Period Of Vigorous Growth Research Articles

Managing ADHD with Nutrition – A Case Study Report

According to the WHO Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. One of the most obvious, yet under-recognised environmental factors in the development of major trends in mental health is the role of nutrition. The study is a qualitative analysis on one subject. The objective is to investigate the role of nutrition in the effective management of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as balanced nutrition is very important during childhood which is a period of vigorous growth, increased activity, and development of body functions and social cognitive abilities. The treatment implications of research into nutrition and mental health are enormous. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed chronic mental conditions of childhood. ADHD has a large genetic component to its etiology, and alterations in the noradrenergic and dopamine systems lead to dysfunction in higher cortical processing related to attention, alertness, and executive functions (e.g., planning, working memory, abstract reasoning, mental flexibility). According to extensive research conducted two food groups that have subsequently been implicated as having a considerable impact on ADHD are essential fatty acids and minerals. Their exists and inversely linear relationship between levels of EFA in the body and the degree of the disorder. A similar inverse relationship has been found with levels of iron in children and symptoms of ADHD, deficiencies in magnesium and zinc have also been noted.

Suicide attempts by jumping and length of stay in general hospital

American ginseng is a medicinal plant with large market demands, however, its producing areas are shrinking because of the continuous cropping obstacles in China. Therefore, it is urgent to establish a suitable model to determine the new producing areas. Here we evaluated and predicted the suitable areas of American ginseng using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt).Based on the 37 environmental variables over thirty years from 1970 to 2000 and 226 global distribution points of American ginseng, MaxEnt was used to determine the global ecological suitable areas for American ginseng. The Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the model prediction accuracy. Meanwhile, an innovative ecological variable, the precipitation–temperature ratio, was established to indicate the climate characteristic in the American ginseng suitable areas based on the monthly precipitation and temperature.The potential ecological suitable areas of American ginseng were primarily in Appalachian Mountain in America and Changbai Mountain in China, about in the range of 35°N–50°N, 60°W–120°W and 35°N–50°N, 110°E–145°E, respectively, including the United States, Canada, China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia and Japan. South Korea and Japan were the potential producing regions. The precipitation–temperature ratios were stable at (0.22, 0.56) of the vigorous growth period (April–October) in the best suitable areas of American ginseng, serving as characteristic parameters to optimize the prediction model. The model showed that the common soil parameters were pH 4.5–7.2, Base Saturation (BS) above 80%, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) 10–20 cmol/kg, organic carbon (OC) < 1.4%, and the soil types were sandy loam or loam.An optimized MaxEnt model was established to predict the producing area for American ginseng that needed to be validated by a field test.

SPATIO-TEMPORAL CHANGES OF NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY AND ITS RESPONSE TO PHENOLOGY IN NORTHEAST CHINA DURING 2000–2015

Abstract. The relationship between net primary productivity (NPP) and phenological changes is of great significance to the study of regional ecosystem processes. In this study, firstly, NPP was estimated with the remote sensing model based on the SPOT-VGT NDVI dataset (2000–2015), meteorological data and the vegetation map in Northeast China. Then, using NDVI time series data which was reconstructed by polynomial fitting, phenology was extracted with the dynamic threshold method. Finally, the relationship between NPP and phenology was analyzed. The results showed that NPP mainly increased in the cropland, grassland, forestland and shrubland; however, vegetation NPP decreased in the ecotone among cropland, grassland and forestland. Correlation analysis suggested that the relationships between NPP and phenological metrics (i.e., the start of the growing season (SOS), the end of the growing season (EOS), the length of the growing season (LOS)) were different due to geographical location. On the whole, there was a positive correlation between NPP and the LOS in the forestland, and negative in the cropland and grassland, indicating that extended LOS can promote the accumulation of forestland NPP. By analyzing the monthly NDVI data during the vigorous growth period, the increase of NPP in the grassland and cropland was mainly due to the better growth from June to August, and shortened LOS did not lead to reduce the NPP. Generally, the response of NPP to phenology in Northeast China were more complex, showing obvious difference of vegetation types and spatial variability, we need to consider topography, community structure and other factors in the further studies.

