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Background: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) represents a significant proportion of renal cell carcinomas and is characterized by high aggressiveness and poor prognosis despite advancements in immunotherapy. Disulfidptosis, a novel cell death pathway, has emerged as a critical mechanism in various cellular processes, including cancer. This study leverages machine learning to identify disulfidptosis-related long noncoding RNAs (DRlncRNAs) as potential prognostic biomarkers in KIRC, offering new insights into tumor pathogenesis and treatment avenues. Results: Our analysis of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) led to the identification of 431 DRlncRNAs correlated with disulfidptosis-related genes. Five key DRlncRNAs (SPINT1-AS1, AL161782.1, OVCH1-AS1, AC131009.3, and AC108673.3) were used to develop a prognostic model that effectively distinguished between low- and high-risk patients with significant differences in overall survival and progression-free survival. The low-risk group had a favorable prognosis associated with a protective immune microenvironment and a better response to targeted drugs. Conversely, the high-risk group displayed aggressive tumor features and poor immunotherapy outcomes. Validation through qRT‒PCR confirmed the differential expression of these DRlncRNAs in KIRC cells compared to normal kidney cells, underscoring their potential functional significance in tumor biology. Conclusions: This study established a robust link between disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs and patient prognosis in KIRC, underscoring their potential as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The differential expression of these lncRNAs in tumor versus normal tissue further highlights their relevance in KIRC pathogenesis. The predictive model not only enhances our understanding of KIRC biology but also provides a novel stratification tool for precision medicine approaches, improving treatment personalization and outcomes in KIRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is widely spread around the world, which can cause serious harm to immunosuppressed patients. Currently, the commercial test kits are poor at assessing T. gondii infection and vaccine effectiveness, making an urgent need to exploit effective enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with great performance to compensate for this deficiency. Here, the TgIMP1 recombinant protein was expressed in E. coli BL(21) cells. The TgIMP1 was purified with affinity chromatography and the reactivity was retained with anti-TgIMP1 antibodies. The TgIMP1 was then used to develop an indirect ELISA (IMP1-iELISA) and the reaction conditions of IMP1-iELISA were optimized. As a result, the cut-off value was determined to be 0.2833 by analyzing the OD450nm values of forty T. gondii-negative sera. The coefficient of variation of 6 T. gondii-positive sera within and between runs were both less than 10%. The IMP1-iELISA was non-cross-reactive with the sera of cytomegalovirus, herpes virus, rubella virus, Cryptosporidium spp., Theileria spp., Neospora spp. and Plasmodium spp.. Furthermore, the sensitivity and specificity of IMP1-iELISA were 98.9% and 96.7%, respectively, based on testing 150 serum samples. The results suggest that this IMP1-iELISA is specific, sensitive, repeatable and can be applied to the detection of T. gondii infections in the medical and health industries. Author summary: Toxoplasma gondii is an extremely widespread and a worldwide health problem protozoon, which can induce acute and chronic infection and cause severe toxoplasmosis. However, there is still no effective vaccine to prevent infection, drugs used to treat the acute infected individuals have a lot of limitations, and no drugs to treat chronic infected individuals. Indirect ELISA, as a commonly used clinical test with satisfactory detection performance and easy implementation for high throughput testing, has been used to detect various pathogenic microorganisms. Immune mapped protein1 (IMP1) has been identified as a protein that induces a strong immune response in the host. In this study, we obtained IMP1 protein with high purity and used it as coated antigen to prepare an indirect ELISA reagent, and then verified its detection performance (sensitivity, specificity, repeatability). This study enriches the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis and provides strong technical support for epidemiological investigation and transmission control of toxoplasmosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Patients frequently suffer from debilitating chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) subsequent to thoracoscopic surgery. The impact of postoperative dexmedetomidine infusion on CPSP remains elusive. This study aimed to scrutinize the effect of dexmedetomidine on both 1-year incidence of CPSP and the quality of recovery after thoracoscopic pulmonary nodule surgery. Methods: This retrospective analysis encompassed clinical and follow-up data from 1148 patients undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary nodule surgery at our institution between September 2021 and August 2022. Depending on whether dexmedetomidine was infused intravenously or not on the first night after surgery, patients were stratified into the dexmedetomidine group or the control group, with propensity score matching applied to harmonize baseline characteristics. Comparative analysis sought to delineate distinctions of CPSP and recovery quality 1 year after surgery. Results: Following propensity score matching, a cohort of 258 patients in each group underwent analysis. Comparisons after matching revealed no statistically significant disparities in 1-year CPSP incidence [76/258 (29.5%) versus 78/258 (30.2%), P = 0.847], moderate-to-severe pain occurrence [17/76 (22.4%) versus 22/78 (28.2%), P = 0.405], neuropathic pain occurrence [11/76 (14.5%) versus 11/78 (14.1%), P = 0.948], and postoperative recovery quality assessed by 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) score (113.1 [107.2, 116.0] versus 113.0 [107.4, 116.0], P = 0.328). Multivariate logistic regression analysis encompassing the entire cohort identified being female [odds ratio (OR) 2.