Common Driving Forces of Provincial-Level Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollutant Emissions in China.

By developing a filtering framework and a sector-level multi-regional input-output structural decomposition model, this study identifies key common emission sources, motivation sources, and inter-provincial emission flows of both GHGs and air pollutants and reveals the key driving forces of changes in different emissions from 2012 to 2017. Results show that key common emission sources are electricity sector, non-metallic mineral products, and smelting and processing of metals in Shandong and Hebei. However, key common motivation sources are the construction sectors in Guangdong, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong.

Progress on the biosynthesis and signal transduction of phytohormone salicylic acid.

The phenolic phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) is widely produced in plants, and is a key player in many processes of plant physiology, especially in plant immunity. During pathogen infection, SA is accumulated and the SA signaling pathway is activated to induce the expression of defense-related genes. Recently, a series of SA-related studies have been published.

Changes to pollutants and carbon emission multipliers in China 2007-2012: An input-output structural decomposition analysis.

This study performed an input-output structural decomposition analysis on changes in COD, ammonia nitrogen, SO, NOx, soot and dust, industrial solid waste, and CO emission multipliers for 41 final products over the period 2007-2012 in China. The results show that during the examined period, emission multipliers were, in general, decreasing. The main driver of this was technical effects.

BDNF-GSK-3β-β-Catenin Pathway in the mPFC Is Involved in Antidepressant-Like Effects of Morinda officinalis Oligosaccharides in Rats.

Background: Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides have been reported to exert neuroprotective and antidepressant-like effects in the forced swim test in mice. However, the mechanisms that underlie the antidepressant-like effects of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides are unclear.

Methods: Chronic unpredictable stress and forced swim test were used to explore the antidepressant-like effects of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides and resilience to stress in rats.

Effects of environmental stress on the depression-like behaviors and the diurnal rhythm of corticosterone and melatonin in male rats.

Environmental stress (ES) is commonly used in producing chronic unpredictable mild stress to study pathogenesis of depression, including the regulatory role of circadian system on depression. However, the direct effect of ES on the circadian system has been rarely explored. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of ES on depression-like behaviors and diurnal rhythm of plasma hormone/peptide levels in male rats.

Short photoperiod condition increases susceptibility to stress in adolescent male rats.

The seasonality of depressive symptoms is prevalent in children and adolescents. However, the mechanisms that underlie such susceptibility to seasonal influences on mood disorders are unclear. We examined the effects of a short photoperiod condition on the susceptibility to subchronic unpredictable mild stress (SCUS) and rhythmic alterations of plasma corticosterone (CORT), melatonin, and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in adolescent male rats.

Alterations of the daily rhythms of HPT axis induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress in rats.

The relationship between thyroid function and depression has long been recognized. Patients with thyroid disorders are more prone to develop depressive symptoms and conversely depression may be accompanied by various subtle thyroid abnormalities. However, the daily rhythm alteration of the functions of the hypothalamus pituitary thyroid axis (HPT) is uncertain.

Cyanobacterial fossils from 252 Ma old microbialites and their environmental significance.

The end-Permian mass extinction was followed by the formation of an enigmatic rock layer with a distinctive macroscopic spotted or dendroid fabric. This deposit has been interpreted as microbial reef rock, digitate dendrolite, digital thrombolite, dendritic thrombolite, or bacterial deposits. Agreement has been reached in considering them as microbialites, but not in their formation.

Apelin and its receptor APJ in cardiovascular diseases.

Apelin is an adipokine that has been identified as an endogenous ligand for the orphan receptor APJ. Apelin and APJ are expressed in a diverse range of tissues with particular preponderance for the heart and vasculature. Apelin has powerful positive inotropic actions and causes endothelium- and nitric oxide-dependent vasodilatation.

Diurnal alterations in circadian genes and peptides in major depressive disorder before and after escitalopram treatment.

Background: Strong links exist between circadian disturbances and some of the most characteristic symptoms of clinical major depressive disorder (MDD). However, changes in the expression of clock genes or neuropeptides related to the regulation of circadian rhythm that may influence the susceptibility to recurrence after antidepressant treatment in MDD have not been investigated.

Methods: Blood samples were collected at 4h intervals for 24h from 12 male healthy controls and 12 male MDD patients before and after treatment with escitalopram for 8 weeks.

Circadian alteration in neurobiology during protracted opiate withdrawal in rats.

Protracted opiate withdrawal can extend for months of disrupted hormonal circadian rhythms. We examined rodent behaviors and these circadian disturbances in hormone and peptide levels as well as brain clock gene expression during 60 days of protracted withdrawal. Our behavioral tests included open field, elevated plus maze, and sucrose preference tests at 36 h, 10, 30, and 60 days after stopping chronic morphine.

Morphine withdrawal produces circadian rhythm alterations of clock genes in mesolimbic brain areas and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in rats.

Previous studies have shown that clock genes are expressed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, other brain regions, and peripheral tissues. Various peripheral oscillators can run independently of the SCN. However, no published studies have reported changes in the expression of clock genes in the rat central nervous system and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after withdrawal from chronic morphine treatment.

Aripiprazole blocks reinstatement but not expression of morphine conditioned place preference in rats.

Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic drug primarily characterized by partial agonist activity at dopamine(DA) D2 receptors and serotonin-1A (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT1A) receptors and minimal side effects.Based on its pharmacological profile, including stabilization of mesocorticolimbic DA activity (a pathway implicated in drug addiction), we investigated the effects of aripiprazole on relapse to morphine seeking in rats. In experiment 1, rats underwent morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) training with alternate injections of morphine (5 mg/kg, s.

[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.

Arabidopsis SDIR1 enhances drought tolerance in crop plants.

Arabidopsis E3 ligase salt- and drought-induced RING-finger 1 (SDIR1) has been found to be involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-related stress signaling. SDIR1-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants exhibit improved tolerance to drought. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and rice (Oryza sativa) are two important agronomic crop plants.

Effects of physical training on cortical bone at midtibia assessed by peripheral QCT.

Effects of long-term exercise on volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), bone mineral content, bone geometric properties, and the strength indexes of bone were examined in a cross-sectional study of athletes and controls. Tibias of 25 jumpers (13 women), 30 swimmers (15 women), and 25 controls (15 women), aged 18-23 yr, were scanned at midsite by using peripheral quantitative computed tomography. The cortical vBMD of female athletes was lower than that of the controls (2.