AtCRE1 is known to be a cytokinin receptor in Arabidopsis. The AtCRE1 protein contains CHASE domain at the N-terminal part, followed by a transmitter (histidine kinase) domain and two receiver domains. The N-terminal CHASE domain of AtCRE1 contains putative recognition sites for cytokinin. Five CHASE domains containing proteins were found in rice, OsCRL1a, OsCRL1b, OsCRL2, OsCRL3, and OsCRL4. OsCRL1a,OsCRL1b, OsCRL2 and OsCRL3 contain the four domains existing in CRE1, whereasOsCRL4 only contains the CHASE domain and a putative Ser/Thr protein kinase domain. The authors cloned the encoding gene OsCRL4 and found that it represents a new member of the cytokinin receptor protein in rice.

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is the major factor limiting crop productivity in acid soils. In this study, a recombinant inbreed line (RIL) population derived from a cross between an Al sensitive lowland indica rice variety IR1552 and an Al tolerant upland japonica rice variety Azucena, was used for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for Al tolerance. Three QTLs for relative root length (RRL) were detected on chromosome 1, 9, 12, respectively, and 1 QTL for root length under Al stress is identical on chromosome 1 after one week and two weeks stress. Comparison of QTLs on chromosome 1 from different studies indicated an identical interval between C86 and RZ801 with gene(s) for Al tolerance. This interval provides an important start point for isolating genes responsible for Al tolerance and understanding the genetic nature of Al tolerance in rice. Four Al induced ESTs located in this interval were screened by reverse Northern analysis and confirmed by Northern analysis. They would be candidate genes for the QTL.

The long-arm and short-arm genes of fibroin light chain (L-chain) of silkworm, Bombyx mori L., and the gene of human acidic fibroblast growth factor were cloned respectively and subsequently inserted into a transfer vector pVL1392 used as a tool to target the L-chain region of the silkworm genome. Genomic DNA from their offsprings was extracted and the expected targeting was detected using polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing, as well as protein analysis. The results showed that positive events occurred and that the FGF gene was integrated into the L-chain locus through homologous recombination.

To evaluate the potential of FT-NIR spectroscopy and the influence of the distance between the light source/detection probe and the fruit for measuring the sugar content (SC) of Fuji apples, diffuse reflectance spectra were measured in the spectral range from 12500 to 4000 cm^-1 at 0 mm, 2 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm distances. Four calibration models at four distances were established between diffused reflectance spectra and sugar content by partial least squares (PLS) analysis. The correlation coefficients (R) of calibrations ranged from 0.982 to 0.997 with SEC values from 0.138 to 0.453 and the SECV values from 0.74 to 1.58. The best model of original spectra at 0 mm distance yielded high correlation determination of 0.918, a SEC of 0.092, and a SEP of 0.773. The results showed that different light/detection probe-fruit distances influence the apple reflective spectra and SC predictions.

The endangered medicinal herb, Changium smyrnioides can only be found in deciduous forest gaps within the middle to northern subtropical broad-leaved evergreen forest zone of China. The considerable plasticity of its shoot and root structure helps it to capture light more effectively in winter and early spring, and to adapt to the soil moisture conditions in its narrow habitat. Another medicinal plant, Anthriscus sylvestris, is of similar economic importance but commonly distributed widely. In contrast to C. smyrnioides, it has low structural plasticity. It is also specialized to adapt to the moist and sunny environment, where habitat, such as the banks of creeks and rivers, is abundant.

A machine vision system was developed to inspect the quality of rice seeds. Five varieties of Jinyou402, Shanyou10, Zhongyou207, Jiayou and IIyou were evaluated. The images of both sides of rice seed with black background and white background were acquired with the image processing system for identifying external features of rice seeds. Five image sets consisting of 600 original images each were obtained. Then a digital image processing algorithm based on Hough transform was developed to inspect the rice seeds with incompletely closed glumes. The algorithm was implemented with all image sets using a Matlab 6.5 procedure. The results showed that the algorithm achieved an average accuracy of 96% for normal seeds, 92% for seeds with fine fissure and 87% for seeds with incompletely closed glumes. The algorithm was proved to be applicable to different seed varieties and insensitive to the color of the background.

