Influence of ridges for planting sweet potato on symbiotic ecological factors, photosynthetic abilities and population yield in relay intercropping system

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) relay intercropping with maize exposes sweet potato to weak levels of sunlight due to the shadow maize creates during the symbiotic period. The insufficient light accordingly causes slow growth and development of vines and leaves of sweet potato in its early stage. The planting density and row direction of maize, the width of the intercropping strip, and the lodging type of sweet potato may form various photo conditions that influence sweet potato. The objective of this experiment was to research the effects of different ridging types on sweet potato and to elucidate the mechanisms of ecological conditions, photosynthetic physiology and intercropping benefits. The results indicated that, contrast to the one wide-ridge with planting two rows of sweet potato and two narrow ridges with planting two rows, mound planting was more superior in many aspects. Through mound planting sweet potato showed a larger range of temperature in air and soil, higher net photosynthetic rate, more active enzymes related with photosynthesis, and more benefits of relay intercropping

A Bionic Camera-Based Polarization Navigation Sensor

Navigation and positioning technology is closely related to our routine life activities, from travel to aerospace. Recently it has been found that Cataglyphis (a kind of desert ant) is able to detect the polarization direction of skylight and navigate according to this information. This paper presents a real-time bionic camera-based polarization navigation sensor. This sensor has two work modes: one is a single-point measurement mode and the other is a multi-point measurement mode. An indoor calibration experiment of the sensor has been done under a beam of standard polarized light. The experiment results show that after noise reduction the accuracy of the sensor can reach up to 0.3256°. It is also compared with GPS and INS (Inertial Navigation System) in the single-point measurement mode through an outdoor experiment. Through time compensation and location compensation, the sensor can be a useful alternative to GPS and INS. In addition, the sensor also can measure the polarization distribution pattern when it works in multi-point measurement mode

A Bionic Camera-Based Polarization Navigation Sensor

Navigation and positioning technology is closely related to our routine life activities, from travel to aerospace. Recently it has been found that Cataglyphis (a kind of desert ant) is able to detect the polarization direction of skylight and navigate according to this information. This paper presents a real-time bionic camera-based polarization navigation sensor. This sensor has two work modes: one is a single-point measurement mode and the other is a multi-point measurement mode. An indoor calibration experiment of the sensor has been done under a beam of standard polarized light. The experiment results show that after noise reduction the accuracy of the sensor can reach up to 0.3256°. It is also compared with GPS and INS (Inertial Navigation System) in the single-point measurement mode through an outdoor experiment. Through time compensation and location compensation, the sensor can be a useful alternative to GPS and INS. In addition, the sensor also can measure the polarization distribution pattern when it works in multi-point measurement mode

Pharmacokinetic, acute toxicity, and pharmacodynamic studies of semen strychni total alkaloid microcapsules

Purpose: To investigate the safety and effectiveness of semen strychni total alkaloid microcapsules (SSTAM), compared with semen strychni total alkaloids (SSTA). Methods: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed to assess pharmacokinetics of brucine and strychnine in rats. Acute toxicity was investigated in pre-test and formal experiments in mice. The pharmacodynamics of SSTAM and SSTA were evaluated by their analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Results: With respect to brucine, the half-life of SSTA group (1.6 mg/kg), low-dose SSTAM group (6 mg/kg) and high-dose SSTAM group (10 mg/kg) was 5.723, 9.321 and 9.025 h, respectively. With respect to strychnine, the half-life of SSTA group, low-dose SSTAM group and high-dose SSTAM group was 4.065, 8.819 and 8.654 h, respectively. The LD50 values of SSTAM group and SSTA group were 236.59 and 30.27 mg/kg, respectively. The pain inhibition rates of SSTAM groups (25 and 50 mg/kg) were higher than that of SSTA group (p < 0.05) while the pain threshold values of the SSTAM groups (25 and 50 mg/kg) were higher than that of blank control (p < 0.01) and SSTA groups (p < 0.01) at 60 min and 120 min. The inhibition rates of the SSTAM groups (25 and 50 mg/kg) were higher than that of SSTA group based on ear swelling and cotton ball granulation tests. Compared with blank control and SSTA groups, the absorbance values of SSTAM groups (25 and 50 mg/kg) were lower (p < 0.01). Conclusion: SSTAM increases the dosage of administration but reducea the toxicity of the alkaloids in rats, and is thus a potentially safe and effective drug delivery system

Effect of Maize (Zea mays L.) Plant-Type on Yield and Photosynthetic Characters of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea balatas L.) in Intercropping System

Sweet potato/maize relay-cropping mode is considered as the main farming practices of dry land in Southwest China. Although relay-cropping would cause the reduction of fresh tuber yield, it still remained unclear that the reason was shade resulted from maize or genotype of sweet potato. The present work aims at exploring the effects of maize (Zea mays L.) plant-type on photosynthetic physiology and yield of sweet potato (Ipomoea balatas L.) in relay-cropping system. Besides, three plant-types maize cultivars including compact, semi-compact and expanded type were used for relay-cropping with different sweet potato cultivars (‘Yushu-2’, ‘Yushu-6’ and ‘Nanshu-88’) in field. The results showed that the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was declined with the increase of expansion of maize plant-type, which decreased by 77.5%, 80.1% and 82.1% respectively. When relay-cropped with extended maize, the yield reduction rate of sweet potato was the highest (67%). The shade-resistance of different genotype of sweet potatoes was different, and the yield reduction rate of ‘Yushu-2’ was the lowest (37.01%). Through conducting correlations analysis, it showed that fresh tuber yield had significant positive correlation with Effective Quantum Yield (Y(II)) and significant negative correlation with Non Photochemical Quenching Coefficient (NPQ). In terms of ‘Yushu-2’, the proportion of heat dissipation was the lowest, and its light quantum efficiency was higher than others. As a result, its reduction rate of yield was lower than the other two. We suggested that compact maize cultivar relay-cropping with strong shade-resistance sweet potato cultivar should be mainly applied in practice of sweet potato

