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In this study, IDF from Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim pomace (PUIDF) was prepared, and its routine constituents as well as physicochemical properties and structure were analyzed. Moreover, the effect of PUIDF on obesity and gut microbiota (GM) through a high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model was investigated. The results demonstrated that PUIDF had a loose and porous surface structure and typical cellulose polysaccharide functional groups with good water holding, oil holding and swelling capacity, as well as glucose and cholesterol adsorption performance in vitro. PUIDF could significantly reduce weight gain and lipid and cholesterol levels in HFD-induced obese mice. More importantly, PUIDF intervention greatly improved the diversity of GM in mice, as well as regulated intestinal microbiota composition and increasing the abundance of short-chain fatty acid producing bacteria. These results suggest that PUIDF may have a positive effect to alleviate hyperlipidemia and improve intestinal bacterial ecosystems.

Castanea mollissima Blume has been used to treat a variety of diseases in Chinese traditional medicine. This study was aimed to examine the anti-fatigue effect of purified Chestnut flower flavonoids (CFF) in mice and its underlying mechanisms using the weight-loaded swimming test. The study revealed that the content of total flavonoids in CFF was 754.20 mgRE/gdm, which identified six main types of flavonoids, myricetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, quercetin-O-glucoside, kaempherol-3-O-rutinoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol, respectively. CFF showed excellent free radical scavenging and anti-fatigue effect. Notably, CFF significantly prolonged the swimming time of mice, while down-regulating the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), blood lactic acid (BLA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatine kinase (CK), and increasing liver and muscle glycogen. Meanwhile, CFF suppressed exercise-elicited oxidative stress through promoting the SOD activity and reducing the MDA level. Furthermore, CFF up-regulated PGC-1α and PPARα expression in mouse skeletal muscle. In conclusion, these findings indicate that CFF exerts an anti-fatigue effect presumably via energy reserves and oxidative stress inhibition.

ZSM-5 molecular sieves (ZSM-5-T1, ZSM-5-T2, ZSM-5-T3) were synthesized using SiO2, SiO2-8.7% C, and SiO2-23.6% C as templates from rice husk powder, respectively. Pt species were fixed within the ZSM-5 skeleton via the isovolumetric impregnation method, and the resulting catalysts were employed for the efficient oxidation of toluene (C7H8). Notably, Pt/ZSM-5-T2 exhibited the highest C7H8 catalytic oxidation activity (R175 °C = 0.733 µmol g-1 s-1, WHSV = 60 000 mL h-1 g-1) among the three variants. Furthermore, this catalyst displayed excellent water resistance when exposed to various concentrations of water vapor (2 vol%, 5 vol%, 8 vol% and 10 vol%) during the activity test. The characterization results provided insight into the exceptional catalytic performance of the Pt/ZSM-5-T2 catalyst, attributing it to its high specific surface area, appropriate hydrophilicity, abundant Lewis acid sites, and a high Pt0/(Pt0 + Pt2+) ratio. In situ DRIFTS analysis further suggested that the key step in the oxidation of C7H8 to benzyl alcohol involves C-H cleavage on Pt/ZSM-5. Simultaneously, the application of a life-cycle assessment (LCA) revealed that this strategy, involving the substitution of chemicals with biomass, led to a remarkable 41-43% reduction in carbon footprint. This environmentally friendly approach underscores the potential for repurposing rice husk powder waste. Pt/ZSM-5-T2 meets the requirements for practical applications, paving the way for sustainable resource utilization in the realm of environmental preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel anionic surfactant-templated synthesis of ZnO/mesoporous silica nanocomposites has been carried out by using N-hexadecylethylenediamine triacetate (HED3A), a triprotic surfactant, as the structure-directing agent. The chelating template can capture zinc ions in solution and then direct the mesophase formation, enabling an amount of zinc oxide to be embedded in the porous silica matrix during calcination. With variation of the molar ratio of Zn2 HED3A in the template, a series of composites with different doping amounts were obtained after the removal of organic components. The variation of the zinc ion concentration in the initial template solution induces an evolution of the silica mesophase, presumably due to the change in electronegativity of the HED3A headgroup caused by the chelating effect. Spectroscopic studies show a strong host–guest interaction between the silica pore walls and ultrafine ZnO nanoparticles. The photoluminescence properties of the resulting composites exhibit a size-dependent light emission and quantum-confinement effect of ZnO, accompanied by an infrequent violet emission originating from the ZnO–SiO2interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying spatial patterns of species richness and determining the processes that give rise to these patterns are core problems in biodiversity theory. The aim of the present paper was to more accurately detect patterns of vascular species richness at different scales along altitudinal gradients in order to further our understanding of biodiversity patterns and to facilitate studies on relationships between biodiversity and environmental factors. Species richness patterns of total vascular plants species, including trees, shrubs, and herbs, were measured along an altitudinal gradient on one transect on a shady slope in the Dongling Mountains, near Beijing, China. Direct gradient analysis, regression analysis, and geostatistics were applied to describe the spatial patterns of species richness. We found that total vascular species richness did not exhibit a linear pattern of change with altitude, although species groups with different ecological features showed strong elevational patterns different from total species richness. In addition to total vascular plants, analysis of trees, shrubs, and herbs demonstrated remarkable hierarchical structures of species richness with altitude (i.e. patchy structures at small scales and gradients at large scales). Species richness for trees and shrubs had similar spatial characteristics at different scales, but differed from herbs. These results indicated that species groups with similar ecological features exhibit similar biodiversity patterns with altitude, and studies of biodiversity based on species groups with similar ecological properties or life forms would advance our understanding of variations in species diversity. Furthermore, the gradients or trends appeared to be due mainly to local variations in species richness means with altitude. We also found that the range of spatial scale dependencies of species richness for total vascular plants, trees, shrubs, and herbs was relatively large. Thus, to detect the relationships between species richness with environmental factors along altitudinal gradients, it was necessary to quantify the scale dependencies of environmental factors in the sampling design or when establishing non-linear models. (Managing editor: Ya-Qin Han) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, Chinese maize yields increased from 961.5 kg ha−1 in 1949 to 5 453.8 kg ha−1. This increase is the result of genetic improvements, an increase in nitrogen application, and refinement of planting densities. The objective of this study was to provide a theoretical basis for maize production research by analyzing the maize yield gain characteristics. Six varieties of maize were selected for the study; each selection is representative of a typical or commonly used maize variety from a specific decade, beginning from the 1950s and continuing through each decade into the 2000s. The selections and their corresponding decade were as follows: Baihe, 1950s; Jidan 101, 1960s; Zhongdan 2, 1970s; Yedan 13, 1980s; Zhengdan 958, 1990s; and Xianyu 335, 2000s. Each variety was planted under four different densities (37 500, 52 500, 67 500, and 82 500 plants ha−1) and four different nitrogen applications (0, 150, 225, and 300 kg ha−1) to study the effects on yield gain characteristics. The obtained results demonstrated that there was a maize yield increase of 123.19% between the 1950s variety and the 2000s variety. Modern Chinese maize varieties had a higher yield advantage. They also displayed the additional potential to acquire higher yield under increased planting densities and nitrogen applications. At the present cultivation levels (planting at 67 500 plants ha−1 with 225 kg ha−1 nitrogen application), the contribution types and corresponding yield increase percentages were as follows: genetic improvement, 45.37%; agronomic-management improvement, 30.94%; and genotype× agronomic-management interaction, 23.69%. At high-yielding cultivation levels (planting at 82 500 plants ha−1 with 300 kg ha−1 nitrogen application), the contribution types and corresponding yield increase percentages were as follows: genetic improvement, 31.30%; agronomic-management improvement, 36.23%; and genotype × agronomic-management interaction, 32.47%. The contribution of agronomic-management and genotype × agronomic-management interaction to yield increase would be larger with the corresponding management improvement. To further increase maize grain yield in China, researchers should further examine the effects of agronomic-management on maize yield and the adaptation of variety to agronomic-management.

