Nutrient losses and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production in China: Lessons learned from historical changes and regional differences.

The dairy industry in China was rapidly expanded and intensified from 1980 to 2010, engendering potential long-term impacts on the environment and natural resources. However, impacts of dairy intensification on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were unknown. This study was undertaken to examine these relations using the NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment and Resources use (NUFER)-dairy model.

Large-scale prediction of microRNA-disease associations by combinatorial prioritization algorithm.

Identification of the associations between microRNA molecules and human diseases from large-scale heterogeneous biological data is an important step for understanding the pathogenesis of diseases in microRNA level. However, experimental verification of microRNA-disease associations is expensive and time-consuming. To overcome the drawbacks of conventional experimental methods, we presented a combinatorial prioritization algorithm to predict the microRNA-disease associations.

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Flows through the Manure Management Chain in China.

The largest livestock production and greatest fertilizer use in the world occurs in China. However, quantification of the nutrient flows through the manure management chain and their interactions with management-related measures is lacking. Herein, we present a detailed analysis of the nutrient flows and losses in the "feed intake-excretion-housing-storage-treatment-application" manure chain, while considering differences among livestock production systems.

Reducing future river export of nutrients to coastal waters of China in optimistic scenarios.

Coastal waters of China are rich in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and thus often eutrophied. This is because rivers export increasing amounts of nutrients to coastal seas. Animal production and urbanization are important sources of nutrients in Chinese rivers.

Perturbation-free measurement of in situ di-nitrogen emissions from denitrification in nitrate-rich aquatic ecosystems.

Increased production of reactive nitrogen (Nr) from atmospheric di-nitrogen (N) has greatly contributed to increased food production. However, enriching the biosphere with Nr has also caused a series of negative effects on global ecosystems, especially aquatic ecosystems. The main pathway converting Nr back into the atmospheric N pool is the last step in the denitrification process.

The MARINA model (Model to Assess River Inputs of Nutrients to seAs): Model description and results for China.

Chinese agriculture has been developing fast towards industrial food production systems that discharge nutrient-rich wastewater into rivers. As a result, nutrient export by rivers has been increasing, resulting in coastal water pollution. We developed a Model to Assess River Inputs of Nutrients to seAs (MARINA) for China.

Biological soil crusts accelerate the nitrogen cycle through large NO and HONO emissions in drylands.

Reactive nitrogen species have a strong influence on atmospheric chemistry and climate, tightly coupling the Earth's nitrogen cycle with microbial activity in the biosphere. Their sources, however, are not well constrained, especially in dryland regions accounting for a major fraction of the global land surface. Here, we show that biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are emitters of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous acid (HONO).

BMP2-SMAD signaling represses the proliferation of embryonic neural stem cells through YAP.

Previous studies have shown that the Hippo pathway effector yes-associated protein (YAP) plays an important role in maintaining stem cell proliferation. However, the precise molecular mechanism of YAP in regulating murine embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs) remains largely unknown. Here, we show that bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) treatment inhibited the proliferation of mouse embryonic NSCs, that YAP was critical for mouse NSC proliferation, and that BMP2 treatment-induced inhibition of mouse NSC proliferation was abrogated by YAP knockdown, indicating that the YAP protein mediates the inhibitory effect of BMP2 signaling.

Differentiating intracellular from extracellular alkaline phosphatase activity in soil by sonication.

Differentiating intracellular from extracellular enzyme activity is important in soil enzymology, but not easy. Here, we report on an adjusted sonication method for the separation of intracellular from extracellular phosphatase activity in soil. Under optimal sonication conditions [soil:water ratio  =  1/8 (w/v) and power density  =  15 watt ml(-1)], the activity of alkaline phosphomonoesterase (phosphatase) in a Haplic Cambisol soil increased with sonication time in two distinct steps.

Chromosomal location of traits associated with wheat seedling water and phosphorus use efficiency under different water and phosphorus stresses.

The objective of this study was to locate chromosomes for improving water and phosphorus-deficiency tolerance of wheat at the seedling stage. A set of Chinese Spring-Egyptian Red wheat substitution lines and their parent Chinese Spring (recipient) and Egyptian Red (donor) cultivars were measured to determine the chromosomal locations of genes controlling water use efficiency (WUE) and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) under different water and phosphorus conditions. The results underlined that chromosomes 1A, 7A, 7B, and 3A showed higher leaf water use efficiency (WUE(l) = Pn/Tr; Pn = photosynthetic rate; Tr = transpiration rate) under W-P (Hoagland solution with 1/2P), -W-P (Hoagland solution with 1/2P and 10% PEG).

Cloning, identification, expression analysis and phylogenetic relevance of two NADP-dependent malic enzyme genes from hexaploid wheat.

The NADP-dependent malic enzyme (NADP-ME; EC1.1.1.

Protective effects of proline against cadmium toxicity in micropropagated hyperaccumulator, Solanum nigrum L.

Solanum nigrum is a newly discovered Cd-hyperaccumulator. In the present study, the protective effects of proline against cadmium toxicity of callus and regenerated shoots of S. nigrum are investigated based on a high frequency in vitro shoot regeneration system.

Investigation on the relationship between leaf water use efficiency and physio-biochemical traits of winter wheat under rained condition.

Different statistical methods and path analysis were used to study the relationship between leaf water use efficiency (WUE) and physio-biochemical traits for 19 wheat genotypes, including photosynthesis rate (P(n)), stomatal conductance (g(s)), transpiration rate (T(r)), intercellular concentration of carbon oxide (C(i)), leaf water potential (Psi(w)), leaf temperature, wax content, leaf relative water content (RWC), rate of water loss from excised-leaf (RWL), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities. The results showed that photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate were the most important leaf WUE variables under rained conditions. Based on the results of five statistical analyses, it is reasonable to assume that high leaf WUE wheat under the rained could be obtained by selecting breeding materials with high photosynthesis rate, low transpiration rate and stomatal conductance.

DNA sequence comparative analysis of the 3pter-p26 region of human genome.

Most proterminal regions of human chromosomes are GC-rich and gene-rich. Chromosome 3p is an exception. Its proterminal region is GC-poor, and likely to lose heterozygosity, thus causing a number of fatal diseases.