The 'Candidatus phytoplasma ziziphi' effectors SJP1 and SJP2 destabilise the bifunctional regulator ZjTCP7 to modulate floral transition and shoot branching.

Phytoplasmic SAP11 effectors alter host plant architecture and flowering time. However, the exact mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. Two SAP11-like effectors, SJP1 and SJP2, from 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi' induce shoot branching proliferation. Here, the transcription factor ZjTCP7 was identified as a central target of these two effectors to regulate floral transition and shoot branching. Ectopic expression of ZjTCP7 resulted in enhanced bolting and earlier flowering than did the control. Interaction and expression assays demonstrated that ZjTCP7 interacted with the ZjFT-ZjFD module, thereby enhancing the ability of these genes to directly bind to the ZjAP1 promoter. The effectors SJP1 and SJP2 unravelled the florigen activation complex by specifically destabilising ZjTCP7 and ZjFD to delay floral initiation. Moreover, the shoot branching of the ZjTCP7-SRDX transgenic Arabidopsis lines were comparable to those of the SJP1/2 lines, suggesting the involvement of ZjTCP7 in the regulation of shoot branching. ZjTCP7 interacted with the branching repressor ZjBRC1 to enhance suppression of the auxin efflux carrier ZjPIN3 expression. ZjTCP7 also directly bound to and upregulated the auxin biosynthesis gene ZjYUCCA2, thereby promoting auxin accumulation. Our findings confirm that ZjTCP7 serves as a bifunctional regulator destabilised by the effectors SJP1 and SJP2 to modulate plant development.

Measuring methane emissions during the installation of residential and commercial natural gas meters in China.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that accounts for one-quarter of the world's radiative forcing. Methane emissions from the natural gas sector are prevalent throughout the natural gas (NG) chain. Studies have shown that methane emissions from post-meter uses of natural gas are vastly understated. A surge in the number of natural gas users, for example, would amplify the climate impact of methane emissions during the installation of natural gas meters. Thus, quantifying methane emissions during the installation of natural gas meters is critical in light of severe global climate change and urgent reduction targets. In this study, we used a mass balance approach to calculate methane emissions during the separate installation of 1444 residential natural gas meters and 51 commercial natural gas meters. Our results revealed the methane emission had a fat tail distribution. Specifically, the estimated mean methane emissions for household users were 0.008 (0.001-0.022) kg per household and 0.192 (0.013-0.816) kg per commercial user. Extrapolating these statistics to the whole of China, total emissions from 2007 to 2021 were 3.80 million metric tons (MMt) CH4, with an annual average of 0.25 MMt. Notably, in terms of economic development and population size, the provinces with the highest methane emissions were concentrated in the southeast. Our findings close a gap in measuring CH4 emissions in China across the natural gas chain and provide data to support the reduction targets set and the development of reduction technologies.

Reflection of Solar Light from Surface Snow Loaded with Light-Absorbing Impurities: A Case Study of Black Carbon, Mineral Dust, and Ash.

Using a hemispherical directional reflectance factor instrument, spectral data of dirty snow containing black carbon (BC), mineral dust (MD), and ash was collected from multiple locations to investigate the impact of these light-absorbing impurities (LAIs) on snow reflectance characteristics. The findings revealed that the perturbation of snow reflectance caused by LAIs is characterized by nonlinear deceleration, indicating that the reduction in snow reflectance per unit ppm of LAIs declines as snow contamination increases. The reduction in snow reflectance caused by BC may reach saturation at elevated particle concentrations (thousands of ppm) on snow. Snowpacks loaded with MD or ash initially exhibit a significant reduction in spectral slope around 600 and 700 nm. The deposition of numerous MD or ash particles can increase snow reflectance beyond the wavelength of 1400 nm, with an increase of 0.1 for MD and 0.2 for ash. BC can darken the entire measurement range (350-2500 nm), while MD and ash can only affect up to 1200 nm (350-1200 nm). This study enhances our understanding of the multi-angle reflection characteristics of various dirty snow, which can guide future snow albedo simulations and improve the accuracy of LAIs' remote sensing retrieval algorithms.

A Domain Generative Graph Network for EEG-Based Emotion Recognition.