Experiment was conducted at the Gongzhuling Experimental Station of Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jilin Province, China, during 2009–2010. Six representative varieties of maize (Baihe in the 1950s, Jidan 101 in the 1960s, Zhongdan 2 in the 1970s, Yedan 13 in the 1980s, Zhengdan 958 in the 1990s, and Xianyu 335 in the 2000s) were each planted under two different densities (52 500 and 82 500 plants ha−1) and two different nitrogen application levels (150 and 300 kg ha−1). Root characteristics and distribution among soil layers were studied by the field root digging method. The results showed that root mass increased with the process of the growth and development of the plant, and it peaked at kernel filling stage, and decreased at maturity due to the root senesces. Root mass of different maize varieties from the 1950s to 1980s had a trend of increase, while it decreased for the modern varieties. Root length and root surface areas had the similar changing trend. The study suggested that early maize varieties may have root redundancy, and reducing root redundancy may be a direction for variety improvement for high yield. Root characteristics were affected by nitrogen application level and density; modern varieties were more suitable for higher fertilizer application level and density conditions. Root characteristics distribution among soil layers decreased by an exponent equation, but the regression coefficients of different varieties were different. Though the root length density (RLD) of every soil layer of different varieties also decreased by an exponent equation, there were large variations of RLD in every part of a layer.

This study focused on the ameliorative effects of gypenosides(GPS) on insulin sensitivity and inflammatory factors in rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2 DM) and explored their possible molecular mechanisms. After the successful establishment of T2 DM model, diabetic rats were randomly divided into four groups, including model group, GPS groups(200, 100 mg·kg~(-1)) and metformin group(100 mg·kg~(-1)), with healthy rats serving as the control. After 6-week intragastric administration, fasting blood glucose(FBG) and oral glucose tolerance were examined. The levels of insulin, C-peptide, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6) and C-reactive protein(CRP) in serum were examined. Then the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR) and insulin sensitivity index(ISI) were calculated. The protein expression levels of phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate-1(p-IRS-1) and phosphorylated protein kinase B(p-Akt) in skeletal muscle were measured by Western blot, as well as those of phosphorylated inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) kinase β(p-IKKβ), phosphorylated alpha inhibitor of NF-κB(p-IκBα) and phosphorylated p65 subunit of NF-κB(p-p65) in adipose tissue. The relative expression levels of glucose transporter 4(GLUT4) mRNA in skeletal muscle and NF-κB mRNA in adipose tissue were measured by qRT-PCR, and the morphological changes of pancreatic tissue were observed. Compared with the model group, the GPS groups witnessed significant decrease in FBG, marked amelioration of impaired oral glucose tolerance and significant increase in ISI. Further, the high-dose GPS group saw significantly reduced HOMA-IR, TNF-α, IL-1β and CRP, significantly increased expression levels of p-IRS-1(Tyr), p-Akt and GLUT4, and markedly inhibited p-IRS-1(Ser), p-IKKβ, p-IκBα, p-p65 and NF-κB. The concentration of CRP and the expression levels of p-IRS-1(Ser), p-IKKβ, p-IκBα and NF-κB were remarkably reduced in the low-dose GPS group. However, GPS was found less effective in the regulation of serum insulin, C-peptide and IL-6 levels and the alleviation of pancreatic islet injury. The results indicated that GPS can reduce FBG and improve insulin sensitivity in diabetic rats possibly by regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway, inhibiting inflammation, and thereby regulating the expression of key proteins in the insulin signaling pathway.