Tea is one of the most popular beverages, consumed by over two thirds of the world\'s population; but the aluminum accumulation property of tea plant is becoming the focus of many researches because of aluminum\'s known adverse effect on human health. Investigation of the interactions of catechins with Al³⁺ showed that during the interaction of catechins with Al³⁺, the UV-vis spectrum of catechins was changed. Absorption of EGCG at 274 nm decreased and increased at 322 nm; EC and C\'s at 278 nm changed little. The ratio of Al³⁺ to EGCG was 1:1 in pH 5.0 buffer solution; in pH 6.2 buffer solution, the ratio in the Al-EGCG complex was 1:1. Interestingly, while the ratio reached to over 2, after the complex of Al-EGCG started polymerization, the ratio in the polymer was 2:1. In pH 6.2 buffer solution, the complex behavior of C with Al³⁺ was the same as that of EGCG, with a little difference for EC. When the ratio of Al³⁺ to EC was <1, the complex in ratio was 1:2, but, the complex polymerized when the ratio of Al³⁺ to EC was >1. It was found that the ratio of Al³⁺ to EC in the polymer was 1:1. Polymerization of Al-catechin complexes might reduce aluminum absorption in the intestine. Kow value was also employed to study the properties of aluminum species in tea infusion (at gastric and intestine pH condition) and the effect of catechins and tea polyphenols on Kow in buffer solution. Results showed that Kowvalue rose much higher at the intestine pH than at the gastric pH. Tea polyphenols and catechins could greatly reduce aluminum Kow value in acetic buffer, indicating that these compounds may reduce aluminum absorption during tea intake.

Dried ground leaves of Psidium guajava L. (guava) were extracted by water and aqueous ethyl alcohol 50% (1:10) ratio, and the total phenolic content in the extracts was determined spectrophotometrically according to Folin-Ciocalteu\'s phenol method and calculated as gallic acid equivalent (GAE). Remarkably high total phenolic content 575.3±15.5 and 511.6±6.2 mg of GAE/g of dried weight material (for ethanol guava leaf extracts and water guava leaf extracts, respectively) were obtained. The antioxidant activity of lyophilized extracts was determined at ambient temperature by means of a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydryzyl (DPPH·) colorimetry with detection scheme at 515 nm. The activity was evaluated by the decrease in absorbance as the result of DPPH· color change from purple to yellow. The higher the sample concentration used, the stronger was the free radical-scavenging effect. The results obtained showed that ascorbic acid was a substantially more powerful antioxidant than the extracts from guava leaf. On the other hand, the commercial guava leaf extracts and ethanol guava leaf extracts showed almost the same antioxidant power whereas water guava leaf extracts showed lower antioxidant activity. The parameter EC50 and the time needed to reach the steady state to EC50 concentration (TEC50) affected the antiradical capacity of the sample. The antioxidant efficiency (AE) has been shown to be a more adequate parameter for selecting antioxidants than the widely used EC50. This study revealed that guava leaf extracts comprise effective potential source of natural antioxidants.

Biochemical changes of natural actomyosin from fresh pale, soft, exudative (PSE) and normal pork were studied, and the effects of different storage temperatures and different incubation temperature and times on sample superprecipitation, total sulfhydryl (-SH) content, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) sensitivity were investigated. The results demonstrated that ATPase activity and thermal stability of PSE actomyosin were lower than those of normal pork; and that PSE actomyosin had higher -SH content than that of normal pork at all incubation temperatures and times tested.

Strain improvement and medium optimization to increase the productivity of spiramycin were carried out. Of oil tolerant mutant strains screened, one mutant,Streptomyces ambofaciens XC 2-37, produced 9% more spiramycin than the parent strainS. ambofaciens XC 1-29. The effects of soybean oil and propyl alcohol on spiramycin production with S. ambofaciens XC 2-37 were studied. The potency of S. ambofaciensXC 2-37 was improved by 61.8% with addition of 2% soybean oil in the fermentation medium and 0.4% propyl alcohol at 24 hours after incubation. The suitable time for feeding propyl alcohol is at 24 hours after incubation in flask fermentation and at 20 hours after incubation in fermentor fermentation. The new process with S. ambofaciens XC 2-37 was scaled up for industrial scale production of spiramycin in a 60 m³ fermentor in Xinchang Pharmaceutical Factory, Zhejiang Medicine Company, Ltd., China, and the potency and productivity of fermentation were improved by 42.9%.