Evaluation and prediction of ecological suitability of medicinal plant American ginseng (panax quinquefolius)

ObjectiveAmerican ginseng is a medicinal plant with large market demands, however, its producing areas are shrinking because of the continuous cropping obstacles in China. Therefore, it is urgent to establish a suitable model to determine the new producing areas. Here we evaluated and predicted the suitable areas of American ginseng using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). MethodsBased on the 37 environmental variables over thirty years from 1970 to 2000 and 226 global distribution points of American ginseng, MaxEnt was used to determine the global ecological suitable areas for American ginseng. The Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the model prediction accuracy. Meanwhile, an innovative ecological variable, the precipitation–temperature ratio, was established to indicate the climate characteristic in the American ginseng suitable areas based on the monthly precipitation and temperature. ResultsThe potential ecological suitable areas of American ginseng were primarily in Appalachian Mountain in America and Changbai Mountain in China, about in the range of 35°N–50°N, 60°W–120°W and 35°N–50°N, 110°E–145°E, respectively, including the United States, Canada, China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia and Japan. South Korea and Japan were the potential producing regions. The precipitation–temperature ratios were stable at (0.22, 0.56) of the vigorous growth period (April–October) in the best suitable areas of American ginseng, serving as characteristic parameters to optimize the prediction model. The model showed that the common soil parameters were pH 4.5–7.2, Base Saturation (BS) above 80%, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) 10–20 cmol/kg, organic carbon (OC) < 1.4%, and the soil types were sandy loam or loam. ConclusionAn optimized MaxEnt model was established to predict the producing area for American ginseng that needed to be validated by a field test.

Effects of Soil Microbial Diversity on the Phosphate Fraction in the Rhizosphere of Phragmites communis in the Yeyahu Wetland in Beijing, China

In this research, microorganisms in rhizosphere/non-rhizosphere soils of Phragmites communis in the Yeyahu Wetland were studied. A sequential extraction procedure was used to analyze the phosphorus (P) forms in the rhizosphere/non-rhizosphere soil with a variety of plant growth conditions (April, July, October). The soil bacteria community structure and the diversity was measured using the high-throughput of 16S rRNA amplicons. Furthermore, the complete crystallographic analysis (CCA) method was used to analyze the relationship between phosphate solubilizing microorganisms and P transformation in the soil samples. The results showed that the rank order of inorganic P (IP) fractions in the soil was generally as follows:Ca-bound P (Ca-P) > Occluded P (Oc-P) > Fe-bound P (Fe-P) > Exchangeable P (Ex-P) > Al-bound P (Al-P). The IP content was most affected by the growth of Phragmites communis. The minimum content of IP appeared in the vigorous growth period and the total IP content in the rhizosphere soil was generally lower than in the non-rhizosphere soil. The rank order of organic P (OP) fractions were highly resistant OP (HR-OP) > moderately resistant OP (MR-OP) > moderately labile OP (ML-OP) > labile OP (L-OP), and all the components of OP first decreased and then increased with the growth of plant. The major phylogenic groups in rhizosphere/non-rhizosphere soil of Phragmites communis, included Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Actinobacteria among which, Proteobacteria was the majority group in the community composition. Furthermore, the rhizosphere/non-rhizosphere microbial community structure was significantly affected by seasonal changes and existing differences between the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils. In addition, the main functional groups of the modal transformation of P bacteria genera were Bacillus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Acinetobacter, which can make use of most OP and IP, playing an important role in the transformation of P in wetland soils.

Effects of micro-fertilizers foliar spray on the content of main effective components of Angelica dahurica

The zinc, boron and molybdenum were sprayed on the foliage of Angelica dahurica du-ring the vigorous growth period to explore the effects of the combination of zinc, boron and molybdenum fertilizers on the content of main effective components of A. dahurica, and to find out the optimum spraying amount. The results showed that the application of zinc, boron and molybdenum foliar spray was beneficial to increase the content of imperatorin and total cumarin, whereas had no effect on the content of the isoimperatorin. The effect of boron spray on the accumulation of imperatorin and total coumarin was the most significant, followed by the zinc and molybdenum. The interaction between boron and molybdenum had a negative cooperative effect on the content of imperatorin, while the interaction between zinc and molybdenum had a positivecooperative effect on the content of total coumarin. The contents of total coumarin reached over 0.7% respectively, with the complex fertilizer spray of zinc at 0.15-0.24 kg·hm-2, boron at 2.02-2.36 kg·hm-2 and molybdenum at 0.08-0.13 kg·hm-2. The contents of imperatorin reached over 0.2% respectively, with the complex fertilizer spray of zinc at 0.15-0.20 kg·hm-2, boron at 1.37-1.47 kg·hm-2 and molybdenum at 0.09-0.13 kg·hm-2. It was concluded that the application of zinc, boron and molybdenum foliar spray was beneficial to promote the quality of A. dahurica by enhancing its accumulation of coumarin.

