A comprehensive review of the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, processing and quality evaluation of Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd. (commonly referred to as Nan Chai Hu in China, BS) is a widely cultivated herb in several Asian countries, including China, Russia, Mongolia, North Korea and Japan. For more than 2000 years, BS has been a cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Poly(acrylic acid)-catalyzed supramolecular self-assembly enables free-standing low-molecular-weight hydrogels.

Supramolecular hydrogels self-assembled by low-molecular-weight gelators through non-covalent interactions present potent application potential in fields ranging from biomedicine to energy. However, the underwhelming mechanical properties dramatically limit real-life applications. In this contribution, we report our access to free-standing supramolecular hydrogels by triggered self-assembly of gelators using polyacrylic acid (PAA) as a catalyst.

High Ratio of Manure Substitution Enhanced Soil Organic Carbon Storage via Increasing Particulate Organic Carbon and Nutrient Availability.

Replacing partial chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizer can increase organic carbon input, change soil nutrient stoichiometry and microbial metabolism, and then affect soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. A 6-year field experiment was used to explore the mechanism of SOC storage under different ratios of manure substitution in northeast China, with treatments including chemical fertilizer application alone (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, NPK) and replacing 1/4 (1/4M), 2/4 (2/4M), 3/4 (3/4M), and 4/4 (4/4M) of chemical fertilizer N with manure N. Soil nutrients, enzymatic activity, and SOC fractions were analyzed to evaluate the effect of different manure substitution ratios on SOC storage.

PuUBL5-mediated ZINC FINGER PROTEIN 1 stability is critical for root development under drought stress in Populus ussuriensis.

C2H2-type zinc finger protein (ZFP) transcription factors influence root growth and development. However, their potential roles in inhibiting adventitious root (AR) and lateral root (LR) formation in trees remain unclear. Here, we report that the ABA-responsive C2H2-type zinc finger protein transcription factor (PuZFP1) regulates Populus ussuriensis root development to enhance drought tolerance.

Nanoscale Spatial Control over the Self-Assembly of Small Molecule Hydrogelators.

Spatial control over molecular self-assembly at the nano scale offers great potential for many high-tech applications, yet remains a challenging task. Here, we report a polymer brush-mediated strategy to confine the self-assembly of hydrazone-based hydrogelators exclusively at nanoparticle surfaces. The surfaces of these nanoparticles are grafted with negatively charged polyacrylic acid, which enrich protons that can catalyze the in situ formation and self-assembly of hydrazone-based gelators.

Benefits and trade-offs of replacing inorganic fertilizer by organic substrate in crop production: A global meta-analysis.

Replacing inorganic fertilizer with organic substrate contributes to sustainable agricultural production capacity. However, the effects of organic substitution regimes (OSR) on global crop productivity, soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses and biofertility as function of environmental variables have not been systematically quantified. Here, we have conducted a meta-analysis of these effects using field data (211 papers with 852 observations) collected around the world.

Balancing potato yield, soil nutrient supply, and nitrous oxide emissions: An analysis of nitrogen application trade-offs.

Potato has been promoted as a national key staple food to alleviate pressure on food security in China. Appropriate nitrogen (N) application rate is prerequisite and is crucial for increasing yield, improving fertilizer efficiency, and reducing N losses. In the present study, we determined the optimum N application rates by analyzing field trial data from the main potato producing areas of China between 2004 and 2020.

Selective adsorption and separation of methylene blue by facily preparable xanthan gum/amantadine composites.

In this work, xanthan gum-based composites were successfully graft-modified by amantadine (XG-Fe/AM) with higher adsorption capacity and selectivity on recycling cationic dye (methylene blue, MB) from aqueous solution. The adsorption equilibrium of MB could be achieved approximately within 5 min when the initial concentration was 100 mg/L, and the maximum adsorption capacity was up to 565 mg/g. After 5 desorption-regeneration cycles, the removal rate of XG-Fe/AM for MB could still be as high as 95 % with slight decrement.

Effects of chicken manure substitution for mineral nitrogen fertilizer on crop yield and soil fertility in a reduced nitrogen input regime of North-Central China.

Organic manure has been proposed to substitute part of the chemical fertilizers. However, past research was usually conducted in regimes with excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization, which was not conducive to the current national goal of green and sustainable development. Therefore, exploring the potential of organic fertilizer substitution for mineral N fertilizer under regimes with reduced N inputs is important to further utilize organic fertilizer resources and establish sustainable nutrient management recommendations in the winter wheat ( L.

Characteristics of rice straw decomposition and bacterial community succession for 2 consecutive years in a paddy field in southeastern China.

