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Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are important for plant growth, development and defense responses. The S-receptor protein kinases (SRKs), which represent an RLK subfamily, control the self- incompatibility among Brassica species. However, little information is available regarding SRK functions in rice. We identified a gene OsSRK1 encoding an atypical SRK. The transcript of OsSRK1 was induced by abscisic acid (ABA), salt and polyethylene glycol. OsSRK1 localized to the plasma membrane and cytoplasm. Leaf width was increased in OsSRK1-overexpression (OsSRK1-OX) transgenic rice plants, likely because of an increase in cell number per leaf. Furthermore, the expression levels of OsCYCA3-1 and OsCYCD2-1, which encode positive regulators of cell division, were up-regulated in leaf primordium of OsSRK1-OX rice plants relative to those in wild type. Meanwhile, the expression level of OsKRP1, which encodes cell cycle inhibitor, was down-regulated in the OsSRK1-OX plants. Therefore, it is deduced that OsSRK1 regulates leaf width by promoting cell division in the leaf primordium. Additionally, OsSRK1-OX plants exhibited enhanced ABA sensitivity and salt tolerance compared with wild type. These results suggest that OsSRK1 plays important roles in leaf development and salt responses in rice. Keywords: rice, S-receptor-like protein kinase, OsSRK1, salt tolerance, leaf width, cell division

Hexagonal lyotropic liquid crystals (HLLC) with uniform pore size in the range of 1~5 nm are highly sought after as promising active separation layers of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes, which have been confirmed to be efficient for water purification. The potential interaction between an amphiphile-based HLLC layer and the substrate surface, however, has not been fully explored. In this research, hydrophilic and hydrophobic microporous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) substrates were chosen, respectively, to prepare TFC membranes with the active layers templated from HLLC, consisting of dodecyl trimethylammonium bromide, water, and a mixture of poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The pore size of the active layer was found to decrease by about 1.6 Å compared to that of the free-standing HLLC after polymerization, but no significant difference was observable by using either hydrophilic or hydrophobic substrates (26.9 Å vs. 27.1 Å). The water flux of the TFC membrane with the hydrophobic substrate, however, was higher than that with the hydrophilic one. A further investigation confirmed that the increase in water flux originated from a much higher porosity was due to the synergistic effect of the hydrophilic HLLC nanoporous material and the hydrophobic substrate.

Three new flavonoids, ephedroside A (1), ephedroside B (2), ephedroside C (3), together with fifty-four known compounds 4–57 were isolated from the EtOH extract of the herbaceous stems of Ephedra sinica. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques, as well as by comparison with literature data. Thirty-eight of these compounds were isolated from the genus Ephedra for the first time. The antimicrobial activities of eight compounds were tested by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against bacteria (both Gram positive and Gram negative) and fungi, and were found to be in the range of 0.105–0.926 mM. Among them, compound 2 showed the best antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC value of 0.105 mM.

Oxide semiconductor In2O3 has been extensively used as a gas sensing material for the detection of various toxic gases. However, the pure In2O3 sensor is always suffering from its low sensitivity. In the present study, a dramatic enhancement of sensing characteristic of cubic In2O3 was achieved by deliberately fabricating p-n heterojunction-like NiO/In2O3 composite microparticles as sensor material. The NiO-decorated In2O3 p-n heterojunction-like sensors were prepared through the hydrothermal transformation method. The as-synthesized products were characterized using SEM-EDS, XRD, and FT-IR, and their gas sensing characteristics were investigated by detecting the gas response. The experimental results showed that the response of the NiO/In2O3 sensors to 600 ppm methanal was 85.5 at 260°C, revealing a dramatic enhancement over the pure In2O3 cubes (21.1 at 260°C). Further, a selective detection of methanol with inappreciable cross-response to other gases, like formaldehyde, benzene, methylbenzene, trichloromethane, ethanol, and ammonia, was achieved. The cause for the enhanced gas response was discussed in detailed. In view of the facile method of fabrication of such composite sensors and the superior gas response performance of samples, the cubic p-n heterojunction-like NiO/In2O3 sensors present to be a promising and viable strategy for the detection of indoor air pollution.