Well-cubic perovskite lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO₃) film on (110) silicon substrate was fabricated by sol-gel method with corresponding inorganic salts. Lanthanum acetate and aluminum acetate glacial acetic acid solutions were prepared via ligand exchange starting from lanthanum nitrate hexahydrate and aluminum nitrate hexahydrate after being refluxed. (CH₃CO)₂O removed nitrates and the crystallized H₂O completely, acetylacetone (AcAc) was partially bidentated with metallic ion of the metallic acetates and formed La(OAc)₃-x(AcAc)x, which were hydrolyzed into La(AcAc)_3-x(OH)_x by adding 10 ml 0.4% methyl cellulose (MCL) solution. The La(AcAc)_3-x(OH)_x, polymerizing and combining with MCL, formed the LaAlO₃ sol precursor with heteropolymeric structure and formed film easily. The epitaxial LaAlO₃ film on Si(110) substrate was crystallized after being annealed in thermal annealing furnace for 650-750 °C/30 min. The morphologies and microstructures were characterized. The refractive index of the LAO film was 1.942 to 2.007; the dielectric constant and the dissipation factors were estimated to be 23-26 and 2.1×10^-4-2.4×10^-4respectively.

Investigation of the conformational properties of a SAW polymer chain near an impenetrable, non-interacting flat surface showed that the chain at first contracted and orientated itself to slightly parallel when it pulled close to the surface and at last elongated and reoriented itself to slightly perpendicular to the surface at very small distance from the surface. Simulation showed that most of the disappeared configurations were of large size at moderate distance from the surface while they were of small size at very small distance from the surface; and that the mean-square end-to-end distance was much more prone to be influenced by the surface than the mean-square radius of gyration . The orientational correlation between the direction of the longest principal axis of the moment of inertia and end-to-end vector was also discussed.

ZSM-5 zeolite was rapidly synthesized in system containing ethylenediamine from the initial gel: (5-8) Na₂O: 44 EDA:Al₂O₃:100 SiO₂:4000 H₂O. The crystals were lath-shaped. The effect of pretreatment and alkalinity on crystallinity was investigated. The pretreatment of silicate source can cut down the crystallization time. Tuning the system alkalinity and controlling crystallization time can ensure forming of pure crystal.

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) emulsion polymerization in the presence of nanometer calcium carbonate (nano-CaCO₃) surface modified with γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) was carried out to prepare poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/nano-CaCO₃ composite. The reaction between nano-CaCO₃ and MPTMS, and the grafting of PMMA onto nano-CaCO₃ were confirmed by infrared spectrum. The grafting ratio and grafting efficiency of PMMA on nano-CaCO₃ modified with MPTMS were much higher than that on nano-CaCO₃ modified with stearic acid. The grafting ratio of PMMA increased as the weight ratio between MMA and nano-CaCO₃ increased, while the grafting efficiency of PMMA decreased. Transmission electron micrograph showed that nano-CaCO₃ covered with PMMA was formed by in-situ emulsion polymerization.

Danckwert\'s method was used to determine the specific interfacial area, a, and the individual mass transfer coefficient, kL, during absorption of CO₂ in a bubble column with an anionic surfactant in the carbonate-bicarbonate buffer solution and NaAsO₂ as catalyst, the presence of which decreases the specific interfacial area and the individual mass transfer coefficient. The specific interfacial area and the individual mass transfer coefficient increase with increasing superficial gas velocity. The specific interfacial area decreases whereas the individual mass transfer coefficient increases with increasing temperature. The results of experiments were used to determine the dependence of a, kL, and kLa on the surface tension, the temperature of the absorption phase, and the superficial velocity of the gas. The calculated results from the correlation were found to be within 10% deviation from the actual experimental results.

