Shuling Hu¹, Shengping Shen^1,2

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.13, No.1, pp. 63-88, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2009.013.063

Abstract The electric field gradient effect is very strong for nanoscale dielectrics. In addition, neither the surface effect nor electrostatic force can be ignored. In this paper, the electric Gibbs free energy variational principle for nanosized dielectrics is established with the strain/electric field gradient effects, as well as the effects of surface and electrostatic force. As regards the surface effects both the surface stress and surface polarization are considered. From this variational principle, the governing equations and the generalized electromechanical Young-Laplace equations, which take into account the effects of strain/electric field gradient, surface and electrostatic force, are derived. The generalized bulk… More >

Zheng LI^{1, §}, Zhongle ZHAO^{2, §}, Peng ZHANG³

BIOCELL, Vol.43, No.3, pp. 183-190, 2019, DOI: 10.32604/biocell.2019.06922

Abstract Stroke remains the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, which destroys the quality of patients’ lives and thus is becoming a heavy burden to the society. However, the current therapeutic approaches are far from satisfaction. The objective of this study is to elucidate the impact of nerve growth factor (NGF) on the brain damage induced by cerebral ischemia and its potential molecular mechanism. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats were used as animal models and neurological functions were evaluated by modified Neurological Severity Score (NSS). Brain cell apoptosis was analyzed by TUNEL-positive staining while brain infarct size was determined… More >

Huabing Xu^1,†, Xiaojuan Liu^1,†, Zhiping Mei¹, Jinchun Lin¹, Stephan Aaron² and Hong Du^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 335-348, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.06880

Abstract Given the central role of light in the algal photosynthesis, respiration, cell division, growth and the accumulation of value products, the effects of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) light wavelengths (blue, white, red and green) were studied in Scenedesmus obliquus. Biomass, residual nutrient amount, soluble protein, astaxanthin and reactive oxygen species, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activity were analyzed to determine the effects of different monochromatic light wavelengths via biochemical methods. The results showed that blue light wavelength is the optimal light wavelength for phosphorus removal efficiency and the accumulation of biomass and astaxanthin in S. obliquus. Meanwhile, high… More >

A. C. Michel-Aceves¹, J. F. Díaz-Nájera¹, R. Ariza-Flores², M. A. Otero-Sánchez¹, R. Escobar-Martínez¹ and C. H. Avendaño-Arrazate^3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 325-333, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.06777

Abstract In two tomato genotypes, we assessed control alternatives for damping-off with combinations of chemical fungicides and native/commercial strains of biological agents. Forty treatments consisting of 19 levels of mixing products, chemical fungicides, native strains and commercial products from biological control agents, and untreated treatment were used onto Ramsés and Toro hybrids. They were distributed on an incomplete block design in divided plots arrangement, where genotypes constitute the larger ones and the 8-repetition mixed products, the smaller ones. Putting 180 mL of fungal complexes, made of spores and mycellium Fusarium-solani (2 × 106 UFC), Rhizoctonia-solani (1 × 106 UFC), Phytophthora-capsici (1… More >

Chengjie Shu¹, Mengli Zhang¹, Weiming Zhang¹, Shihong Ma¹, Guoqing Chen² and Baojun Shi^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 317-324, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.07766

Abstract Zanthoxylum schinifolium has been used as spices and traditional medicine in China for hundreds of years. A variety of active substances have been isolated from Zanthoxylum schinifolium using biological and chemical techniques. Among these substances, the effect of schinifoline has gradually attracted much attention. Candida albicans is one of the most common pathogens isolated from the gastrointestinal tract, vagina, and mouth in healthy individuals. In a healthy population, there are various mechanisms in host, such as the microbial flora, the epithelial barriers, and the innate immune system, that can control the presence of Candida albicans. However, when host immunity is… More >

Sujit Sil^{1, 2}, Tanmoy Mallick², Tuhin Pal¹, Animesh Mondal¹, Kalyan Kumar De¹ and Asok Ghosh^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 295-315, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.06907

