Research advance in the effects of litter input on forest soil organic carbon transformation and stability.

The turnover and stabilization of soil organic carbon are tightly associated with the properties of litter input. Due to the complexity of litter decomposition and the high heterogeneity of forest soils, there are considerable uncertainties about how soil minerals, microorganisms, and environmental factors jointly regulate the transformation and stability of litter-derived soil organic carbon. Here, we present an overview of the "microbial efficiency-matrix stabilization" framework centered on microbial metabolism and organic carbon transformation, as well as the new "microbial carbon pump" and "mineral carbon pump" theories in forest soil organic carbon transformation and stabilization.

Macrophage NFATc3 prevents foam cell formation and atherosclerosis: evidence and mechanisms.

Aims: Our previous study demonstrated that Ca2+ influx through the Orai1 store-operated Ca2+ channel in macrophages contributes to foam cell formation and atherosclerosis via the calcineurin-ASK1 pathway, not the classical calcineurin-nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFAT) pathway. Moreover, up-regulation of NFATc3 in macrophages inhibits foam cell formation, suggesting that macrophage NFATc3 is a negative regulator of atherogenesis. Hence, this study investigated the precise role of macrophage NFATc3 in atherogenesis.

Protective effect of paeoniflorin on HO induced Schwann cells injury based on network pharmacology and experimental validation.

This study was to investigate the protective effect of paeoniflorin (PF) on hydrogen peroxide-induced injury. Firstly, "SMILES" of PF was searched in Pubchem and further was used for reverse molecular docking in Swiss Target Prediction database to obtain potential targets. Injury-related molecules were obtained from GeenCards database, and the predicted targets of PF for injury treatment were selected by Wayne diagram.

[Differentiation of ectomycorrhizal morphology in along an elevation gradient in a subalpine forest of western Sichuan Province, China].

Ectomycorrhizal fungi are an important group of symbiotic fungi beneficial to plant growth and their environmental adaptation. An explicit clarification of the trait of ectomycorrhizal fungi would facilitate our understanding of plant responses to environmental change. We set up sampling plots at five elevations (2850, 3000, 3194, 3413, 3593 m) in the Balong Mountain within the Wolong Nature Reserve of Sichuan Province, and collected cubic soil samples (10 cm×10 cm×10 cm) from those plots by point centered quarter method.

[Changes of productivity with stand development in broadleaf-Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountain, China].

Stand age is a key factor affecting carbon stocks and fluxes of forest ecosystem. Quantification of the changes in forest productivity with stand development is critically important for optimizing forest age structure, facilitating maximum utilization of resources, and better realizing the role of forests in regulating the uptake, storage, and emission of CO. In this study, using space for time substitution approach, we established 12 chronosequence plots in the broadleaf-Korean pine forests of Lushuihe.

[Characters of ecosystem vulnerability in southwestern China based on vegetation productivity].

Southwestern China is one of the most important areas for global biodiversity conservation. Under the background of global climate change, the vulnerability of this area has showed an increasing trend. According to the IPCC concept of vulnerability, we calculated the spatial distribution of ecosystem's vulnerability in southwestern China based on gross primary productivity (GPP) and then analyzed the spatial variation of different levels of vulnerability.

[Spatio-temporal variations and influencing factors of thermal comfort at different elevations.].

Thermal comfort is one of the ways assessing heat changes in climate change scenarios. Based on the daily observation data of 84 meteorological stations from Guizhou Province, the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) was used to examine the spatio-temporal variations and main influencing factors of thermal comfort at different elevations under the scenarios of climate change. Moreover, the impacts of different climatic factors on UTCI at different elevations were quantitatively analyzed.

[Regulatory Role of Nitric Oxide in Development and Hatching of Mouse Blastocysts].

Objective: To determine the regulatory role and mechanism of nitric oxide (NO) in the development and hatching of mouse blastocysts.

Methods: The Kunming female mice were superovulated and then mated with mature male mice. On the day 2.

[Spatial distribution of human activities and their influences on landscape patterns in Daqingshan Nature Reserve].

Based on forest inventory data and field survey information, and by using GIS spatial analysis technique and landscape indices, this paper studied the spatial distribution of three categories of human activities (settlement, roads, and other sources of disturbances) and their impacts on landscape patterns in three sub-divided regions, i. e., the west, central and east regions of the Daqingshan Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia.

A carbon nanotube filled polydimethylsiloxane hybrid membrane for enhanced butanol recovery.

