytoliths of common millet and foxtail millet. The results indicated that (1) common millet and foxtail millet contained 0.136% ± 0.070% and 0.129% ± 0.085% phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) on a dry mass basis, respectively; (2) based on the mean annual production of common millet and foxtail millet in the last 10 years, the phytolith occluded carbon accumulation rate of common millet and foxtail millet was approximately 0.023 ± 0.015 and 0.020 ± 0.010 t CO 2 ha 1 a 1 , respectively; (3) assuming a similar phytolith occluded carbon accumulation rate as for common millet (the highest accumulation rate was 0.038 t CO 2 ha 1 a 1 ), this could result in the sequestration of 2.37 × 10 6 t CO 2 per year for the 62.4 × 10 6 ha dry-farming crops in China. Although there was a decline in the annual production rate and planting area of foxtail millet during 1949 to 2008, the total phytolith carbon sequestration rate was 7×10 6 t CO 2 within the 60-year period. However, phytolith occluded carbon has not yet been fully considered as a global carbon sink. Also, this carbon fraction is probably one of the best candidates for the missing carbon sink.     

Analysis of the characteristics of the harmonics coefficient <Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript> of the Earth’s gravity field in different periods

The characteristics of the geopotential coefficient J2 in different periods are analyzed using satellite laser ranging data spanning the last 27 years.The satellites used in the analysis are Lageos1 and Lageos2.The variations in J2 are obtained by determining the dynamic orbit.The results show that there are strong seasonal and long-term variations.For different data spans,the seasonal variations agree well in terms of both amplitude and phase.Using all the data,the amplitude and phase of the annual term are 2.5 10-10 and 127°,respectively,while the amplitude and phase of the semiannual term are 0.94 10-10 and 213°,respectively.In the case of long-term variation,the secular variation in J2(J2) is-2.2 10-11 a-1 from 1984 to 2010.J2 differs for the different periods because of interannual variations,such as the "1998 anomaly".Another anomaly may have taken place during 2007-2010.Although the cause of the anomaly is unknown,it is an important observational constraint on the shape of the Earth.     

红色赤潮藻对球形棕囊藻的化感作用研究

红色赤潮藻(Akashiwo sanguinea)和球形棕囊藻(Phaeocystis globosa)都是近年来在我国近岸海域频繁引发赤潮的藻类。为了探索红色赤潮藻和球形棕囊藻之间是否存在化感作用及作用方式,本研究采用不同起始密度培养红色赤潮藻与球形棕囊藻,并将前者的完整细胞培养液、无细胞滤液、藻液超声破碎液分别与球形棕囊藻进行混合培养,分析红色赤潮藻对球形棕囊藻细胞生长的影响。结果显示,在红色赤潮藻细胞起始密度保持5×10⁵ cells/L的混合培养条件下,起始密度分别为5×10⁵、1×10⁶、2×10⁶、1×10⁷ cells/L的球形棕囊藻生长均受到明显的抑制;无论是含有红色赤潮藻完整细胞的培养液,还是其无细胞滤液或藻液超声破碎液,均对球形棕囊藻的生长具有显著抑制作用(P<0.01),抑制强度由强至弱依次为完整细胞培养液、无细胞滤液和藻液超声破碎液;相反,球形棕囊藻的存在对红色赤潮藻细胞的生长无显著影响(P>0.05)。因此,红色赤潮藻具有抑制球形棕囊藻生长...     

An explanation to the high efficiency ofm-THPC (temporfin) used in photodynamic therapy

Meso-tetrahydroxylphenyl chlorin (m-THPC) is one of the most efficient prospective sensitizers used in photodynamic therapy (PDT). ESR spectroscopy, fluorescence quenching experiments and cyclic voltammogram measurement were used to study its redox properties. The results showed that the ability of m-THPC generating superoxide radical anions was very strong, and the rate constant of m-THPC fluorescence quenching by oxygen k_q (O₂)=1.46×10¹⁰ mol^-1·s^-1. The values of fluorescence quen- ching rate constant of m-THPC by some other electron acceptors, such as methyl viologen (MV²⁺) and anthraquinone (An), were also measured. And they were k_q (MV²⁺)=5.51×10⁹ mol^-1·s^-1, k_q (An)=7.81×10⁹ mol^-1·s^-1. The oxidation potential of m-THPC was examined to be +0.62 V (vs. NHE) in acetonitrile. All these suggested that m-THPC should be a much stronger electron donor than photofrin, the currently used in clinical photodrug, and may react easily through electron transfer with biological matter to yield various radicals. So it seemed reasonable that the type Ⅰ reaction may play an important role in the high activity of m-THPC-PDT.     