Emotion is a human attitude experience and corresponding behavioral response to objective things. Effective emotion recognition is important for the intelligence and humanization of brain-computer interface (BCI). Although deep learning has been widely used in emotion recognition in recent years, emotion recognition based on electroencephalography (EEG) is still a challenging task in practical applications. Herein, we proposed a novel hybrid model that employs generative adversarial networks to generate potential representations of EEG signals while combining graph convolutional neural networks and long short-term memory networks to recognize emotions from EEG signals. Experimental results on DEAP and SEED datasets show that the proposed model achieved the promising emotion classification performance compared with the state-of-the-art methods.

Myeloid dendritic cells are increased in the lesional skin and associated with pruritus in patients with prurigo nodularis.

The number of dermal mDCs (CD11c+ cells) was increased with itch intensity (r = 0.886, p = 0.003) using immunofluorescence (IF). On IF, CD11c+ mDCs expressed IL-31 in lesional PN skin. Fluorescence in situ hybridization combined with IF also confirmed IL-31 mRNA expression by mDCs in PN lesion. Higher population of colocalization of CD11c+ mDCs expressing IL-31 mRNA were more than CD68+ macrophages and CD3+ T cells in consecutive sections of PN skin lesion. HC, healthy control; PN, prurigo nodularis; SPN, PN with severe pruritus (itch NRS score ≥7 points); MPN, PN with mild pruritus (itch NRS score <3 points); NRS, Numeric Rating Scale; AD, atopic dermatitis; mDC, myeloid dendritic cell.

The fate of fertilizer-derived phosphorus under different long-term fertilization regimes: A phosphate oxygen isotope study.

Understanding the fate of exogenous fertilizer-derived inorganic phosphorus (Pi) is essential for effective P management. Hence, this study carried out a 180-day incubation experiment with or without KH2P18O4 in soils with four different fertilization regimes [without fertilizer (CK), mineral P and K fertilizer (PK), mineral N, P, and K fertilizer (NPK), compost (OM)]. We analyzed the atom % excess in phosphate oxygen isotope of sequentially extracted Pi pools (H2O-Pi, NaHCO3-Pi, NaOH-Pi, and HCl-Pi), soil respiration, potential phosphatase activities, and microbial biomass. Our results showed that exogenous phosphate fertilizer was immediately transformed into the H2O-Pi and NaHCO3-Pi pools and gradually partially immobilized in the HCl-Pi pool. Additionally, biotransformation plays an important role in the turnover of fertilizer-derived Pi. After the 180-day incubation, the biologically transformed H2O-Pi content was significantly (P<0.05) reduced by 63.2 % on average, with the largest reduction in PK. The NaHCO3-Pi gradually increased in both CK and OM through biotic processes. However, it continuously decreased in PK and NPK, likely due to the strong adsorption and microbial fixation. The NaOH-Pi fluctuated slightly in CK, NPK, and OM while gradually decreasing in PK. At the end of the incubation, 28.6 %, 37.0 %, 61.2 %, and 75.2 % of the Pi increment in CK, OM, NPK, and PK were stored in the HCl-Pi pool, respectively. Overall, these findings provide important information on the dynamics of fertilizer-derived Pi, delivering new insights into rational phosphate fertilizer management and sustainable agricultural development.

Affection of facial artifacts caused by micro-expressions on electroencephalography signals.

Macro-expressions are widely used in emotion recognition based on electroencephalography (EEG) because of their use as an intuitive external expression. Similarly, micro-expressions, as suppressed and brief emotional expressions, can also reflect a person's genuine emotional state. Therefore, researchers have started to focus on emotion recognition studies based on micro-expressions and EEG. However, compared to the effect of artifacts generated by macro-expressions on the EEG signal, it is not clear how artifacts generated by micro-expressions affect EEG signals. In this study, we investigated the effects of facial muscle activity caused by micro-expressions in positive emotions on EEG signals. We recorded the participants' facial expression images and EEG signals while they watched positive emotion-inducing videos. We then divided the 13 facial regions and extracted the main directional mean optical flow features as facial micro-expression image features, and the power spectral densities of theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands as EEG features. Multiple linear regression and Granger causality test analyses were used to determine the extent of the effect of facial muscle activity artifacts on EEG signals. The results showed that the average percentage of EEG signals affected by muscle artifacts caused by micro-expressions was 11.5%, with the frontal and temporal regions being significantly affected. After removing the artifacts from the EEG signal, the average percentage of the affected EEG signal dropped to 3.7%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the affection of facial artifacts caused by micro-expressions on EEG signals.

(C5H6N)Pb2X5 (X = Cl, Br): Hybrid Lead Halides Based on Seven-Coordinate Pb(II).