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.59–2.79, P < 0.001) and postoperative rescue analgesia (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.09–1.96, P = 0.010) as risk factors for CPSP, while intraoperative fentanyl dosage (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.87–0.98, P = 0.006) emerged as a protective factor. Conclusion: The prolonged administration of dexmedetomidine did not yield discernible amelioration in either 1-year CPSP or the recovery quality after thoracoscopic surgery. Noteworthy risk factors for CPSP encompassed female sex, postoperative rescue analgesia, and diminished fentanyl dosage intraoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resolving evolutionary relationships among closely related species with interspecific gene flow is challenging. Genome‐scale data provide opportunities to clarify complex evolutionary relationships in closely related species and to observe variations in species relationships across the genomes of such species. The Himalayan–Hengduan subalpine oaks have a nearly completely sympatric distribution in southwest China and probably constitute a syngameon. In this study, we mapped resequencing data from different species in this group to the Quercus aquifolioides reference genome to obtain a high‐quality filtered single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset. We also assembled their plastomes. We reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships, explored the level and pattern of introgression among these species and investigated gene tree variation in the genomes of these species using sliding windows. The same or closely related plastomes were found to be shared extensively among different species within a specific geographical area. Phylogenomic analyses of genome‐wide SNP data found that most oaks in the Himalayan–Hengduan subalpine clade showed genetic coherence, but several species were found to be connected by introgression. The gene trees obtained using sliding windows showed that the phylogenetic relationships in the genomes of oaks are highly heterogeneous and therefore highly obscured. Our study found that all the oaks of the Himalayan–Hengduan subalpine clade from southwest China form a syngameon. The obscured phylogenetic relationships observed empirically across the genome are best explained by interspecific gene flow in conjunction with incomplete lineage sorting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims There are intrinsic conflicts between signalling to mutualists and concealing (camouflaging) from antagonists. Like animals, plants also use camouflage as a defence against herbivores. However, this can potentially reduce their attractiveness to pollinators. Methods Using Fritillaria delavayi , an alpine camouflaged plant with inter-population floral colour divergence, we tested the influence of floral trait differences on reproduction. We conducted pollination experiments, measured floral morphological characteristics, estimated floral colours perceived by pollinators, analysed floral scent and investigated reproductive success in five populations. Key Results We found that the reproduction of F. delavayi depends on pollinators. Under natural conditions, a flower-camouflaged population had 100 % fruit set and similar seed set to three out of four yellow-flowered populations. Bumblebees are important pollinators in the visually conspicuous yellow-flowered populations, whereas flies are the only pollinator in the flower-camouflaged population, visiting flowers more frequently than bumblebees. The camouflaged flowers cannot be discriminated from the rock background as perceived by pollinators, but may be located by flies through olfactory cues. Conclusions Collectively, our results demonstrate that the flower-camouflaged population has different reproductive traits from the visually conspicuous yellow-flowered populations. A pollinator shift from bumblebees to flies, combined with high visitation frequency, compensates for the attractiveness disadvantage in camouflaged plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sophora davidii is a multipurpose, nitrogen-fixing shrub species. Phosphorus deficiency in the acidic soil of Southwest China has seriously affected its survival and growth, especially in the seedling stage. Evidence suggests that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may improve the stress tolerance of plants. However, there is limited information on the systematic effects of AMF on phosphorus deficiency in S. davidii seedlings. We investigated the effects of three phosphorus levels (0.5, 0.25, 0 mmol/L) and two mycorrhizal inoculation (with Funneliformis mosseae and without Funneliformis mosseae) treatments on the growth and physiological performance of S. davidii using factorial design. The results showed that low-phosphorus stress significantly limited the growth of S. davidii seedlings and negatively affected their physiological properties. However, inoculation with F. mosseae significantly improved the plant height and shoot dry weight, promoted root growth, increased chlorophyll contents and osmoregulation substance contents, increased protective enzyme activity, and significantly reducing the accumulation of malondialdehyde, alleviated oxidative stress induced by low-phosphorus stress, improved the IAA and GA3 contents, and alleviated the negative effects of low-phosphorus stress. AMF-induced enhancement of aboveground growth and plant physiological characteristics is dependent on the P level and its impact on roots is regardless