The carbon nanotubes (CNTs) filled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) hybrid membrane was fabricated to evaluate its potential for butanol recovery from acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation broth. Compared with the homogeneous PDMS membrane, the CNTs filled into the PDMS membrane were beneficial for the improvement of butanol recovery in butanol flux and separation factor. The CNTs acting as sorption-active sites with super hydrophobicity could give an alternative route for mass transport through the inner tubes or along the smooth surface.

Integrated butanol recovery for an advanced biofuel: current state and prospects.

Butanol has recently gained increasing interest due to escalating prices in petroleum fuels and concerns on the energy crisis. However, the butanol production cost with conventional acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation by Clostridium spp. was higher than that of petrochemical processes due to the low butanol titer, yield, and productivity in bioprocesses.

[Effects of forest floor litter and nitrogen addition on soil microbial biomass C and N and microbial activity in a mixed Pinus tabulaeformis and Quercus liaotungensis forest stand in Shanxi Province of China].

From September 2010 to October 2011, a field experiment with randomized block design was conducted in a mixed Pinus tabulaeformis and Quercus liaotungensis forest stand in Lingkong Mountain of Shanxi Province to study the effects of forest floor litter and nitrogen addition on the soil microbial carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) and microbial activity (MR). The litter treatments included complete litter removal, doubling of leaf litter (L), doubling of woody litter (B), and doubling of mixed leaf and woody litter (LB), and the nitrogen addition rates were 0 (N0), 5 g x m(-2) x yr(-1) (N1), and 10 g x m(-2) x yr(-1) (N2). Except that the treatment of complete litter removal without nitrogen addition decreased the soil organic carbon content significantly, all the other treatments had no significant differences in the effects on soil organic carbon.

[Temporal change in annual air temperature and heat island effect in a coastal city and an inland city at mid-latitude in China during 1956-1998].

Temporal changes in air temperature and urban heat island (UHI) effects during 1956-1998 were compared between a coastal city, Ji' nan, and an inland city, Xi' an, which were similar in latitude, size and development. During 1956-1978, except that the annual mean minimum temperature in Ji' nan increased by 0.37 degrees C x 10 a(-1), the temperature variables in the two cities did not display any apparent trend.

Cloning and Expression of the cDNA Encoding Human Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-3 and Its Inhibition on Angiogenesis.

We have isolated the cDNA encoding the mature tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3) by using RT-PCR method with total RNA extracted from human fresh placenta. The result of sequencing indicated that the mature TIMP-3 polypeptide contained 188 aa residues, including 12 conserved cysteinyl residues in the TIMP family. The expression plasmid pET-TIMP3 was constructed by inserting TIMP-3 cDNA into plasmid pET-24 (a(+)) containing T7 promoter and transformed into E.

The Human Recombinant GDNF and Study of Its Biological Activity.

The cDNA encoding the mature human glial cell derived neurotrophic factor(GDNF) was isolated by using RT-PCR method from total RNA extracted of fetal human brain. The expression plasmid pET-GDNF was constructed by inserting GDNF cDNA into plasmid pET-28a(+) containing T7 promoter and transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3).

Cloning and Expression of Annexin V cDNA in E.coli.

The cDNA encoding the mature annexin V was isolated by using RT-PCR method from total RNAs of fresh human placenta. The result of sequencing indicated that the sequence of isolated annexin V cDNA was the same as the reported nucleotide sequence of annexin V. The annexin V cDNA was cloned into expression plasmid pET24a(+) under T7 promoter and then transformed into E.

Construction of Biotinylated Annexin V for Detection of Apoptosis.

The biotinylated annexin V was generated by genetic engineering method. The encoding region of annexin V was fused with a gene coding for the carboxyl terminal 87 residues of Escherichia coli biotin carboxyl carrier protein. The fused gene was expressed in E.

Helicobacter pylori HspA Heat-shock Protein Gene Cloning, Expression and Immunogenicity.

Helicobacter pylori is the causative agent of gastritis and peptic ulcer in human. The heat-shock protein A (HspA)may stimulate the immunoresponse protecting human body against challenge of H.pylori.

Cloning of Human Glial Neurotrophic Factor and Its High Expression in Insect Cells.

The human glial cell derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) was expressed in Tn-5B1-4 insect cells using the Bac to Bac baculovirus expression system, accounting for 30% of total cellular soluble proteins. The expressed product was purified by affinity chromatography and the activity assays showed that it could significantly promote the survival of dopaminergic neurons. The study can be the basis for further structural-functional analysis of GDNF.