Influencing factors of methane emission dynamics at different water depths in hangzhou bay reed wetland, China

Water depth (WD) influences wetland methane (CH4) emissions by affecting plant growth and the physical and chemical properties of soil. We studied the factors influencing CH4 emission dynamics at different WD in reclaimed reed wetland in Hangzhou Bay, China. The annual average WD was set as WD0 (0 cm), WD1 (10 cm), WD2 (20 cm), and WD3 (35 cm). The transparent chamber–gas chromatography method was used to determine CH4 fluxes during the growing season. Results showed that the average CH4 flux was 7.03 mg m−2 h−1, and that CH4 fluxes under all 4 WDs presented as a CH4 source. CH4 emissions of the reed wetland showed obvious seasonal changes; summer was the peak period for CH4 emissions. In a vigorous growth period of reeds, the CH4 flux gradually increased as WD increased. However, in early and late growth periods of reed, CH4 flux first increased (WD0 &lt; WD1 &lt; WD2) then decreased (WD2 &gt; WD3) as WD increased. Correlation analysis showed that at the 4 WDs, CH4 flux was significantly, positively correlated with air temperature, soil temperature, and aboveground biomass of reeds, and were highly significantly positively correlated with water temperature. In addition, at WD0, CH4 flux also showed a significant, positive correlation with soil organic carbon content in the 0–5 and 5–10 cm soil layers, and was significantly negatively correlated with soil water content. Hence, WD significantly influenced wetland CH4 emissions. Temperature and biomass were major influencing factors of CH4 emission in reed wetland at different WDs. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 36: 1301–1307, 2017

Stoichiometric variation of halophytes in response to changes in soil salinity.

Variation in soil salt may change the stoichiometry of a halophyte by altering plant ecophysiology, and exert different influences on various plant organs, which has potentially important consequences for the nutrition of consumers as well as nutrient cycling in a saline ecosystem. Using a greenhouse pot experiment, we investigated the effect of salinity variability on the growth and stoichiometry of different organs of Suaeda glauca and Salicornia europaea - two dominant species of important ecological and economic value in the saline ecosystem. Our results showed that appropriate salt stimulated the growth of both species during the vigorous growth period, while high salt suppressed growth. Na significantly increased with increased salt in the culture, whereas concentrations of other measured elements and K:Na ratio for both species significantly decreased at low salt treatments, and became more gradual under higher salt conditions. Furthermore, with the change of salt in culture, variations in leaf (degenerated leaf for S.europaea, considered as young stem) stoichiometry, except N:P ratio, were large and less in stems (old stems for S.europaea) than in roots, reflecting physiological and biochemical reactions in the leaf in response to salt stress, supported by sharp changes in trends. These results suggest that appropriate saline conditions can enhance biological C fixation of halophytes; however, increasing salt could affect consumer health and decrease cycling of other nutrients in saline ecosystems.

A comparison of the toxicity of landfill leachate exposure at the seed soaking and germination stages on Zea mays L. (maize)

To compare the toxicity of landfill leachate exposure at the early stages of seed soaking and germination on maize, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the physiological aspects of growth, yield and potential clastogenicity of root-tip cells. The maizes were treated with leachate at levels of 2%, 10%, 20%, 30% or 50% (V/V). First, the change of physiological indexes, including chlorophyll (Chl), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, combined with yield all showed that soaking with leachate, but not germination, generated a greater ecological risk on maize. After a soaking treatment of maize with 50% leachate, the Chl, MDA and ROS levels during a vigorous growth period were 47.3%, 149.8% and 309.7%, respectively, of the control, whereas the yield decreased to 68.6% of the control. In addition, our results demonstrated that the leachate at lower levels could promote growth. This is mainly embodied in that the yield of maize treated with 10% leachate at the soaking stage increased to 116.0% of the control. Moreover, the cytological analysis experiment also demonstrated that the ecological risk of leachate still exists in both cases. Furthermore, the gray relational analysis showed that the ear row number and tassel branch number were the major factors affecting the yield of maize treated with 50% leachate at the stages of soaking and germination, respectively. In general, these results are helpful in understanding the phytotoxicity of leachate, which provides additional reference data for risk assessment and management of leachate.

