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. The key inflow regions include Guangdong and Zhejiang and key outflow regions include Jiangsu and Hebei. The emission reductions are attributed to the emission intensity effect of the construction sector; contrastingly, the emission increase is from the investment scale of the construction sector. Here, Jiangsu could be a key target for future emission reduction because of its high absolute emissions and low past reduction. The scale of investment in construction might be a significant factor in reducing emissions in Shandong and Guangdong. Henan and Zhejiang could concentrate on sound new building planning and resource recycling.

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. These researches filled gaps in the two SA biosynthesis pathways: the isochorismate synthase (ICS) pathway and the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) pathway. The NPR1 (nonexpresser of PR genes 1) and its paralogs, NPR3 and NPR4, were identified as SA receptors. The effect of type II TGAs (TGACG-binding factor) on SA downstream genes was shown to depend on the SA receptor they interacted with. This review will systematically introduce the progress on SA biosynthesis and signal transduction, aiming to provide a theoretical reference for in-depth study of SA regulation on plant development and defense responses.

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, SO2, NOx, soot and dust, industrial solid waste, and CO2 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. The effects that made a significant contribution were concentrated in eight sectors: coal mining and washing; metals mining and quarrying; food and tobacco products; paper printing manufacturing; the chemical industry; non-metallic mineral products; metal smelting and rolling processing; and electricity, heat production, and supply. Moreover, the technical effects presented an obvious spillover. Although the contribution of the structural effects was far less than the technical ones, there were still some structural adjustments that led to significant synergistic mitigation. For example, the decrease in the direct demand of the agriculture products, electricity, and heat for food and tobacco products commonly reduced SO2, NOx, and CO2. In addition, four technical effects and most of the structural effects with high efficiency made small contributions. More than one third of the structural effects that showed obvious contributions played a positive role.

BDNF-GSK-3ß-ß-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. The phosphoinositide-3 kinase inhibitor LY294002 was microinjected in the medial prefrontal cortex to explore the role of glycogen synthase kinase-3ß in the antidepressant-like effects of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, phosphorylated-Ser9-glycogen synthase kinase 3ß, ß-catenin, and synaptic proteins was determined in the medial prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex by western blot. Results: We found that Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides effectively ameliorated chronic unpredictable stress-induced depression-like behaviors in the sucrose preference test and forced swim test. The Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides also significantly rescued chronic unpredictable stress-induced abnormalities in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor-glycogen synthase kinase-3ß-ß-catenin pathway and synaptic protein deficits in the medial prefrontal cortex but not orbitofrontal cortex. The activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3ß by the phosphoinositide-3 kinase inhibitor LY294002 abolished the antidepressant-like effects of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the forced swim test. Naïve rats that were treated with Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides exhibited resilience to chronic unpredictable stress, accompanied by increases in the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, phosphorylated-Ser9-glycogen synthase kinase-3ß, and ß-catenin in the medial prefrontal cortex. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor-glycogen synthase kinase-3ß-ß-catenin pathway in the medial prefrontal cortex may underlie the antidepressant-like effect of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides and resilience to stress.

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. Rats were allocated into control group (CON group), low frequency ES group (LF group) and high frequency ES group (HF group). Sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), weight gain, food and water intake were conducted to assess depression- and anxiety-like behaviors. A total of 7 times of the tail venous blood was collected with an interval of 4 h during 24 h from other rats who subjected to the same procedures of ES but not the behavioral tests. The alterations of diurnal rhythm of peripheral plasma corticosterone (CORT) and melatonin, and changes of the cholecystokinin (CCK), neuropeptide Y and leptin levels at zeitgeber time (ZT) 0 were detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that ES led to a disturbance of diurnal rhythm of CORT and melatonin in the plasma. Besides, it also increased plasma leptin level and decreased body weight gain, but it did not produce depression- and anxiety-like behaviors compared with those rats in the control group. In short, our findings indicated that the ES could induce a disturbance of diurnal rhythm of plasma CORT and melatonin 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. Compared with the 12h/12h light/dark photoperiod control (CON) rats, the 8h/16h photoperiod SCUS rats exhibited significant anhedonia, a core symptom of human depression, together with a blunted diurnal rhythm and elevation of 24h CORT, melatonin, and NPY levels. The 8h/16h photoperiod condition also blunted the rhythmicity of CORT, caused a phase inversion of melatonin, and caused a phase delay of NPY compared with 12h/12h CON rats. Such abnormalities of plasma CORT, NPY, and melatonin might cause adolescent individuals to present higher stress reactivity and greater vulnerability to stress over their lifetimes. The present study provides evidence of the susceptibility to the seasonality of stress-related disorders in adolescence.

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. In the present study, we investigated the effects of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) on the daily rhythm alterations of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) in the plasma. We found that CUMS led to depressive-like behavior and the daily rhythm of T3, T4, and TSH in the plasma being disturbed, as well the plasma levels of T3 and T4 decreased compared to control group. Our findings indicate that CUMS not only induce hypofunction of HPT axis but also the disturbance of daily rhythm of PHT axis in rats.

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. This study has revealed that the spotted and dendroid microbialites were composed of numerous fossil casts formed by the planktic cyanobacterium, Microcystis, a coccoid genus that at the present-day commonly forms blooms in modern lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. The abundance of the fossils and the diagenesis they experienced has determined the macroscopic fabric: where they abundant, the rock appears as dendroid, otherwise, it appears as spotted. The ancient Microcystis bloom might produce toxin to kill other metazoans, and be responsible for the oceanic anoxia that has puzzled so many researchers for so many years.

