[Evaluation of eutrophication level changes in Baiyangdian Lake based on multiple biological groups].

Baiyangdian Lake is the largest shallow lake in the North China Plain. Due to the increases in upstream water consumption in recent decades, the amount of natural water entering the lake has decreased, resulting in a significant drop in the water level of Baiyangdian Lake. Severe eutrophication has occurred in Baiyangdian Lake owing to the discharge of domestic sewage around the sub-lakes.

Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on the nutritional and active ingredient contents during the floral development of medicinal chrysanthemum.

The paper mainly studied the effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on the nutritional and active ingredient contents during the floral development of medicinal chrysanthemum. The experiment included two levels of UV-B radiation (0 and 400μWcm(-2)). The contents of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), anthocyanin, UV-B absorbing compounds, total chlorophyll and carotenoids, and the activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase enzyme (PAL) and cinnamic acid-4-hydroxylase enzyme (C4H) in flowers significantly decreased with the floral development.

[A redox process of ethanethiol group increases formation of beta-sheet structure and amyloid fibrils of wild type human prion protein].

In order to explore the potential influences of the disulfide bridge on the physical and chemical properties of PrP protein, the expressed recombinant human wild-type PrP protein was purified for using in an established redox process for the reduction and oxidation of the ethanethiol group within PrP. Sedimentation tests illustrated that redox process remarkably promoted the aggregation of recombinant PrP. Thioflavin T binding assay revealed an enhanced fibrillization of the recombinant human PrP after redox process.

[Effects of salinity and Na+/K+ in percolating water from saline-alkali soil on the growth of Litopenaeus vannamei].

In order to develop shrimp farming with the percolating water from coastal saline-alkali soil, the effects of the salinity and Na+/K+ in this percolating water on the survival, growth, metabolism, and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamicpyruvic transaminase (GPT) and Na+-K+-ATPase activities of Litopenaeus vannamei were investigated. The shrimps were cultured at the salinity 5, 10 and 15 and at the Na+/K+ ratios of 20, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 90 for 20 days. The results showed that the survival rate, growth rate, and enzyme activities of the shrimps were the highest at salinity 15, and the shrimps had higher survival rate, growth rate, and enzyme activities at the Na+/K+ ratios of 40 and 50, suggesting that after an appropriate preparation, the percolating water from coastal saline-alkali soil was available to culture the shrimps.