Effect of exogenous phytohormones treatment on glycyrrhizic acid accumulation and preliminary exploration of the chemical control network based on glycyrrhizic acid in root of Glycyrrhiza uralensis

One-year-old Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC, Fabaceae, was treated with three exogenous phytohormones in June and July, namely gibberellin, auxin (indole-3-acetic acid), methyl jasmonate at different concentrations. Control plants were treated with water. Roots of controls and hormones-treated G. uralensis plants were harvested at different times, and the contents of seven main chemical components were determined. Root glycyrrhizic acid content of plants treated in June increased significantly compared with controls, and the difference was significant. As for plants treated in July, root glycyrrhizic acid content increased in which sprayed with appropriate concentrations of hormones, but the effects of hormones were more evident in plants treated in June coincided with the vigorous growth period than those treated in July. Gibberellin at 40mg/l and auxin at 40mg/l applied in the two treatment periods significantly promoted the accumulation of glycyrrhizic acid in G. uralensis root. Treatment with methyl jasmonate at 100 and 25mg/l in June and July, respectively, also increased glycyrrhizic acid content significantly. The determination of major active compositions indicated that liquiritin, isoliquiritin, isoliquiritin apioside and liquiritin apioside contents were positively related to glycyrrhizic acid content. The study preliminarily found phytohormones and the main chemical components associated with glycyrrhizic acid content, and these discoveries could provide a basis for establishing a chemical control network with glycyrrhizic acid as the core, confirming the secondary product metabolic pathways in the network and completely uncovering synthesis mechanism underlying glycyrrhizic acid-combined functional gene polymorphism.

Effect of interstocks on the photosynthetic characteristics and carbon distribution of young apple trees during the vigorous growth period of shoots

Effect of interstocks on the photosynthetic characteristics and carbon distribution of young apple trees during the vigorous growth period of shoots

Effects of soil tillage and planting grass on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal propagules and soil properties in citrus orchards in southeast China

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play important roles in plant nutrition and soil conservation. AM fungal activity and amount of glomalin (a glycoprotein derived from AM fungi) are influenced by a series of abiotic and biotic factors associated with changes in soil management. However, the informations concerning AM fungal activity, amount of glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), and its relationship with soil fertility and enzyme activities are scarce in citrus orchards under different soil management systems. Accordingly, this paper reports the effects of tilling soil and planting grass on AM colonization; AM fungal propagules; the amount of GRSP and its relationship with soil chemicals including organic carbon, available nitrogen, Olsen phosphorus, and available potassium; the activity levels of soil enzymes like catalase, invertase, urease, and acid phosphatase in citrus (Citrus unshiu Marc. grafted on Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf.) orchards in southeast China. Measurements were conducted in the fifth year of an ongoing tillage and grass planting experiment on an Acrisol soil under one of three treatments: natural grass cover, sod culture with white clover, and clean tillage. Soils and roots were sampled in March, July, and November 2013, during the vigorous growth period of citrus trees. AM colonization, AM fungal propagules, and GRSP were significantly higher in both no-tillage and grass-planted orchards than in clean tillage orchards. Soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, and soil enzyme activities showed a similar trend. Principal component analysis revealed that tillage and grass planting dramatically affected soil conditions in citrus orchards. However, sod culture promoted citrus mycorrhizal colonization and available nitrogen in soil more effectively than did grass cover, whereas natural grass cover enhanced AM fungal propagules, soil organic carbon, and soil enzyme activities more effectively than did sod culture. Soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, and soil enzymes activities were significantly (P<0.05) correlated with AM fungal propagules or GRSP, suggesting that plentiful AM symbionts may help preserve soil quality, especially in grass-planted orchards.

