Vapor deposition strategy for implanting isolated Fe sites into papermaking nanofibers-derived N-doped carbon aerogels for liquid Electrolyte-/All-Solid-State Zn-Air batteries.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs), with precisely controlled metal atom distribution and adjustable coordination architecture, have gained intensive concerns as efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts in Zn-air batteries (ZAB). The attainment of a monodispersed state for metallic atoms anchored on the carbonaceous substrate remains the foremost research priority; however, the persistent challenges lie in the relatively weak metal-support interactions and the instability of captured single atom active sites. Furthermore, in order to achieve rapid transport of O and other reactive substances within the carbon matrix, manufacturing SACs based on multi-stage porous carbon substrates is highly anticipated.

Role of root plasma membrane H-ATPase in enhancing Cucumis sativus adaptation to microcystins.

Microcystins (MCs) are the most widespread and hazardous cyanotoxins posing a huge threat to agro-ecosystem by irrigation. Some adaptive metabolisms can be initiated at the cellular and molecular levels of plant to survive environmental change. To find ways to improve plant tolerance to MCs after recognizing adaptive mechanism in plant, we studied effects of MCs on root morphology, mineral element contents, root activity, H-ATPase activity, and its gene expression level in cucumber during exposure and recovery (without MCs) periods.

Improving yield and quality of rice under acid rain stress by regulating nitrogen assimilation with exogenous Ca.

Acid rain threatens crop yield and nutritional quality, and Ca can regulate plant responses to abiotic stresses. To improve the yield and nutritional quality of crops under acid rain stress, we applied exogenous Ca to regulate nitrogen assimilation in rice seedlings under simulated acid rain stress (pH 4.5 or 3.

Adaptation of protein phosphatases in Oryza sativa and Cucumis sativus to microcystins.

Microcystins (MCs) in irrigation water could inhibit crop growth and yield. Protein phosphatases (PPs) play an important role in regulating physiological mechanisms in plants to adapt abiotic stresses. To clarify the adaptation mechanism in plants to MCs stress, we compared PPs in rice and cucumber leaves by analyzing PPs total activity, protein phosphatase-2A (PP2A) activity and expression, as well as related growth and gas exchange parameters.

Closed-loop evaluation on potential of three oil crops in remediation of Cd-contaminated soil.

Cd-contaminated farmlands threaten food security and safety by inhibiting crop growth and Cd accumulating in edible parts. Phytoremediation is a promising option to remove Cd from farmland soil. An ideal option is to remediate Cd and produce crops simultaneously on the contaminated soil.

[Reform and practical experience of bilingual course for "Environmental Biotechnology" with the development of "Emerging Engineering Education"].

The construction of "Emerging Engineering Education" aims at cultivating high-quality graduates capable of engineering practice, innovation and international competitiveness. Bilingual courses have become one of the effective means to cultivate qualified students with skills of both professional knowledge and international communication. However, the teaching effect of most bilingual courses is not very ideal.

Exogenous Ca enhances antioxidant defense in rice to simulated acid rain by regulating ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase.

Exogenous calcium enhances rice tolerance to acid rain stress by regulating isozymes composition and transcriptional expression of ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase. Calcium (Ca) participates in signal transduction in plants under abiotic stress, and addition of Ca is beneficial to alleviate damage of plants caused by acid rain. To clarify the effect of exogenous Ca on tolerance of plants to acid rain stress, we investigated regulation of Ca (5 mM) on activities, isozymes composition and transcriptional expression of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR), redox state, and HO concentration and growth in rice leaves and roots under simulated acid rain (SAR) stress.

Calcium regulates antioxidative isozyme activity for enhancing rice adaption to acid rain stress.

Acid rain, as a typical abiotic stress, damages plant growth and production. Calcium (Ca) mediates plant growth and links the signal transduction in plants for adapting to abiotic stresses. To understand the effect of Ca on plant adaptable response to acid rain, we investigated changes in activities and gene expression of antioxidative enzymes and fatty acid composition of membrane lipid in rice seedlings treated with exogenous Ca (5 mM) or/and simulated acid rain (SAR, pH 3.

Effect of microcystins at different rice growth stages on its yield, quality, and safety.