The characteristics of long-term rice straw decomposition and succession in the bacterial community in the double-rice system are still unclear. Here a 2-year continuous straw bag decomposition experiment was conducted to explore changes in nutrient release, enzyme activity, and bacterial community composition during rice straw decomposition in the double-rice system in Southeast China. After burial in soil, the cumulative dry matter loss rates of rice straw were 38.

Efficiently ion-enhanced adsorption of anion dyes by acrolein crosslinked polyethylenimine/chitosan hydrogel with excellent recycling stability.

A novel adsorbent acrolein crosslinked polyethylenimine/chitosan hydrogel (A-PEI/CS) was developed with excellent recycling stability and ion-enhanced effect on removing anionic dye (acid blue 93, AB93) from aquatic environment. For AB93, A-PEI/CS was such an adsorbent with the characteristics of high adsorption capacity up to 1212.4 mg/g and continuous recyle ability of more than 15 times.

Differences in total stored C and N in dryland red soil caused by different long-term fertilization practices.

Fertilizer application is important to achieve sustainable agriculture. However, it remains unclear about the effects of long term fertilization on C and N immobilization as well as C/N ratios in soil aggregates at different depths. Samples taken at depths of 0 to 40 cm from dryland red soil subjected to long-term fertilization were analyzed.

A photosensitive metal-organic framework having a flower-like structure for effective visible light-driven photodegradation of rhodamine B.

Porphyrin-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have great photocatalytic potential due to their good photosensitivity. Their photocatalytic performance is not only determined by molecular structure but also by morphology. Flower-like MOFs are considered to be good materials for catalysis due to their larger specific surface area, more exposed active sites, and good stability.

Characterization of the early gene expression profile in Populus ussuriensis under cold stress using PacBio SMRT sequencing integrated with RNA-seq reads.

Populus ussuriensis is an important and fast-growing afforestation plant species in north-eastern China. The whole-genome sequencing of P. ussuriensis has not been completed.

Overexpression Levels of Differentially Affect Growth, Drought, and Disease Tolerance in Poplar.

The application of drought stress-regulating transcription factors (TFs) offers a credible way to improve drought tolerance in plants. However, many drought resistant TFs always showed unintended adverse effects on plant growth or other traits. Few studies have been conducted in trees to evaluate and overcome the pleiotropic effects of drought tolerance TFs.

How Do Soil Bacterial Diversity and Community Composition Respond under Recommended and Conventional Nitrogen Fertilization Regimes?

Shifts in soil bacterial diversity and community composition are suggested to be induced by elevated input of nitrogen (N) fertilization with implications for soil quality, and consequently production. In this study, we evaluated the impacts of recommended fertilization (RF) and conventional fertilization (CF) on soil chemical properties, crop yield, bacterial diversity, and community composition from two long-term experiments conducted in fluvo-aquic soil and black soil of China. Each site comprised of four treatments, i.

Soybean yield, nutrient uptake and stoichiometry under different climate regions of northeast China.

Climate and soil fertility influence seed yield, nutrient uptake, and nutrient stoichiometry in the plant. We collected soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.

PuHSFA4a Enhances Tolerance To Excess Zinc by Regulating Reactive Oxygen Species Production and Root Development in .

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient but in excess is highly toxic to plants. Plants regulate Zn homeostasis and withstand excess Zn through various pathways; these pathways are generally tightly regulated by a specific set of genes. However, the transcription factors involved in excess Zn tolerance have yet to be identified.

Experimental investigation of quantum key distribution over a water channel.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) has undergone significant development in recent decades, particularly with respect to free-space (air) and optical fiber channels. Here, we report a proof-of-principle experiment for the BB84 protocol QKD over a water channel. First, we demonstrate again the polarization preservation properties of the water channel in optical transmission according to the measured Mueller matrix, which is close to the unit matrix.

Performance of underwater quantum key distribution with polarization encoding.

Underwater quantum key distribution (QKD) has potential applications in absolutely secure underwater communication. However, the performance of underwater QKD is limited by the optical elements, background light, and dark counts of the detector. In this paper, we propose a modified formula for the quantum bit error rate (QBER), which takes into account the effect of detector efficiency on the QBER caused by the background light.

Microfluidic preparation of PLGA microspheres as cell carriers with sustainable Rapa release.

The current study, inspired by the immunosuppressive property of rapamycin (Rapa) and the benefit of microspheres both as drug delivery system and cell carriers, was designed to develop an efficient Rapa delivery system with tunable controllability to facilitate its local administration. A capillary-based two-phase microfluidic device was designed to prepare monodisperse poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres to load Rapa (PLGA-Rapa-M). The physical and chemical properties of PLGA-Rapa-M were characterized, and the Rapa loading capacity and release profile were explored.