Effects of plant growth regulator uniconazole on plant morphology and biomass allocation of Salvia miltiorrhiza

In this study, we use pot experiment to evaluate the effect of plant growth regulator on plant morphology and biomass allocation of Salvia miltiorrhiza. Different concentrations of uniconazole were supplied to S. miltioohiza by means of foliar spray. Height, breadth and stem diameter were measured dynamically, the biomass of leaf, stem, flower and fruit, root biomass and biomass ratio were also examined at the harvest time. Owing to the treatment, plant morphology showed significant changes, the height had been greatly reduced and the breadth decreased largely. Meanwhile, the biomass allocation changed too. The biomass ratio of leaf and stem had been notably reduced while the biomass ratio of root had been increased remarkably. It appears that foliar application of uniconazole during vigorous growth period in S. miltioohiza has dramatic effect on dwarfing plant and improving resistant to lodging. This measure could also be applied to condensed cultivation of S. miltioohiza to increase production.

SPEIPM-based research on drought impact on maize yield in North China Plain

The calculation method of potential evapotranspiration (PET) was improved by adopting a more reliable PET estimate based on the Penman-Monteith equation into the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) in this study (SPEIPM). This improvement increased the applicability of SPEI in North China Plain (NCP). The historic meteorological data during 1962–2011 were used to calculate SPEIPM. The detrended yields of maize from Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Beijing, and Tianjin provinces/cities of NCP were obtained by linear sliding average method. Then regression analysis was made to study the relationships between detrended yields and SPEI values. Different time scales were applied, and thus SPEIpm was mentioned as SPEIPMk-j (k=time scale, 1, 2, 3, 4, …, 24 mon; j=month, 1, 2, 3, …, 12), among which SPEIPM3-8 reflected the water condition from June to August, a period of heavy precipitation and vigorous growth of maize in NCP SPEIPM3-8 was highly correlated with detrended yield in this region, which can effectively evaluate the effect of drought on maize yield. Additionally, this relationship becomes more significant in recent 20 yr. The regression model based on the SPEI series explained 64.8% of the variability of the annual detrended yield in Beijing, 45.2% in Henan, 58.6% in Shandong, and 54.6% in Hebei. Moreover, when SPEIPM3-8 is in the range of −0.6 to 1.1, −0.9 to 0.8 and −0.8 to 2.3, the detrended yield increases in Shandong, Henan and Beijing. The yield increasing range was during normal water condition in Shandong and Henan, where precipitation was abundant. It indicated that the field management matched well with local water condition and thus allowed stable and high yield. Maize yield increase in these two provinces in the future can be realized by further improving water use efficiency and enhancing the stress resistance as well as yield stability. In Hebei and Beijing, the precipitation is less and thus the normal water condition cannot meet the high yield target. Increasing of water input and improving water use efficiency are both strategies for future yield increase. As global climate change became stronger and yield demands increased, the relationship between drought and maize yield became much closer in NCP too. The research of drought monitoring method and strategies for yield increase should be enhanced in the future, so as to provide strong supports for food security and agricultural sustainable development in China.

Innovation in a Small State: Qatar and the IBC Cluster Model of Higher Education

Innovation in a Small State: <scp>Q</scp>atar and the <scp>IBC</scp> Cluster Model of Higher Education

Simulating spatiotemporal dynamics of sichuan grassland net primary productivity using the CASA model and in situ observations.

Net primary productivity (NPP) is an important indicator for grassland resource management and sustainable development. In this paper, the NPP of Sichuan grasslands was estimated by the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model. The results were validated with in situ data. The overall precision reached 70%; alpine meadow had the highest precision at greater than 75%, among the three types of grasslands validated. The spatial and temporal variations of Sichuan grasslands were analyzed. The absorbed photosynthetic active radiation (APAR), light use efficiency (ε), and NPP of Sichuan grasslands peaked in August, which was a vigorous growth period during 2011. High values of APAR existed in the southwest regions in altitudes from 2000 m to 4000 m. Light use efficiency (ε) varied in the different types of grasslands. The Sichuan grassland NPP was mainly distributed in the region of 3000–5000 m altitude. The NPP of alpine meadow accounted for 50% of the total NPP of Sichuan grasslands.