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. Growing evidence shows that apelin/APJ system functions as a critical mediator of cardiovascular homeostasis and is involved in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. Targeting apelin/APJ axis produces protection against cardiovascular diseases. In the current review we have summarized recent data concerning the role and therapeutic potential of apelin/APJ in several major cardiovascular diseases. An increased understanding of the cardiovascular actions of apelin/APJ system will help to develop novel therapeutic interventions for cardiovascular diseases.

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. The outcome measures included the relative expression of clock gene mRNA (PERIOD1, PERIOD2, PERIOD3, CRY1, BMAL1, NPAS2, and GSK-3ß), and the levels of serum melatonin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and growth hormone (GH). RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, MDD patients showed disruptions in the diurnal rhythms of the expression of PERIOD1, PERIOD2, CRY1, BMAL1, NPAS2, and GSK-3ß and disruptions in the diurnal rhythms of the release of melatonin, VIP, cortisol, ACTH, IGF-1, and GH. Several of these disruptions (i.e., PER1, CRY1, melatonin, VIP, cortisol, ACTH, and IGF-1) persisted 8 weeks after escitalopram treatment, similar to the increase in the 24h levels of VIP and decreases in the 24h levels of cortisol and ACTH. CONCLUSION: These persistent neurobiological changes may play a role in MDD symptoms that are thought to contribute to the vulnerability to recurrence and long-term maintenance therapy.

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. At these four assessment points, we collected samples every 4 h for 24 h to examine circadian rhythms in blood hormone and peptide levels and brain expression of rPER1, rPER2, and rPER3 clock genes. Decreased locomotor activity and elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone and melatonin levels persisted for 2 months after morphine withdrawal, but corticosterone was elevated only at 36 h and 10 days after withdrawal. Orexin levels were high at 36 h after withdrawal, but then reversed during protracted withdrawal to abnormally low levels. Beta-endorphin (ß-EP) levels showed no differences from normal. However, circadian rhythms were blunted for all of these hormones. Corticosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and orexin blunting persisted at least for 60 days. The blunted circadian rhythm of ß-EP and melatonin recovered by day 60, but the peak phase of ß-EP was delayed about 8 h. Blunted circadian rhythms and reduced expression of rPER1, rPER2, and rPER3 persisted at least for 60 days in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens core, central nucleus of the amygdala, Hippocampus, and ventral tegmental area. Circadian rhythms of rPER1 in the nucleus accumbens shell and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala and of rPER2 in the central nucleus of the amygdala were reversed. Disrupted circadian rhythms of rPER1, rPER 2, and rPER3 expression in reward-related brain circuits and blunted circadian rhythms in peripheral hormones and peptides may play a role in protracted opiate withdrawal and contribute to relapse.

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. Rats were administered with morphine twice daily at progressively increasing doses for 7 days; spontaneous withdrawal signs were recorded 14 h after the last morphine administration. Then, brain and blood samples were collected at each of eight time points (every 3 h: ZT 9; ZT 12; ZT 15; ZT 18; ZT 21; ZT 0; ZT 3; ZT 6) to examine expression of rPER1 and rPER2 and rCLOCK. Rats presented obvious morphine withdrawal signs, such as teeth chattering, shaking, exploring, ptosis, and weight loss. In morphine-treated rats, rPER1 and rPER2 expression in the SCN, basolateral amygdala, and nucleus accumbens shell showed robust circadian rhythms that were essentially identical to those in control rats. However, robust circadian rhythm in rPER1 expression in the ventral tegmental area was completely phase-reversed in morphine-treated rats. A blunting of circadian oscillations of rPER1 expression occurred in the central amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens core, and PBMCs and rPER2 expression occurred in the central amygdala, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens core, and PBMCs in morphine-treated rats compared with controls. rCLOCK expression in morphine-treated rats showed no rhythmic change, identical to control rats. These findings indicate that withdrawal from chronic morphine treatment resulted in desynchronization from the SCN rhythm, with blunting of rPER1 and rPER2 expression in reward-related neurocircuits and PBMCs.

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.c.) and saline (1 ml/kg, s.c.) for 8 consecutive days. To examine the effect of aripiprazole on the expression of morphine-induced CPP, rats received aripiprazole (0, 0.03, 0.1,and 0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min before testing for the expression of CPP. In experiment 2, rats underwent the same CPP training as in experiment 1 and subsequent extinction training. To examine the effect of aripiprazole on reinstatement of morphine-induced CPP, rats received aripiprazole 30 min before testing for reinstatement of CPP. In experiment 3, to assess the effects of aripiprazole on locomotor activity, aripiprazole was administered 30 min before testing for locomotor activity. Aripiprazole significantly decreased the reinstatement of CPP induced by a priming injection of morphine but had no effect on the expression of morphine-induced CPP or locomotor activity. The D2 and 5-HT1A partial agonist and 5-HT2A antagonist properties of aripiprazole likely account for the blockade of relapse to drug seeking. These findings suggest that aripiprazole may have therapeutic value for reducing craving and preventing relapse to drug seeking.

[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. To determine whether SDIR1 enhances drought resistance in crop plants, SDIR1 transgenic tobacco and rice plants were generated. Ectopic expression of SDIR1 in both plants conferred improved drought tolerance ability. These results suggest that SDIR1 can function as a drought-tolerance gene in both dicotyledons and monocotyledons, and that it can serve as a drought-tolerance engineering candidate gene in crop plants.