Microcystins (MCs) in water for irrigation may damage crop growth and enter food chains to threaten human health. To evaluate the potential risk of irrigation water contaminated with MCs, we exposed rice at each of the seedling, booting, and filling stages to irrigation water spiked with MCs at 1, 10, 100, and 1000 μg/L for 7 days. Afterwards, all rice underwent a recovery (without MCs) till the harvest.

Response of hormone in rice seedlings to irrigation contaminated with cyanobacterial extract containing microcystins.

Microcystins released by cyanobacteria affect crop growth and productivity, and even food safety. Plant hormones play a vital role in regulating growth, development and stress response in plants. Therefore, we studied the response of hormones including abscisic acid (ABA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), Zeatin (ZT) and gibberellin (GA) as well as hormone balances (IAA/ABA, ZT/ABA and GA/ABA) to cyanobacterial extract containing microcystins (1, 10, 100 and 1000 μg/L) during stress and recovery periods.

Responses of antioxidative enzymes and gene expression in Oryza sativa L and Cucumis sativus L seedlings to microcystins stress.

Microcystins (MCs) have become an important global environmental issue, causing oxidative stress, which is an important toxic mechanism for MCs in plants. However, the regulating mechanism of antioxidative enzymes in plants in adapting to MCs stress remains unclear. We studied the dynamic effects of MCs at different concentrations (5, 10, 50 and 100 μg/L) in rice and cucumber seedlings on relative growth rate (RGR), and reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and antioxidative enzyme activities, during a stress period (MCs exposed for 1, 3, 5 and 7 d) and recovery period (7 d).

Comparison of plasma membrane H-ATPase response to acid rain stress between rice and soybean.

Acid rain is a global environmental issue due to inhibiting severely plant growth and productivity. To discover the tolerant mechanism in plants under acid rain stress, we studied the difference in response of two crops (rice and soybean) to simulated acid rain (pH 5.0 ~ 2.

Exogenous application of Ca mitigates simulated acid rain stress on soybean productivity and quality by maintaining nutrient absorption.

Acid rain is a global environmental problem that threatens agricultural production. Calcium (Ca), as a signal substance for physiological activities, has been known to regulate plant growth under abiotic stresses. To clarify whether calcium could be one of possible ways to alleviate the reduction caused by acid rain in agricultural production and investigate its regulating mechanism on adaptation of plants under acid rain stress, we studied the effect of exogenous Ca (5 mM CaCl) on growth of soybean at different growth stages (seedling, flowering-podding, and filling stages) as well as yield and grain quality of soybean under simulated acid rain (pH 4.

Effect of exogenous calcium on growth, nutrients uptake and plasma membrane H-ATPase and Ca-ATPase activities in soybean (Glycine max) seedlings under simulated acid rain stress.

Calcium (Ca) is one of essential elements for plant growth and development, and also plays a role in regulating plant cell physiology and cellular response to the environment. Here, we studied whether calcium played a role in enhancing tolerance of plants to acid rain stress by hydroponics and simulating acid rain stress. Our results show that acid rain (pH 4.

Effect of exogenous abscisic acid on morphology, growth and nutrient uptake of rice (Oryza sativa) roots under simulated acid rain stress.

Application of proper ABA can improve acid tolerance of rice roots by balancing endogenous hormones and promoting nutrient uptake. Abscisic acid (ABA) has an important signaling role in enhancing plant tolerance to environmental stress. To alleviate the inhibition on plant growth and productivity caused by acid rain, it is crucial to clarify the regulating mechanism of ABA on adaptation of plants to acid rain.

Enhancing tolerance of rice (Oryza sativa) to simulated acid rain by exogenous abscisic acid.

Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates much important plant physiological and biochemical processes and induces tolerance to different stresses. Here, we studied the regulation of exogenous ABA on adaptation of rice seedlings to simulated acid rain (SAR) stress by measuring biomass dry weight, stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis rate, nutrient elements, and endogenous hormones. The application of 10 μM ABA alleviated the SAR-induced inhibition on growth, stomatal conductance, net photosynthesis rate, and decreases in contents of nutrient (K, Mg, N, and P) and hormone (auxin, gibberellins, and zeatin).

Response of plasma membrane H+-ATPase in rice (Oryza sativa) seedlings to simulated acid rain.

