Slow or controlled release fertilizers have been researched and used more and more widely, developing new slow or controlled release fertilizers is very important. To improve the use efficiency of inorganic fertilizers through the use of coated fertilizer and nitrification inhibitors, 3 newly developed fertilizers (FCRF1:coated fertilizer + 1% DCD, FCRF2: coated fertilizer + 2% DCD and FCRF3:coated fertilizer + 4% DCD) amended with nitrification inhibitors (DCD, C2H4N4), and coated with fly ash were prepared by coating conventional compound fertilizer (N-P-K: 15-6.55-12.4). Using a coated fertilizer (resin coated compound fertilizer, N-P-K: 15-6.55-12.4, 90 day, CRF) made in China and a conventional compound fertilizer (CCF) as checks, their effects on physiological characteristics, yield and quality of maize were examined in a field experiment. The results indicated that, compared to CCF, 3 new developed fertilizers kept higher ammonium nitrogen （NH4+-N）and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) content at later stages and FCRF3 had the highest content, being similar to CRF treatment. At tasselling stage (TS) and filling stage (FS), the chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were significantly increased upon FCRF1, FCRF2 and FCRF3 treatments. In addition, FCRF1, FCRF2 and FCRF3 treatments produced 24.0-35.8% more grain yield, 57.2%-74.4% more total yield, increased 11.20%-49.55% starch, 61.38%-113% protein and 2.67%-9.33% Vitamine C content than CCF，respectively. This product with excellent slow release capacity, being easy to get at a low price and environment-friendly, could be especially useful in agricultural application.

The effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a nitric oxide donor), salicylic acid (SA), and their combination on some physiological parameters of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedlings grown under saline conditions were studied. 100 mM NaCl resulted in a decrease in , and induced an increase in the level of electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, O2.- , H2O2 and proline contents.0.1 mM SNP decreased Na+ and Cl- accumulation as well as the lipid peroxidation level and O2.- accumulation in leaves, which contributed to alleviate oxidative stress in cotton leaves. 0.1 mM SA alleviated the oxidative stress by increasing K+ and Mg2+ absorption and osmotic regulators accumulation, and decreasing the H2O2 content. However, the protective action of NO and SA (especially 0.05 mM SNP and 0.05 mM SA) against salt-induced oxidative damage was more efficient than the separate effects of SA and SNP.We observed that the accumulation of osmotic regulators was apparently accelerated by 0.05 mM SNP and 0.05 mM SA. As well, it was observed that they had synergistic effects in antioxidant system and ion absorption. Thus, the combination of SNP and SA can be a new indicator of a protective mechanism to lower lipid peroxidation, improve ion absorption, activate the metabolic of osmotic-regulated substances and facilitate membrane transport to detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Our objective was to estimate the efficacy of the measurement of serum YKL-40 alone or with CA125 as biomarkers for the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) using the YKL-40 ELISA kit. An experimental group of 49 ovarian cancer patients included 42 patients with EOC (53 ± 15 years, range: 19-81 years) and 7 patients (48 ± 13 years, range: 29-36 years) with borderline epithelial ovarian tumor. A control group of 88 non-malignant cases included 42 patients (43 ± 10 years, range: 26-77 years) with benign gynecological disease and 46 healthy women (45 ± 14 years, range: 30-68 years) at a teaching hospital. Both YKL-40 (220.1 ± 94.1 vs 61.6 ± 48.4 and 50.1 ± 41.2 ng/mL) and CA125 (524.9 ± 972.5 vs 13.4 ± 7.6 and 28.5 ± 29.6 U/mL) levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in patients with ovarian cancer compared to the healthy and non-malignant groups. YKL-40 had 92.9% sensitivity and 94.4% specificity for the diagnosis of EOC. When YKL-40 and CA125 were tested in parallel, the sensitivity was increased to 98.2%, but the specificity was decreased to 81.3%. The correlations between serum YKL-40 and tumor stage, grade histology, performance status, patient age, and extension of debulking surgery were tested. With increasing stage and grade of EOC, preoperative serum YKL-40 levels were significantly increased (P = 0.029, P = 0.05, respectively). Serum YKL-40 alone or with serum CA125 levels are useful, although with some limitations, to diagnose ovarian cancer. Our study showed that YKL-40 may not be an independent prognostic factor for ovarian cancer. This prospective study may be a new trend in looking for biomarkers that optimize diagnosis of ovarian cancer.