Hybrid lead halides are a diverse family of compounds, of interest for their optoelectronic properties, that vary in the dimensionality and connectivity of their inorganic substructures. The great majority of these compounds are based on lead-centered octahedra, with few examples featuring inorganic architectures containing higher coordination numbers. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of a pyridinium lead bromide phase that is based on seven-coordinate Pb(II) centers. Through edge- and face-sharing, the polyhedra form a corrugated, two-dimensional inorganic substructure. Electronic structure calculations were used to examine the band structure and the role of the stereoactive lone pair in the inherently asymmetric, seven-coordinate Pb(II) geometry. For reference, we have visualized the role of the lone pair in the binary halide PbBr2, which also has a seven-coordinate inner ligand sphere. A comparison of the new structure with the limited number of existing hybrid lead halides with similar inorganic architectures highlights the templating role of the organic cation for these compounds. We also contribute characterization and discussion of isomorphic pyridinium lead chloride, which had been deposited in the Cambridge Structural Database but never, to our knowledge, addressed in the literature. The compounds were synthesized using solution conditions and structures determined with single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The materials were also characterized via powder X-ray diffraction, combustion elemental analysis, and diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy. While the structures reported here are centrosymmetric, the seven-coordinate, capped trigonal prismatic geometry that we have identified is a source of local asymmetry that could be used as a component in designing globally noncentrosymmetric structures.

Black carbon and mineral dust in snow cover across a typical city of Northeast China.

Light-absorbing impurities (LAIs), including black carbon (BC) and mineral dust (MD), in snow cover reduce snow albedo and accelerate the snow melting rate, thus influencing the regional water resources, ecological environmental security, and climate change. There is still a lack of quantitative assessments of the impacts of BC and MD on snowmelt in urban areas. This study was conducted from December 2018 to March 2019. A total of 120 snow samples were collected in Harbin, Northeast China to quantitatively assess the concentration characteristics of BC and MD in snow cover in different urban polluted areas and the impacts on snow albedo, radiative forcing, and snow melting. Average concentrations of BC and MD in snow cover in Harbin were 126,121.03 ng g-1 and 1419.6 µg g-1, respectively. Average concentrations of BC and MD in the industrial area were the highest, which were 4.06 and 3.13 times higher, respectively, than those in the suburban area. BC or MD decreased the average snow albedo by 0.3677 (58.49%) and 0.0583 (18.18%) with radiative forcing of 44.94 W m-2 and 7.58 W m-2, respectively. BC and MD in the industrial area, residential area, and suburban area decreased the average albedo by 0.449 (59.55%), 0.3758 (45.86%), and 0.2959 (37.65%), respectively. The impacts on snow melting time in Harbin were mainly attributed to BC, which advanced snow melting by 7.9 ±â€¯1.16 d, while MD advanced snow melting by 3.7 ±â€¯0.9 d. Under the combined effect of BC and MD, the industrial area, residential area, and suburban area in the city experienced advanced snow melting by 9.66 ±â€¯0.38 d, 7.97 ±â€¯0.31 d, and 6.67 ±â€¯0.65 d, respectively. The results can be used to assess the contribution of intense human disturbance to snow melting.