速生树种尾巨桉和竹柳幼苗耗水特性和水分利用效率研究

速生树种尾巨桉和竹柳因其水分消耗和利用问题引起了一些争议，因而受到了广泛的关注，由于尚缺乏科学的观测数据，而其中许多指责或支持也尚无定论，因此必须深入研究此2种树种耗水性能和水分利用效率，以期科学评价其水分消耗和利用性能。采用盆栽苗木称重法和Li-6400光合系统测定方法分别测定尾巨桉（<em>Eucalyptus urophylla</em>× <em>Eucalyptus</em> <em>grandis</em>）和竹柳（<em>Salix </em>sp.）苗木在不同土壤水分条件下耗水量、耗水速率和苗木不同生长期叶片净光合速率（<em>Pn</em>）、蒸腾速率（<em>Tr</em>）和水分利用效率（WUE），研究表明：（1）正常水分条件下，尾巨桉和竹柳日总耗水量和最大耗水速率分别为（182.05±12.74）g/d、（100.48±10.95）g/d和（66.31±9.91）g·m^-2·h^-1、（89.50±13.54）g·m^-2·h^-1，土壤水分条件下降时，2种苗木耗水量和耗水速率均呈显著下降趋势，严重干旱胁迫时尾巨桉降幅更大。（2）正常水分条件和轻度水分胁迫下2种苗木耗水速率日变化趋势均为明显单峰曲线，且峰值均出现在12：00-14：00，中度干旱胁迫时则其变化趋势呈“双峰”曲线，峰值分别在10：00-12：00和14：00-16：00出现，严重干旱胁迫时日变化规律不明显。（3）正常水分条件和轻度水分胁迫下2种苗木耗水速率与环境温度显著正相关，与相对湿度显著负相关，随着干旱胁迫的发展，环境因子对耗水速率的影响有所减弱。（4）叶片水平来看，与尾巨桉相比，竹柳具有高光合、低蒸腾、高水分利用效率的特点，2种苗木由生长初期进入生长旺期时，净光合速率和蒸腾速率均发生相同幅度增加，而水分利用效率基本保持不变。（5）从单株耗水量和耗水速率以及叶片水分利用效率综合来看，竹柳属节水性能较好速生树种，而尾巨桉虽然存在叶片水平高蒸腾和低水分利用效率的情况，但从单株苗木水平上来讲，其耗水速率甚至低于竹柳，特别在土壤水分严重亏缺情况下其白天平均耗水速率仅为（4.02±0.60）g·m^-2·h^-1，也表现出了一定的抗旱节水能力。;<em>Eucalyptus urophylla</em> × <em>Eucalyptus grandis</em> and bamboo-willow have attracted wide concerns due to the debates on their water consumption (WC) and utilization efficiency problems. Insufficiency of scientific observation data and consequent uncertainty of the rationality of blame or support on the two trees' development make it a necessity to further study their WC characteristics and water use efficiency (WUE). In this study, WC and water consumption rate (WCR) of<em> E. urophylla</em> × <em>E. grandis</em> and bamboo-willow seedlings under different soil moisture conditions were measured by pot seedling weight method, and net photosynthetic rate (<em>Pn</em>), transpiration rate (<em>Tr</em>) and WUE of them in different growth periods were investigated by Li-6400 photosynthetic system measuring method. Under normal water condition, day-and-night WC and maximum WCR of <em>E. urophylla</em> × <em>E. grandis</em> and bamboo-willow seedlings were(182.05±12.74)g/d,(100.48±10.95)g/d, (66.31±9.91)g·m^-2·h^-1 and(89.50±13.54)g·m^-2·h^-1, respectively. Water consumption and WCR of the seedlings significantly declined with soil moisture decreases, with those of <em>E. urophylla</em> × <em>E. grandis</em> declining more sharply than bamboo-willow under serious drought stress. The daily variation of WCR exhibited a one-peak curve (the peak appearing at 12:00-14:00) under normal water condition and light drought stress, but changed to a double-peak curve (the peaks appearing at 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00, respectively)under moderate drought stress, and showed no regular pattern under serious drought stress. Under normal water condition and light drought stress, a significant positive correlation and a significant negative correlation were observed between WCR and environmental temperature and between WCR and relative humidity, respectively. The influence of environmental factors on WCR weakened along with the development of drought stress. At leaf level, bamboo-willow had higher photosynthetic rate and WUE, and lower transpiration rate than <em>E. urophylla</em> × <em>E. grandis.</em> In initial through vigorous growth period, net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate of both seedlings increased at similar amplitude, while their WUE remained unchanged. In terms of WC and WCR of individual seedling and leaf WUE, bamboo-willow was a good water-saving fast-growing tree species. <em>E. urophylla</em> × <em>E. grandis</em> had higher leaf transpiration rate and lower WUE at leaf level, but had lower WCR at individual seedling level than bamboo-willow, which was particularly true when under serious drought stress, with its average daytime WCR being only (4.02±0.60) g·m^-2·h^-1. Therefore, <em>E. urophylla</em> × <em>E. grandis</em> seedlings also showed a certain ability of drought resistance and water-saving.