of phosphorus status. AMF inoculation significantly promoted the absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus in the roots (0.25- and 0-mmol/L treatments), thereby maintaining a higher biomass and relieving stress in S. davidii seedlings under low-phosphorus conditions. Our results demonstrated that AMF inoculation is useful for the promotion and cultivation of S. davidii in the karst area of Southwest China under low-phosphorus stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seawater electrolysis, especially in coastlines, is widely considered as a sustainable way of making clean and high-purity H2 from renewable energy; however, the practical viability is challenged severely by the limited anode durability resulting from side reactions of chlorine species. Herein, we report an effective Cl− blocking barrier of NiFe-layer double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) to harmful chlorine chemistry during alkaline seawater oxidation (ASO), a pre-formed surface-derived NiFe-phosphate (Pi) outer-layer. Specifically, the PO43−-enriched outer-layer is capable of physically and electrostatically inhibiting Cl− adsorption, which protects active Ni3+ sites during ASO. The NiFe-LDH with the NiFe-Pi outer-layer (NiFe-LDH@NiFe-Pi) exhibits higher current densities (j) and lower overpotentials to afford 1 A·cm−2 (η1000 of 370 mV versus η1000 of 420 mV) than the NiFe-LDH in 1 M KOH + seawater. Notably, the NiFe-LDH@NiFe-Pi also demonstrates longer-term electrochemical durability than NiFe-LDH, attaining 100-h duration at the j of 1 A·cm−2. Additionally, the importance of surface-derived PO43−-enriched outer-layer in protecting the active centers, γ-NiOOH, is explained by ex situ characterizations and in situ electrochemical spectroscopic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gut microbiota significantly influences the health and growth of red-spotted grouper (Epinephelus akaara), a well-known commercial marine fish from Fujian Province in southern China. However, variations in survival strategies and seasons can impact the stability of gut microbiota data, rendering it inaccurate in reflecting the state of gut microbiota. Which impedes the effective enhancement of aquaculture health through a nuanced understanding of gut microbiota. Inspired by this, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the gut microbiota of wild and captive E. akaara in four seasons. Results: Seventy-two E. akaara samples were collected from wild and captive populations in Dongshan city, during four different seasons. Four sections of the gut were collected to obtain comprehensive information on the gut microbial composition and sequenced using 16S rRNA next-generation Illumina MiSeq. We observed the highest gut microbial diversity in both captive and wild E. akaara during the winter season, and identified strong correlations with water temperature using Mantel analysis. Compared to wild E. akaara, we found a more complex microbial network in captive E. akaara, as evidenced by increased abundance of Bacillaceae, Moraxellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae. In contrast, Vibrionaceae, Clostridiaceae, Flavobacteriaceae and Rhodobacteraceae were found to be more active in wild E. akaara. However, some core microorganisms, such as Firmicutes and Photobacterium, showed similar distribution patterns in both wild and captive groups. Moreover, we found the common community composition and distribution characteristics of top 10 core microbes from foregut to hindgut in E. akaara. Conclusions: Collectively, the study provides relatively more comprehensive description of the gut microbiota in E. akaara, taking into account survival strategies and temporal dimensions, which yields valuable insights into the gut microbiota of E. akaara and provides a valuable reference to its aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the western South China Sea, the diversity and complex genesis of sand waves lead to difficulties in measuring the actual scour depth of offshore wind turbine foundations. The present study employs methods such as insitu multibeam echo sounding along with numerical simulation techniques, combined with regional hydrological and geological data, to reveal the scour depth of pile foundations under seabed sand wave migration conditions (SPFSWM). Unlike previous studies, this study examines pile foundation scour depth from both macroscopic and microscopic perspectives, and proposes a method for risk assessment and safety zoning during the service life of pile foundations (RASZ). Our findings demonstrate that the dominant flow directions in the modern hydrodynamic environment play a crucial role in shaping and migrating sand waves, providing guidance for macro-level offshore wind project siting. Moreover, the study quantifies the changes in pile foundation elevations during sand wave migration and assesses their impact on safety throughout the service life of various pile foundations. Additionally, by utilizing Flow3D's numerical model and combining it with sampling data, the maximum scour depth likely to be experienced by pile foundations was calculated, establishing a microperspective on the range of pile foundation scour and analytically examining the coupling mechanism between sand wave migration and pile foundation scour in stages. By considering SPF-SWM, we estimated the actual depth variations of pile foundations in the study area, enabling effective assessment of scour conditions during their service life. This also provides ideas for delineating safety and risk zones, thereby offering precise locational analysis for the construction planning of offshore wind farm pile foundations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mountains of Southwest China comprise a significant large mountain range and biodiversity hotspot imperiled by global climate change. The high species diversity in this mountain system has long