Salinity is one of major abiotic stresses limiting alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) production in the arid and semi-arid regions in US and other counties. In this study, we used a diverse panel of alfalfa accessions previously described by Zhang et al. (2015) to identify molecular markers associated with salt tolerance during germination using genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genotyping-by-...

The rheological regulation of the “three high” (high temperature, high density and high salinity) water-based drilling fluid is a worldwide problem due to the combined influence of temperature, solid content and salinity. This paper investigates the factors and regulation methods about rheological property of “three high” water based drilling fluid, and the effects of clay, salinity and weighti...

BACKGROUND The hypertensive syndrome of Apparent Mineralocorticoid Excess is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11βHSD2), allowing inappropriate activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor by endogenous glucocorticoid. Hypertension is attributed to sodium retention in the distal nephron, but 11βHSD2 is also expressed in the brain....

In this study, a Fe-based amorphous metallic coating (AMC) was sealed with three sealants, i.e., stearic acid, aluminum phosphate and cerium salt, respectively. Two types of electrochemical tests, namely the ex situ impedance spectroscopy test in potentiostatic polarization test, were conducted to evaluate erosion–corrosion resistance as-sprayed as-sealed AMCs. The results show that phosphate–s...

Salt sensitivity of antimicrobial peptides poses a major obstacle in their development as novel antibiotics. Here we report the use of helix-capping motifs to confer salt resistance upon helical antimicrobial peptides. The helical content of the template peptide [RLLR](5) was almost completely destroyed at salt concentrations over 200 mm NaCl, leading to a 8-32-fold decrease in antimicrobial ac...

Short- and long-term exposure to mild stress conditions can activate stress adaptation mechanisms in pathogens, resulting in a protective effect toward otherwise lethal stresses. The mesophilic strains Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 and ATCC 10987 and the psychrotolerant strain B. weihenstephanensis KBAB4 were cultured at 12 degrees C and 30 degrees C until the exponential growth phase (i) in the a...

High salinity is a major environmental stressor for crops. To understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying salt tolerance, we conducted a comparative transcriptome analysis between salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive jute (Corchorus spp.) genotypes in leaf and root tissues under salt stress and control conditions. In total, 68,961 unigenes were identified. Additionally, 11,100 unigenes (includi...

The structural and mechanical properties of small arteries are altered in rat models of hypertension. The precise role of humoral factors in these changes has not been determined. In deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) salt hypertension, endothelin-1 (ET-1) peptide content and gene expression are enhanced in mesenteric resistance arteries. These vessels also present augmented vasoconstrictor res...

We tested the hypothesis that the Na(+) component of dietary NaCl can have a pressor effect apart from its capacity to complement the extracellular osmotic activity of Cl(-) and, thus, expand plasma volume. We studied 35 mostly normotensive blacks who ingested a low-NaCl diet, 30 mmol/d, for 3 weeks, in the first and third of which Na(+) was loaded orally with either NaHCO(3) or NaCl, in random...

Seed germination is regulated through elaborately interacting signaling networks that integrate diverse environmental cues into hormonal signaling pathways. Roles of gibberellic acid and abscisic acid in germination have been studied extensively using Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants having alterations in seed germination. Auxin has also been implicated in seed germination. However, h...