Two new C(22)-steroidal lactone glycosides, ypsilactosides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the EtOH extract of the whole plant of Ypsilandra thibetica. Their structures were established as (3 beta,5 alpha,16 beta,20S)-3,16-dihydroxy-6-oxopregnane-20-carboxylic acid gamma-lactone 3-(beta-D-glucopyranoside) (1) and (3 beta,16 beta)-3,16-dihydroxypregna-5,20-diene-20-carboxylic acid gamma-lactone 3-{O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 -> 4)-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 -> 4)-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside} (2) on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses and chemical degradations.

A new dinorclerone diterpenoid glycoside, named 1-deacetyltinosposide A (1), was isolated from the stem of Tinospora sinensis together with 10 known compounds. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic techniques (MS, IR, 1D and 2D NMR experiments).

A further phytochemical investigation on the whole plants of Ypsilandra thibetica yielded one sapogenin and 12 spirostanol saponins. Five of these are new compounds, designated as ypsilandrosides C-G (2-6). Their structures were determined by detailed spectroscopic analysis, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR data, and by the result of a hydrolytic reaction. Compounds 2-5 were rare steroidal saponins that an apiofuranosyl unit was directly linked at C-3 of the aglycone. Selected spirostanol saponins (2-6, 9) were tested for their cytotoxic activities against K562, SPC-A-1, BGC-823, Eca-109, and AGS cell lines. Compounds 6 and 9 showed moderate inhibitory activity against all five cell lines. The antifungal properties of the new spirostanol saponins (2-6) against Candida albicans were also determined. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Four new podocarpane-type trinorditerpenenes, (5 beta,10 alpha)-12,13-dihydroxypodocarpa-8,11,13-trien-3-one (1), (5 beta,10 alpha)-12-hydroxy-13-methoxypodocarpa-8,11,13-trien-3-one (2), (5 beta,10 alpha)-13-hydroxy-12-methoxypodocarpa-8,11,13-trien-3-one (3), and (3 alpha,5 beta,10 alpha)-13-methoxypodocarpa-8,11,13-triene-3,12-diol (4), together with four known diterpenes, 12-hydroxy-13-methylpodocarpa-8,11,13-trien-3-one (5), spruceanol (6), ent-3 alpha-hydroxypimara-8(14),15-dien-12-one (7), and ent-3 beta,14 alpha-hydroxypimara-7,9(11),15-triene-12-one (8), were isolated from the twigs and leaves of Aleurites moluccana. Their structures were elucidated by means of comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, including NMR and MS. Except 8, all compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity; compound 4 exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against Raji cells with an IC50 value of 4.24 mu g/ml.

TiO2@yeast-carbon microspheres with raspberry-like morphology were fabricated based on the pyrolysis method. The obtained products were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Effects of initial dye concentration and contact time on adsorption capacity of TiO2@yeast-carbon for cationic dye methylene blue (MB) and anionic dye congo red (CR) were investigated. Experimental data were described by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Koble-Corrigan isotherm models, respectively. It was found that the equilibrium data of MB adsorption were best represented by Koble-Corrigan, and CR adsorption was best described by both Freundlich and Koble-Corrigan isotherm models. The kinetic data of MB and CR adsorption fitted pseudo-second-order kinetic model well. The results demonstrated that TiO2@yeast-carbon microspheres achieved favorable removal for the cationic MB in comparison with that for the anionic CR. In addition, regeneration experimental results showed that TiO2@yeast-carbon exhibited good recycling stability, reusability, and in situ renewability, suggesting that the as-prepared TiO2@yeast-carbon might be used as the potential low cost alternative for recalcitrant dye removal from industrial wastewater. One possible mechanism for regenerating dye-loaded TiO2@yeast in situ was also proposed.

Two new glycosides, 21-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-olean-12-ene-3 beta, 16 alpha, 21 beta, 22 alpha, 28-pentol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1 -> 2)-[beta-D-arabinopyranosyl (1 -> 3)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl rosmarinic acid (3), along with the known compound rosmarinic acid (2) were isolated from the whole plants of Sanicula lamelligera Hance. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and chemical means.

An electron beam Penning trap (EBPT) non- neutral plasma system, built to investigate the formation of a dense electron core with the density beyond Brillouin limit and possible application to fusion research, has been described. The density in the center of the EBPT has been verified to be up to 10 times of Brillouin density limit.