The Neoliberal Era and the Financial Crisis in the Light of SSA Theory

Social structure of accumulation (SSA) theory suggests that economic growth in capitalist countries is characterized by lengthy periods of relatively vigorous growth, often amounting to several decades, followed by lengthy periods of relatively sluggish growth or stagnation. The periods of vigorous growth are marked by institutions that taken as a whole are favorable to the accumulation or investment process. The internal contradictions of those institutions, interacting with changes in the external environment, eventually bring the period of prosperity to a close. At that point, a period of intense social conflict is ushered in, accompanied by economic stagnation, until a new set of institutions that favors accumulation can be established. The neoliberal era, from 1980 to 2007, represents a distinctive period of capitalist development in the United States, one with its own characteristic institutions. This essay examines the major institutions of the neoliberal era and their internal contradictions. It shows how these led to the financial crisis of 2007-2009, and examines the conflicts exposed by the crisis. The essay attempts to bring together an empirical account of the financial crisis with a theoretical framework in which the crisis can be most readily understood.

The effects of N+ ion implantation mutagenesis on the laccase production of Ceriporiopsis subvermispora

In order to obtain genetically stable, high-yield, laccase-producing strains, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora was induced by N+ ion implantation and subcultured. The results revealed that, with energy of 30 keV and a dose of 80×1014 ions/cm2, a relatively high increase in mutations and positive mutations were achieved. Three screened high-yield strains (NL3, NL4, and NL6) were obtained and subcultured. The results of the comparison showed that, NL4 had stable genetic traits and the highest laccase activity (323 U/L). In the course of fermentation, NL4 entered a vigorous growth period 24 h ahead of the original strain, and produced a large amount of laccase during the stationary phase. Up until the sixth day of fermentation achieved the highest laccase activity of 377 U/L, and a corresponding biomass dry weight of 4.2 mg/mL. The relative laccase activity of the per gram dry cells was 89.76 U, which was 4.79 times that of the original strain. The results indicated that N+ ion implantation was an ideal technique for microbial breeding, which could be applied for the improvement of Ceriporiopsis subvermispora.

Molecular fingerprinting of a new Kiwifruit cultivar (cv. Tsehelidis) and comparative analysis with cv. Hayward according to physicochemical properties

“Tsechelidis” is a new kiwifruit cultivar of Actinidia deliciosa species that was developed in North Greece (Episkopi, Imathia) through collaboration between Farmaplant S.A and Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly. The variety originated from a systematically sporophytic selection in cv. Hayward and was evaluated for its plant and fruit characteristics for 3 years. In parallel with the above, the genetic identity of the new variety was determined using molecular DNA analysis, based on SSR markers. The results of the analysis supported the uncontested differences between the two comparative genotypes (Tsechelidis vs. Hayward). On December 2003 an application was submitted to the European Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), which covers the jurisdiction of the EU regards the examination of characteristics and the plant breeder's right of the new variety on the inventor's initiative. The final approval for the new variety was granted on November 2007. Nowadays the variety is grown commercially in Greece, Italy, Chile and New Zealand. The most important morphological and quality characteristics, of both the fruit and the plant, are the large, cylindrical size of fruit (mean weight 170–180 g), the high vitamin C content (almost double amount compared to Hayward variety), fruit uniformity, vigorous plant growth and early period of ripening. Fruit cv. Tsechelidis had also minor flesh colour differences, ripened more rapidly at room temperature and was always of better organoleptic quality compared to fruit cv. Hayward.