Intratumoral stem-like CCR4+ regulatory T cells orchestrate the immunosuppressive microenvironment in HCC associated with hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Regulatory T cell (Treg) depletion increases antitumor immunity. However, severe autoimmunity can occur following systemic loss of Tregs, which could be avoided by selectively depleting intratumoral Tregs. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of tumor-infiltrating CCR4+ Tregs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to provide a potential target strategy for immunotherapy. METHODS: CCR4+ Tregs were analyzed by flow cytometry in murine models and clinical samples. The function of tumor-infiltrating and induced CCR4+ Tregs was interrogated by genetic and epigenetic approaches. To block CCR4+ Treg chemotaxis, we developed an N-terminus recombinant protein of CCR4 (N-CCR4-Fc) as a neutralizing pseudo-receptor that effectively bound to its ligand CCL22. The efficacy of CCR4 antagonism as an immunotherapeutic agent was evaluated by tumor weights, growth kinetics and survival curves. RESULTS: CCR4+ Tregs were the predominant type of Tregs recruited to hepatitis B-associated HCC (HBV+ HCC), correlating with sorafenib resistance and HBV load titers. Compared with CCR4- Tregs, CCR4+ Tregs exhibited increased IL-10 and IL-35 expression, and enhanced functionality in suppressing CD8+ T cells. CCR4+ Tregs also displayed PD-1+TCF1+ stem-like properties. ATAC-seq data revealed substantial chromatin remodeling between tumor-infiltrating Tregs (TIL-Tregs) and induced Tregs, suggesting that long-term chromatin reprogramming accounted for the acquisition of enhanced immunosuppressive stem-like specificity by CCR4+ TIL-Tregs. Treatment with a CCR4 antagonist or N-CCR4-Fc blocked intratumoral Treg accumulation, overcame sorafenib resistance, and sensitized tumors to PD-1 checkpoint blockade. CONCLUSIONS: Intratumoral stem-like CCR4+ Tregs orchestrated immunosuppressive resource cells in the tumor microenvironment. CCR4 could be targeted to enhance antitumor immunity by specifically blocking infiltration of Tregs into the tumor microenvironment and inhibiting maintenance of the TIL-Treg pool. LAY SUMMARY: Targeting regulatory T cells is a promising approach in cancer immunotherapy; however, severe autoimmunity can occur following systemic regulatory T cell loss. This could be avoided by selectively depleting intratumoral regulatory T cells. Herein, targeting intratumoral stem-like CCR4+ regulatory T cells helped to overcome sorafenib resistance and sensitize tumors to immune checkpoint blockade in mouse models of liver cancer. This approach could have wide clinical applicability.

Cu-induced spermatogenesis disease is related to oxidative stress-mediated germ cell apoptosis and DNA damage.

Copper is considered as an indispensable trace element for living organisms. However, over-exposure to Cu can lead to adverse health effects on human. In this study, CuSO4 decreased sperm concentration and motility, increased sperm malformation rate. Concurrently, testicular damage including testicular histopathological aberrations and reduction of testis relative weight were observed. Then, the mechanism underlying Cu-induced testicular toxicity was explored. According to the results, CuSO4 elevated ROS production while reducing antioxidant function. Additionally, CuSO4 induced apoptosis which was featured by MMP depolarization and up-regulated levels of cleaved-caspase-3, cleaved-caspase-8, cleaved-caspase-9, caspase-12, cleaved-PARP and Bax, whereas down-regulated Bcl-2 expression. Meanwhile, CuSO4 caused testis DNA damage (up-regulation of γ-H2AX protein expression) and suppressed DNA repair pathways including BER, NER, HR, MMR, together with the NHEJ repair pathways, yet did not affect MGMT. To investigate the role of oxidative stress in CuSO4-induced apoptosis and DNA damage, the antioxidant NAC was co-treated with CuSO4. NAC attenuated CuSO4-induced ROS production, inhibited apoptosis and DNA damage. Furthermore, the spermatogenesis disorder was also abolished in the co-treatment with CuSO4 and NAC group. Altogether, abovementioned results indicated that CuSO4-induced spermatogenesis disorder is related to oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage and germ cell apoptosis, impairing male reproductive function.

Mechanism of substrate transport and inhibition of the human LAT1-4F2hc amino acid transporter.

LAT1 (SLC7A5) is one of the representative light chain proteins of heteromeric amino acid transporters, forming a heterodimer with its heavy chain partner 4F2hc (SLC3A2). LAT1 is overexpressed in many types of tumors and mediates the transfer of drugs and hormones across the blood-brain barrier. Thus, LAT1 is considered as a drug target for cancer treatment and may be exploited for drug delivery into the brain. Here, we synthesized three potent inhibitors of human LAT1, which inhibit transport of leucine with IC50 values between 100 and 250 nM, and solved the cryo-EM structures of the corresponding LAT1-4F2hc complexes with these inhibitors bound at resolution of up to 2.7 or 2.8 Å. The protein assumes an outward-facing occluded conformation, with the inhibitors bound in the classical substrate binding pocket, but with their tails wedged between the substrate binding site and TM10 of LAT1. We also solved the complex structure of LAT1-4F2hc with 3,5-diiodo-L-tyrosine (Diiodo-Tyr) at 3.4 Å overall resolution, which revealed a different inhibition mechanism and might represent an intermediate conformation between the outward-facing occluded state mentioned above and the outward-open state. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the outward-facing conformation is revealed for the HAT family. Our results unveil more important insights into the working mechanisms of HATs and provide a structural basis for future drug design.

Structural basis for bivalent binding and inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection by human potent neutralizing antibodies.

Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nAbs) to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) represent promising candidates for clinical intervention against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We isolated a large number of nAbs from SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals capable of disrupting proper interaction between the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike (S) protein and the receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). However, the structural basis for their potent neutralizing activity remains unclear. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of the ten most potent nAbs in their native full-length IgG-form or in both IgG-form and Fab-form bound to the trimeric S protein of SARS-CoV-2. The bivalent binding of the full-length IgG is found to associate with more RBDs in the "up" conformation than the monovalent binding of Fab, perhaps contributing to the enhanced neutralizing activity of IgG and triggering more shedding of the S1 subunit from the S protein. Comparison of a large number of nAbs identified common and unique structural features associated with their potent neutralizing activities. This work provides a structural basis for further understanding the mechanism of nAbs, especially through revealing the bivalent binding and its correlation with more potent neutralization and the shedding of S1 subunit.

Continuously observed light absorbing impurities in snow cover over the southern Altai Mts. in China: Concentrations, impacts and potential sources.

The deposition of light absorbing impurities (LAIs) (e.g., black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), mineral dust (MD)) on snow is an important attribution to accelerate snowmelt across the northern Xinjiang, China. At present, there is still a lack of understanding of the LAIs concentration, elution and enrichment process in snow cover over Xinjiang. Based on these, continuously sampling during two years carried out to investigate the concentrations, impacts and potential sources of LAIs in snow at Kuwei Station in the southern Altai Mountains. The average concentrations of BC, OC and MD in the surface snow were 2787 ± 2334 ng g-1, 6130 ± 6127 ng g-1, and 70.03 ± 62.59 µg g-1, respectively, which dramatically increased along with snowmelt intensified, reflecting a significant enrichment process of LAIs at the snow surface. Besides, high LAIs concentrations also found in the subsurface and melting layers of the snowpit, reflecting the elution and redistribution of LAIs. With the simulation of the SNow ICe Aerosol Radiative model, BC was the main dominant factor in reducing snow albedo and radiative forcing (RF), its impact was more remarkable in the snowmelt period. The average contribution rates of BC, MD and BC + MD to snow albedo reduction increased by 20.0 ± 1.9%, 13.0 ± 0.2%, and 20.5 ± 2.3% in spring compared with that in winter; meanwhile, the corresponding average RFs increased by 15.8 ± 3.4 W m-2, 4.7 ± 0.3 W m-2 and 16.4 ± 3.2 W m-2, respectively. Changes in the number of snowmelt days caused by BC and MD decreased by 3.0 ± 0.4 d to 8.3 ± 1.3 d. It indicated that surface enrichment of LAIs during snow melting might accelerate snowmelt further. Weather Research and Forecasting Chemistry model showed that the resident emission was the main potential source of BC and OC in snow. This implied that the mitigation of intensive snowmelt needs to mainly reduce resident emission of LAIs in the future.

Spatiotemporal variability of snow cover timing and duration over the Eurasian continent during 1966-2012.

The timing and duration of snow cover critically affect surface albedo, surface energy budgets, and hydrological processes. Previous studies using in-situ or satellite remote sensing data have mostly been site-specific (Siberia and the Tibetan Plateau), and remote sensing and/or modeling data include large uncertainties. Here, we used 1103 stations with long-term (1966-2012) ground-based snow measurements to investigate spatial and temporal variability in snow cover timing and duration and factors impacting those changes across the Eurasian continent. We found the earliest annual onset and latest disappearance of snow cover occurred along the Arctic coast, where the long-term (1971-2000) mean annual snow cover duration (SCD) was more than nine months which was the longest in this study. The shortest SCD, ≤10 days, was found in southern China. The first and last dates of snow cover (FD and LD, respectively), SCD, and the ratio of SCD to snow season length (RDL) were generally latitude dependent over the Eurasian Continent, while were elevation dependent on the Tibetan Plateau. During the period from 1966 through 2012, FD delayed and LD advanced by ~1 day/decade, and RDL increased by about 0.01/decade. The LD, SCD, and RDL anomalies (relative to the period 1971-2000) were also significantly correlated with latitude. Advances in LD and positive RDL were more significant in low-latitude regions, decreases in SCD were more significant in high-latitude regions. Changes in SCD were related to air temperature and snowfall in autumn and warming in spring. SCD specifically increased in the northern Xinjiang and northeastern China due to increased snowfall. The significant reduction in SCD in southwestern Russia, the Tibetan Plateau and along the Yangtze River was mainly affected by climate warming.