Purification and inhibition fungal growth of chitinases from<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vibrio pacini</Emphasis>

Vibrio pacini synthesizes multiple chitinases, of which three have been purified in this study by ammonium sulphate fractionation, chitin affinity chromatography and gel chromatography. Molecular weights of the three chitinases, Chi1, Chi2 and Chi3 are 27×10³, 39×10³ and 46×10³ respectively, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The purified enzymes have optimal activity at pH 7–8, and retain 50% enzymatic activity pH 4–9. The activities of chitinases are inhibited by Pb²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Cu²⁺, and increased by Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺. Chi3 is found to inhibit the growth of six species of fungi. Such characters of chitinase are different from those of any other chitinase that were reported before. Foundation item: Supported by the Key Technologies Research and Development Programme of the Tenth Five-Year Plan of the Nation Scientific and Technological Development (2001 BA708B04-07) Biography: HAN Bao-qin (1963-), female, Professor.     

Improving DNA damage repair ability ofE. coli to UV-radiosensitivity by DNA-mediated gene transfer of low energy ion beam

Using calcium chloride method of transfer gene as control, a new technique of transferring gene by low energy ion beam has been applied to the study of improving DNA damage repair ability ofE. coli to UV-radiosensitivity. The genome DNA pieces ofDeinococcus radiodurans, as “foreign” genetic materials, were introduced into the UV-radiosensitive strains ofE. coli by implantation of 20 keV Ar⁺ at doses ranging from 1 × 10¹⁵ to 2 × 10¹⁵ ions/cm². Results show that the transfected strains present higher UV-radioresistance than that of un-transfected ones and start ones. The survival rate of transfected strains and their unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) ability is increased, indicating that the transfer gene is a success.     

一株来自青藏高原土壤日本曲霉菌的分离鉴定及其杀东亚飞蝗活性研究

采用稀释涂布法从青藏高原采集的土样中分离得到一株具有杀蝗虫活性真菌D3-19.通过形态学观察以及ITS序列的分析,初步将D3-19鉴定为曲霉属日本曲霉(Aspergillus japonicas).室内活性测定结果表明日本曲霉D3-19发酵液和孢子均有杀东亚飞蝗活性.其中,真菌发酵液对东亚飞蝗校正死亡率为:96h(86.67%),144h(100%).与此同时,真菌孢子悬液对东亚飞蝗的LC50(致死中浓度)为3.42×105孢子/mL.研究结果表明,3×108孢子/mL的D3-19孢子悬液对不同年龄阶段东亚飞蝗均有致死效果.其LT50(半致死时间)值分别为:羽化成虫(155h),四至五龄成虫(104.8h),三龄幼虫(54.6h),二龄幼虫(30.6h).     

Organic media enhanced spectrofluorimetric determination of L-ascorbic acid

A novel spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of L-ascorbic acid is proposed. It is based on the inhibition of L-ascorbic acid on the formation of 2,3-diaminophenazine, which is an oxidation product ofo-phenylenediamine catalyzed by laccase. The fluorescence (at λ_cx/λ_cm=464 nm /530 nnm) was enhanced strongly in the presence of organic media. The mechanism ofo-phenylenediamine oxidation reaction catalyzed by laccase in the presence of L-ascorbic acid is discussed. L-ascorbic acid is determined in the ethanol, 1,4-dioxane and acetone over the linear range of 4.0×10⁻⁷≈1.2×10⁻⁴ mol/L, 4.0×10⁻⁷≈8.0×10⁻⁵ mol/L and 4.0×10⁻⁷≈1.0×10⁻⁴ mol/L with a detection limit of 1.20×10⁻⁵ mol/L, 1.19×10⁻⁵ mol/L and 1.24×10⁻⁸ mol/L, respectively. The method has been successfully applied to the simple and rapid determination of L-ascorbic acid in pharmaceuticals and milk powder. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Special Funds of State Education Committe for Doctorate Research Huang Zuyun: born in Aug. 1963. Ph.D     

Sensitive Determination of DNA by RLS Enhancement of Metal Ions

0　IntroductionThequantitativeanalysisofnucleicacids,especiallythemi cro determinationofnucleicacids,isbecomingmoreandmoreimportantinmanybiologicalstudies.Recently ,apromisingspectraltechnique ,whichwasbasedonthemeasurementofen hancedresonancelightscattering (RLS) [1 ,2 ] ,hasgivenrisetostronginterestbyanalystsandbiochemistsfornucleicacidsandproteinassay[3 9] .Uptonow ,manykindscompoundshavebeenfoundRLSenhancementwhilebindingtoDNA ,andallthesecompoundsarecharacterizedofpositivechargewhicha…     

Purification and Characterization of an Antibacterial Protein from the Cultured Mycelia of Cordyceps sinensis

0 IntroductionAlnattie mdicfrroobmiala p wriodteei nvsar iheatdy boefe linv ifnogun odr gaanndis ismos--Bacteria[1], fungi[2 ,3], plants[4]and ani mals[5].Those proteins displayed a wide spectrumof anti mi-crobial activity against different species of viruses ,bacteria andfungi .Over the past few years ,several anti microbialpeptides and proteins were foundinfungus ,such asAFP fromAspergillus giganteus[6], Anafp fromAspergillus niger[7], Zygocin fromthe yeastZy-gosaccharomyces bailii[8],an…