In the present work, we report the preparation and photocatalytic properties of TiO2@yeast-carbon with raspberry-like structure using a pyrolysis method. The products are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS), respectively. The results show that the hybrid TiO2@yeast-carbon microspheres have ordered elliptic shapes of uniform size (length = 3.5±0.3 μm; width = 2.5±0.5 μm). UV-VIS ascertains that the as-prepared microspheres possess an obvious light response in a wide range of 250–400 nm. In the decomposition of typical model pollutants including methylene blue and congo red, the hybrid composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for the methylene blue due to the enhanced adsorption ability. Further investigation reveals that the combined effect of adsorption from the yeast-carbon core and photocatalytic degradation from the attached TiO2nanoparticles were responsible for the improvement of the photocatalytic activities. Hereby, the raspberry-like TiO2@yeast-carbon has promising applications in water purification.

This study deals with the complex problems of wellbore collapse and hole shrinkage during drilling process in Jilin Oilfield. Analysis of lithological characteristics and mineral compositions of the representative reservoir cores, revealed that the reservoir cores have microcracks development in the region. The cores mainly composed of brittle shale and soft mudstone with high contents of illite-smectite, belonging to the strata of strong water-sensitivity and easy to collapse. Based on the principles of aluminum chemistry, optimization and compounding of aluminum salt anti-collapse inhibitors was experimentally formulated. The formation of aluminum matrix drilling fluid system in combination with other additives was also established, and evaluation of the system’s rheology, fliter loss, temperature resistance, inhibition and anti-pollution were carried out. Finally, the aluminum matrix drilling fluid system with strong anti-collapse capacity was developed. The on-site applications of 14 wells in Jilin Oilfield related blocks show that compared to the previous anti-collapse system, the aluminum matrix drilling fluid system eliminated the problems of sticking by fast dropping, hang sticking during pulling out of hole and slacking during running in hole caused by wellbore collapsing and hole shrinkage, thus, greatly reducing the accidents’ rate.

A new feature in the Thomson scattering spectrum is observed from a laser-produced aluminium plasma, which may be the Thomson scattering off entropy waves in the plasma. Such a feature is only observable when the energy of the heater beam is low enough.

Using yeast cells as natural bio-templates; ZnMoO4 hollow microspheres have been successfully synthesized. The as-obtained products are characterized by SEM, XRD and FT-IR. The results showed the ZnMoO4 hollow microspheres, with the diameter ranging from 1.5μm to 2.5μm, retained the morphology of yeast templates fairly well. The as-synthesized hollow spheres are constructed from ZnMoO4 nano-particles of monoclinic phase. Furthermore, a probable mechanism for formation is proposed. Photocatalytic activity of the ZnMoO4 hollow microspheres are studied by the photocatalytic degradation of Auramine O in solution.

Five new steroids, including the four new steroidal saponins ypsilandroside B (1), ypsilandroside A (2), isoypsilandroside A (4), and isoypsilandroside B (5), as well as the new steroidal sapogenin isoypsilandrogenin (3), were isolated from the whole plant of Ypsilandra thibetica FRANCH. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, including extensive 2D-NMR techniques. The structure and relative configuration of ypsilandroside B (=(3 beta,12 alpha,25R)-3-[(alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)-beta-D-apiofuranosyl)oxy]spirost-5-ene-12,27-diol; 1) was unequivocally determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The antifungal and antibacterial activities of 1-5 towards various types of fungi and bacteria are reported.

Five new withanolides named plantagiolides A-E (1, 3-6), together with a known withanolide glucoside, chantriolide A (2) were isolated from the whole plants of Tacca plantaginea (HANCE). Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods including extensive 1D and 2D-NMR techniques.

A new aristololactam, 5-methoxyaristololactam I (1), was isolated from an ethanol extract of the whole plant of Asarum ichangense C. Y. Cheng et C. S. Yang, together with twenty known compounds (2 – 21). The structure of 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Compounds 11, 13, 17, and 19 were isolated from Aristolochiaceae for the first time. Compounds 2, 14, and 15 are considered as common constituents of the genus Asarum.