Relationship Between the Vascular Bundle Structure of Panicle Branches and the Filling of Inferior Spikelets in Large-Panicle Japonica Rice.

The vascular bundles of rice panicles serve to connect the source and the sink, as well as serving as a channel for the transportation of materials. In this study, two homozygous japonica rice strains were used as materials. The vascular bundle structures of the branches in different positions within a rice panicle were observed, and their cross-sectional areas were calculated. In addition, the ultrastructure of the central large vascular bundle (LVB) phloem in the rachillae of superior spikelets (SS) and inferior spikelets (IS) was observed during the grain filling period. Moreover, the soluble sugar and protein contents of the SS and IS rachillae were also measured to study whether the differences in the structure of vascular bundles of the branches were related to the plumpness of grain at different positions. The results showed that vascular bundle cross-sectional areas of the basal primary branches were greater than those in the upper primary branches. Moreover, there was little difference in the areas of vascular bundles between the basal secondary branches and upper secondary branches. However, the vascular bundle areas of the IS rachillae were lower than those in the SS rachillae. Therefore, we believe that the poor vascular tissue channel of the IS rachillae could be the limiting factor in IS plumpness. The results also showed that a similar time course in the degradation pattern of some organelles of the sieve elements and companion cells in central LVB was observed in the SS rachillae and IS rachillae during the grain filling period. Compared with the IS rachillae, more abundant mitochondria and plasmodesmata were found in the companion cells of SS rachillae at the beginning of the filling stage, while no significant differences between SS and IS rachillae were identified at the middle and late filling stages, which implies that the SS rachillae were relatively more effective at transportation compared with the IS rachillae at the initial filling stage. Therefore, the undeveloped vascular bundles of the IS rachillae and their poor physiology and lack of ability to transport at the initial filling stages could be the limiting factor in IS plumpness.

Characterization of fluvo-aquic soil phosphorus affected by long-term fertilization using solution 31P NMR spectroscopy.

Reducing the applications of mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizers and supplementing them by organic fertilizers is becoming a necessary practice in the North China Plain due to overuse of mineral P fertilizers and improper disposal of organic wastes. Knowledge is needed about how the long-term substitution of mineral fertilizers by organic fertilizers affects soil P forms in order to understand soil P transformation and crop P uptake. In this study, we used solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterize P forms in fluvo-aquic soil after 26 years of different fertilization management strategies, organic compost (OM), half compost in combination with half mineral fertilizer NPK (1/2 OM), mineral fertilizer NPK (NPK), mineral fertilizer NK (NK), and an unfertilized control (CK). Results showed that the P extraction efficiency using NaOH-EDTA varied from 13.0 to 27.7% for the soils of the treatments. 31P NMR spectra indicated that the majority of P was in the form of orthophosphate for all the treatments, which constituted 64.3-83.5% of the total extracted P. The application of P fertilizers significantly increased the concentrations of orthophosphate, monoesters and diesters regardless of the P fertilization method, although the proportions of monoesters and diesters were higher in CK. The proportions and concentrations of orthophosphate significantly decreased when all mineral fertilizers were replaced by compost. There was no significant difference in the proportions and concentrations of total organic P, corrected monoesters and diesters in NaOH-EDTA extracts of soils among NPK, 1/2OM and OM treatments. Decreasing mineral P fertilizers and partly replacing them by organic fertilizer in fluvo-aquic soil might increase soil test (Olsen) P and crop P uptake through the degradation of applied organic P forms.

δ-Tocotrienol, Isolated from Rice Bran, Exerts an Anti-Inflammatory Effect via MAPKs and PPARs Signaling Pathways in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Macrophages.

δ-Tocotrienol, an important component of vitamin E, has been reported to possess some physiological functions, such as anticancer and anti-inflammation, however their molecular mechanisms are not clear. In this study, δ-tocotrienol was isolated and purified from rice bran. The anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of δ-tocotrienol against lipopolysaccharides (LPS) activated pro-inflammatory mediator expressions in RAW264.7 cells were investigated. Results showed that δ-tocotrienol significantly inhibited LPS-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) and proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1ß and IL-6) production and blocked the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2). δ-Tocotrienol repressed the transcriptional activations and translocations of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), which were closely related with downregulated cytokine expressions. Meanwhile, δ-tocotrienol also affected the PPAR signal pathway and exerted an anti-inflammatory effect. Taken together, our data showed that δ-tocotrienol inhibited inflammation via mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signalings in LPS-stimulated macrophages.