In order to remove the low turbidity present in surface water, a novel metal-polysilicate coagulant was used to treat the raw water taken from Tanjiang River in Guangdong Province. This study on the effects of Al/Fe molar ratio on the performance of a complex compound formed by polysilicic acid, aluminium and ferric salt (PAFS) showed that PAFS with Al/Fe ratio of 10:3 seemed to have the best coagulation performance in removing turbidity and color. Experimental results showed that under the conditions of polymerization time of 15 d, sedimentation time of 12 min, and pH of 6-8, PAFS with Al/Fe molar ratio of 10:3 had the best coagulation efficiency and lowest residual Al concentration. The turbidity decreased from 23.8 NTU to 3.23 NTU and the residual Al concentration was only 0.165 mg/L in the product water. It could be speculated that colloidal impurities and particulate Al were removed by adsorption bridging and electrical neutralization of long chain inorganic polymer coagulants.

Specific ATP content of volatile solids was measured to characterize the sludge activity in a sequential anaerobic/aerobic wastewater treatment system, with an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and a three-phase aerobic fluidized bed (AFB) reactor. The wastewater COD level was 2000-3000 mg/L in simulation of real textile wastewater. The ATP content and the specific ATP contents of volatile solids at different heights of the UASB reactor and those of the suspended and immobilized biomass in the AFB reactor were measured. In the UASB reactor, the maximum value of specific ATP (0.85 mg ATP/g VS) was obtained at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) 7.14 h in the blanket solution. In the AFB reactor, the specific ATP content of suspended biomass was higher than that of immobilized biomass and increased with hydraulic retention time reaching a maximum value of 1.6 mg ATP/g VS at hydraulic retention time 4.35 h. The ATP content of anaerobes in the UASB effluent declined rapidly under aerobic conditions following a 2nd-order kinetic model.

Objective: To investigate the infection of human embryo fibroblast cell line HF cells by CMV as well as the effects of CMV on β-actin mRNA and microfilaments. Methods: HF cells shape was observed after the infection of CMV. RT-PCR assay was used to detect the mRNA expression of CMV immediate early (IE) gene, β-actin and GAPDH genes of HF cells infected by CMV. CMV particles and cell microfilaments were detected with electron microscope. Results: Shape of HF cell changed after the infection by CMV. HF cells infected by CMV could express IE mRNA and the expression of β-actin mRNA decreased in a time- and titer-dependent manner compared with the uninfected HF cells whose expression of GAPDH mRNA did not change much. CMV particles were found with electron microscope in the cells. Microfilaments were ruptured and shortened after the infection of CMV. Conclusion: CMV can not only infect human embryo fibroblast cells line HF cells and replicate in the cells, but can also affect the expression of β-actin mRNA and the microfilaments.

Objective: To establish a new assay for platelet-activating factor (PAF), to compare it with bio-assay; and to discuss its significance in some elderly people diseases such as cerebral infarction and coronary heart disease. Methods: To measure PAF levels in 100 controls, 23 elderly patients with cerebral infarction and 65 cases with coronary heart disease by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatographic technique (rHPLC). Results: rHPLC is more convenient, sensitive, specific, and less confusing, compared with bio-assay. The level of plasma PAF in patients with cerebral infarction was higher than that in the controls (P<0.01), and in patients with coronary heart disease. Conclusion: Detection of PAF with rHPLC is more reliable and more accurate. The new assay has important significance in PAF research.

Objective: To study the role of calpain in the mechanism of oxidative cataract through detecting the level of intracellular free Ca2+, the expression and proteolytic activity of calpain in the lens epithelial cells (LECs) of H2O2-induced cataract. Methods: Rat lenses were cultured in vitro and cataract was induced by H2O2. The level of intracellular free Ca2+was measured by fluorescence determination with fura-2/AM. The expression of m-calpain protein in LECs was detected with immunohistochemical method. The proteolytic activity in LECs was measured using a fluorogenic synthetic substrate. Results: There were significant differences of the level of intracellular free Ca²⁺ (P=0.001, 0.000, 0.000), the expression of m-calpain (P=0.001, 0.000, 0.000) and the proteolytic activity of calpain (P=0.001, 0.000, 0.000) between H₂O₂-induced and control group at 6, 12 and 24 h, respectively. Conclusions: H₂O₂ can increase intracellular free Ca²⁺, then enhance the expression and proteolytic activity of calpain which may play a role in the mechanism of oxidative cataract of rat.