Abstract The genus Saraca L. (Leguminosae) is a universal panacea in herbal medicine. The present study investigates the comparative pollen morphology of four species of Saraca viz. S. asoca (Roxb.) de Wilde, S. declinata (Jack) Miq., S. indica L., and S. thaipingensis Cantley ex Prain growing in India to reveal differences of their pollen structures to aid taxonomic and evolutionary values. The detailed morphology and surface structure of pollen grains were studied and described using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains of Saraca showed isopolar, para-syncolporate, tricolporate, with radially symmetric, prolate and prolate-spheroidal structure. The surface of pollen… More >

Ruozhu Lin¹, Bei Cui^1,2 and Wenxia Zhao^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 285-293, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.07182

Abstract The flowers of the hemiparasitic family Loranthaceae are always subtended by a rimmed structure known as the calyculus. The origin and identity of the calyculus have been disputed for more than a century. Various hypotheses have been proposed, for example, an outgrowth of the axis, a reduced calyx, and a bracteolar (prophyllar) origin, but controversies remain. To obtain a plausible explanation of the origin of the calyculus, we investigated the flowers of Loranthus tanakae using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy to observe the entire developmental process of the floral parts. Our results show that bracts are not present in… More >

S. J. Reyes-Zambrano^1,†, M. L. Ramírez-Merchant^1,†, C. Arias-Castro², M. A. Rodríguez-Mendiola², C. A. Lecona-Guzmán¹, V. M. Ruíz-Valdiviezo¹, D. González-Mendoza³, F. A. Gutiérrez-Miceli^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 277-284, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.06504

Abstract A. americana L. is a crop with very little genetic variability. In order to evaluate the effect of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) to induce variability in in vitro plantlets of A. americana, different explants (meristems, leaves and roots) were evaluated for the production of callus. MS medium supplemented with ANA (2.68 μM) and BAP (2.68 μM) was used. Callus obtained from apical meristem were treated with 15 mM EMS for two hours after which shoot formation was induced using 2,4-D (0.11 μM) and BAP (44 μM). The EMS induced variations in the morphometric and morphological parameters of the plantlets obtained, with… More >

V. Mendez-Trujillo¹, B. Valdez-Salas², M. Carrillo-Beltran², M. A. Curiel-Alvarez², O. Tzintzun-Camacho³, C. Ceceña-Duran³ and D. Gonzalez-Mendoza^3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 269-275, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.07316

Abstract Phenacoccus solenopsis has been recognized as an aggressively invasive species on cotton plants in different countries. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of green synthesized Cu/Zn-nanoparticles using aqueous leaf extract of Prosopis juliflora (mezquite) against P. solenopsis. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed bimetallic nanoparticles of Cu/Zn-NPs with spherical shape with varying size of 74.33 nm to 59.46 nm. More than 30% mortality of P. solenopsis was observed with Cu/Zn-nanoparticles (100 ppm) at 96 hours after treatment. Negligible mortality of P. solenopsis was recorded with Cu/Zn solution (100 ppm) and aqueous P. juliflora extracts. The results of the… More >

Lei Chu, H. M. K. Darshika Hennayake, Haijun Sun*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.88, No.3, pp. 261-267, 2019, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2019.07791

Abstract Intensive practices in forest soils result in dramatic nitrogen (N) losses, particularly ammonia (NH₃) volatilization, to adjacent environmental areas. A soil column experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of bamboo biochar on NH₃ volatilization from tea garden and bamboo forest soils. The results showed that biochar amendment effectively reduced NH₃ volatilization from tea garden and bamboo forest soil by 79.2% and 75.5%, respectively. The soil pH values increased by 0.53-0.61 units after biochar application. The NH₄⁺-N and total N of both soils were 13.8-29.7% and 34.0-41.9% higher under the biochar treatments than under the control treatment, respectively. In addition,… More >