Understanding the adaptation of plants to acid rain is important to find feasible approaches to alleviate such damage to plants. We studied effects of acid rain on plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase activity and transcription, intracellular H(+), membrane permeability, photosynthetic efficiency, and relative growth rate during stress and recovery periods. Simulated acid rain at pH 5.

[Effects of microcystins on growth and antioxidant system of rice roots].

The effect of different concentrations (1, 100, 1000 and 3 000 microg x L(-1)) of microcystins (MCs) on growth, absorb activity, antioxidant system and its accumulation in roots of rice seedlings were studied. The results show that MCs accumulation was positively correlated with MCs concentration. After the treatment with 1 microg x L(-1) MCs, the root growth and activity increased.

Detecting authorized and unauthorized genetically modified organisms containing vip3A by real-time PCR and next-generation sequencing.

The growing number of biotech crops with novel genetic elements increasingly complicates the detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food and feed samples using conventional screening methods. Unauthorized GMOs (UGMOs) in food and feed are currently identified through combining GMO element screening with sequencing the DNA flanking these elements. In this study, a specific and sensitive qPCR assay was developed for vip3A element detection based on the vip3Aa20 coding sequences of the recently marketed MIR162 maize and COT102 cotton.

Antioxidant response of soybean seedlings to joint stress of lanthanum and acid rain.

Excess of rare earth elements in soil can be a serious environmental stress on plants, in particular when acid rain coexists. To understand how such a stress affects plants, we studied antioxidant response of soybean leaves and roots exposed to lanthanum (0.06, 0.

Interactive effects of cadmium and acid rain on photosynthetic light reaction in soybean seedlings.

Interactive effects of cadmium (Cd(2+)) and acid rain on photosynthetic light reaction in soybean seedlings were investigated under hydroponic conditions. Single treatment with Cd(2+) or acid rain and the combined treatment decreased the content of chlorophyll, Hill reaction rate, the activity of Mg(2+)-ATPase, maximal photochemical efficiency and maximal quantum yield, increased initial fluorescence and damaged the chloroplast structure in soybean seedlings. In the combined treatment, the change in the photosynthetic parameters and the damage of chloroplast structure were stronger than those of any single pollution.

Combined effects of lanthanum ion and acid rain on growth, photosynthesis and chloroplast ultrastructure in soybean seedlings.

Rare earth elements (REEs) have been accumulated in the agricultural environment. Acid rain is a serious environmental issue. In the present work, the effects of lanthanum ion (La(3+)) and acid rain on the growth, photosynthesis and chloroplast ultrastructure in soybean seedlings were investigated using the gas exchange measurements system, chlorophyll fluorometer, transmission electron microscopy and some biochemical techniques.

[Combined injured effects of acid rain and lanthanum on growth of soybean seedling].

Combined effects of acid rain and lanthanum on growth of soybean seedling (Glycine max) and its inherent mechanism were studied in this paper. Compared with treatments by simulated acid rain (pH 3.0, 3.

Effect of cerium on photosynthetic pigments and photochemical reaction activity in soybean seedling under ultraviolet-B radiation stress.

Effects of cerium (Ce) on photosynthetic pigments and photochemical reaction activity in soybean (Glycine max L.) under ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation stress were studied under laboratory conditions. UV-B radiation caused the decrease in chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, Hill reaction activity, photophosphorylation rate and Mg(2+)-ATPase activity.

Effect of cerium on photosynthetic characteristics of soybean seedling exposed to supplementary ultraviolet-B radiation.

Effects of cerium (Ce3+) on photosynthetic characteristics were investigated by hydroponics under laboratory conditions when soybean seedlings were exposed to two levels of supplementary UV-B radiation. UV-B radiation badly inhibited the photosynthesis in soybean seedling, leading to a reduction in net photosynthetic rate (Pn), Hill reaction activity, light saturated photosynthetic rate (Ps) and apparent quanta yield (AQY), as well as the CO2 and light saturated photosynthetic rate (Pm) and carboxulation efficiency (CE). On the contrary, Ce obviously promoted the photosynthesis of plants by increasing Hill reaction activity, accelerating electron transport and photophosphorylation, and enhancing carboxylation efficiency.