Regulatory and functional divergence among members of Ibβfruct2, a sweet potato vacuolar invertase gene controlling starch and glucose content

Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] is an important food and industrial crop. Its storage root is rich in starch, which is present in the form of granules and represents the principal storage carbohydrate in plants. Starch content is an important trait of sweet potato controlling the quality and yield of industrial products. Vacuolar invertase encoding gene Ibβfruct2 was supposed to be a key regulator of starch content in sweet potato, but its function and regulation were unclear. In this study, three Ibβfruct2 gene members were detected. Their promoters displayed differences in sequence, activity, and cis-regulatory elements and might interact with different transcription factors, indicating that the three Ibβfruct2 family members are governed by different regulatory mechanisms at the transcription level. Among them, we found that only Ibβfruct2-1 show a high expression level and promoter activity, and encodes a protein with invertase activity, and the conserved domains and three conserved motifs NDPNG, RDP, and WEC are critical to this activity. Only two and six amino acid residue variations were detected in sequences of proteins encoded by Ibβfruct2-2 and Ibβfruct2-3, respectively, compared with Ibβfruct2-1; although not within key motifs, these variations affected protein structure and affinities for the catalytic substrate, resulting in functional deficiency and low activity. Heterologous expression of Ibβfruct2-1 in Arabidopsis decreased starch content but increased glucose content in leaves, indicating Ibβfruct2-1 was a negative regulator of starch content. These findings represent an important advance in understanding the regulatory and functional divergence among duplicated genes in sweet potato, and provide critical information for functional studies and utilization of these genes in genetic improvement

Improvement of sexual function in POEMS syndrome after combination therapy of Lenalidomide and dexamethasone

BACKGROUND: POEMS syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome due to an underlying plasma cell neoplasm. Hypogonadism is the most common endocrine abnormality in POEMS syndrome. There is no data about improvement of hypogonadism and sexual dysfunction after appropriate treatment of POEMS syndrome so far. In this single-center prospective study, the efficacy of low-dose lenalidomide and dexamethasone combination therapy in the improvement of sexual and gonadal function in POEMS syndrome was evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome were treated with Lenalidomide (10 mg daily for 21 days) and dexamethasone (40 mg once per week) for 12 cycles. The international index of erectile function (IIEF) in male patients, the female sexual function index (FSFI) in female patients, total testosterone, estradiol and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were reviewed. Sexual dysfunction was reported in 88.8 % (24/27)male and 90.9 % (10/11) female patients. 62.9 % (17/27) male and 25.0 % (3/12) female patients had hypogonadism. After 12-month treatment, the mean total FSFI score had increased from 17.1 ± 7.2 to 23.7 ± 7.2(p < 0.05). The arousal, orgasm and sex pain domains had been improved significantly. The mean IIEF scores had increased from 12.9 ± 13.0 to 20.5 ± 18.4 (p < 0.05). Erectile function, sexual desire and intercourse satisfaction had improved significantly at the end of treatment. No association between VEGF levels and sexual function improvement was found in both genders. CONCLUSION: Combination therapy with low-dose lenalidomide plus dexamethasone is successful in improving sexual function in POEMS syndrome

Clinical characteristics of severe influenza as a risk factor for febrile seizures in children: a retrospective analysis

ObjectiveTo retrospectively analyze the clinical characteristics and independent risk factors of severe influenza combined with febrile seizures, and to provide more basis for early clinical intervention.MethodsA total of 161 children with severe influenza were collected as study subjects and divided into convulsive (FC) group (40 cases) and non-convulsive (NFC) group (121 cases) according to whether they had febrile seizures. The demographic characteristics and clinical data of the two groups were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of severe influenza combined with febrile seizures. The predictive efficacy was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.Results(1) Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels, Days from onset of Flu symptoms to hospitalization, cerebrospinal fluid protein (CSF-TP) levels and the influenza virus type A (FluA) infection rate were found to be independent risk factors for severe influenza combined with febrile seizures in children. (2) ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off value of CRP, Serum IL-6, Days from onset of Flu symptoms to hospitalization and CSF-TP were 7.57 mg/L, 9.84 pg/ml, 4.5 days and 194.8 mg/L, respectively.ConclusionChildren with severe influenza with CRP ≥ 7.57 mg/L, Serum IL-6 ≥ 9.84 pg/ml, Days from onset of Flu symptoms to hospitalization ≤4.5 days, CSF-TP ≥ 194.8 mg/L and FluA had a significantly increased risk of febrile seizures. It is useful for clinicians to determine the risk of severe influenza combined with febrile seizures, to adjust the early treatment plan, and to reduce the incidence of critically ill patients