been attributed to a complex set of factors, and recent large‐scale macroevolutionary investigations have placed a broad timeline on plant diversification that stretches from 10 million years ago (Mya) to the present. Despite our increasing understanding of the temporal mode of speciation, finer‐scale population‐level investigations are lacking to better refine these temporal trends and illuminate the abiotic and biotic influences of cryptic speciation. This is largely due to the dearth of organismal sampling among closely related species and populations, spanning the incredible size and topological heterogeneity of this region. Our study dives into these evolutionary dynamics of speciation using genomic and eco‐morphological data of Stellera chamaejasme L. We identified four previously unrecognized cryptic species having indistinct morphological traits and large metapopulation of evolving lineages, suggesting a more recent diversification (~2.67–0.90 Mya), largely influenced by Pleistocene glaciation and biotic factors. These factors likely influenced allopatric speciation and advocated cyclical warming–cooling episodes along elevational gradients during the Pleistocene. The study refines the evolutionary timeline to be much younger than previously implicated and raises the concern that projected future warming may influence the alpine species diversity, necessitating increased conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The strawberry genus, Fragaria, exhibits a wide range of sexual systems and natural ploidy variation. Nearly, all polyploid strawberry species exhibit separate sexes (dioecy). Research has identified the sex‐determining sequences as roughly conserved but with repeatedly changed genomic locations across octoploid strawberries. However, it remains unclear whether tetraploid wild strawberries evolved dioecy independently or shared a common origin with octoploid strawberries. In this study, we investigated the sex determinants of F. moupinensis, a dioecious plant with heterogametic females (ZW). Utilizing a combination of haplotype‐resolved genome sequencing of the female F. moupinensis, k‐mer‐based and coverage‐based genome‐wide association studies (GWAS), and transcriptomic analysis, we discovered a non‐recombining, approximately 33.6 kb W‐specific region on chromosome 2a. Within this region, only one candidate sex‐determining gene (FmoAFT) was identified. Furthermore, an extensive resequencing of the entire Fragaria genus indicated that the W‐specific region displays conservative female specificity across all tetraploid species. This observation suggests that dioecy evolved independently in tetraploid and octoploid strawberries. Moreover, employing virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS), we knocked down the expression of the FmoAFT homologue transcript in cultivated strawberries, revealing its potential role in promoting female functions during early carpel development. We also applied DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP‐seq) and yeast one‐hybrid assays to identify potential direct targets of FmoAFT. These insights shed new light on the genetic basis and evolutionary history of sex determination in strawberries, thereby facilitating the formulation of strategies to manipulate sex determination in breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floral bracts (bracteoles, cataphylls) are leaf‐like organs that subtend flowers or inflorescences but are of non‐floral origin; they occur in a wide diversity of species, representing multiple independent origins, and exhibit great variation in form and function. Although much attention has been paid to bracts over the past 150 years, our understanding of their adaptive significance remains remarkably incomplete. This is because most studies of bract function and evolution focus on only one or a few selective factors. It is widely recognised that bracts experience selection mediated by pollinators, particularly for enhancing pollinator attraction through strong visual, olfactory, or echo‐acoustic contrast with the background and through signalling the presence of pollinator rewards, either honestly (providing rewards for pollinators), or deceptively (attraction without reward or even trapping pollinators). However, studies in recent decades have demonstrated that bract evolution is also affected by agents other than pollinators. Bracts can protect flowers, fruits, or seeds from herbivores by displaying warning signals, camouflaging conspicuous reproductive organs, or by providing physical barriers or toxic chemicals. Reviews of published studies show that bracts can also promote seed dispersal and ameliorate the effects of abiotic stressors, such as low temperature, strong ultraviolet radiation, heavy rain, drought, and/or mechanical abrasion, on reproductive organs or for the plants' pollinators. In addition, green bracts and greening of colourful bracts after pollination promote photosynthetic activity, providing substantial carbon (photosynthates) for fruit or seed development, especially late in a plant's life cycle or season, when leaves have started to senesce. A further layer of complexity derives from the fact that the agents of selection driving the evolution of bracts vary between species and even between different developmental stages within a species, and selection by one agent can be reinforced or opposed by other agents. In summary, our survey of the literature reveals that bracts are multifunctional and subject to multiple agents of selection. To understand fully the functional and evolutionary significance of bracts, it is necessary to consider multiple selection agents throughout the life of the plant, using integrative approaches to data collection and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibrotic liver features excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), primarily produced from "activated" hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). While targeting human HSCs (hHSCs) in fibrosis therapeutics shows promise, the overall understanding of hHSC activation remains limited, in part because it is very challenging to define the role of human long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in hHSC activation. To address this challenge, we identified another cell type that acts via a diverse gene network to promote fibrogenesis. Then, we identified the lncRNAs that were differentially regulated in activated hHSCs and the other profibrotic cell. Next, we conducted concurrent analysis to identify those lncRNAs that were specifically involved in fibrogenesis. We tested and confirmed that transdifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) represents such a process. By overlapping TGFβ-regulated lncRNAs in multiple sets of hHSCs and VSMCs, we identified a highly selected list of lncRNA candidates that could specifically play a role in hHSC activation. We experimentally characterized one human lncRNA, named CARMN, which was significantly regulated by TGFβ in all conditions above. CARMN knockdown significantly reduced the expression levels of a panel of marker genes for hHSC activation, as well as the levels of ECM deposition and hHSC migration. Conversely, gain of function of CARMN using CRISPR activation (CRISPR-a) yielded the completely opposite effects. Taken together, our work addresses a bottleneck in identifying human lncRNAs that specifically play a role in hHSC activation and provides a framework to effectively select human lncRNAs with significant pathophysiological role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Reproductive systems strongly influence plants' evolution and adaption, and the biogeographic pattern of its variation has intrigued biologists and ecologists. Here, to test the impacts of paleoglaciation on plants' reproductive system variation, we compared the geographical pattern and environmental drivers in the proportions of different reproductive systems in Primula in regions affected and unaffected by paleoglaciation. Location: Global. Time Period: Since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Major Taxa Studied: Primula. Methods: Using data on reproductive systems and distributions of 604 Primula taxa around the world and 221 along the elevational gradient of the Himalayas, we demonstrated the global pattern and the elevational pattern in the proportions of homostylous taxa. We employed general linear models to establish the relationship between the proportion of homostylous taxa and environmental variables and hierarchical partitioning to assess the relative contributions of these variables in both regions affected and unaffected by paleoglaciation, respectively. Results: We found a higher proportion of homostylous taxa in regions glaciated during the LGM than those unglaciated, with different latitudinal patterns and climate drivers. The proportion of homostylous taxa showed varying trends across different regions: increasing with latitude and temperature anomaly in glaciated regions while concentrating at lower latitudes with higher winter temperatures in unglaciated regions. Additionally, homostylous taxa were more prevalent at lower elevations in the Himalayas. Main Conclusions: Our study provides the first quantitative evidence for the hypothesis that selfers are more prevailing in regions affected by paleoglaciation facilitated by recolonization via comparing the geographic pattern and drivers in regions affected and unaffected by paleoglaciation. Our findings also reveal the concentrated distribution of homostylous taxa in Primula at low latitudes, which may be the result of population shrinkage caused by heat stress, facing a more severe survival crisis under the circumstances of global warming and increasing human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study was designed to investigate the occurrence and risk factors of malnutrition in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) patients and examine the association between malnutrition and length of stay (LOS). Methods: This observational study included DFU hospitalized patients in two campuses of a hospital from January 2021 to June 2023. The diagnosis standard of malnutrition was established by using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria. Patients were followed up to ascertain the length of hospitalization, and hospital stays longer than 17 days were considered as prolonged LOS. To explore the risk factors of malnutrition and the association between malnutrition and LOS, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Overall 219 DFU patients were enrolled, malnutrition was identified in 38.36% of patients according to GLIM criteria, and 92 patients (42%) were recognized as prolonged LOS. Logistic regression analyses showed that BMI (P <0.001), Alb (P = 0.002), HbA1c (P <0.001), ulcer infection (P <0.001), LOS (P = 0.010), and ABI (P = 0.024) were independent risk factors for malnutrition. Besides, malnutrition by GLIM criteria was closely related to prolonged LOS and malnourished DFU patients were 2.857 times (95% CI, 1.497–5.450; P = 0.001) likely to present prolonged LOS than that of normal nutrition. Conclusion: Malnutrition was considered to be extremely prevalent in DFU patients and was associated with approximately three times higher likelihood of prolonged LOS. Implementing and disseminating the diagnostic criteria during routine practice is crucial, given the predictive efficacy of GLIM criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dactylicapnos is a climbing herbaceous vine, distributed from the Himalayas to southwestern China, and some of the species have important medicinal values. However, the chloroplast genomes of Dactylicapnos have never been investigated. In this study, chloroplast genomes of seven Dactylicapnos species covering all three sections and one informal group of Dactylicapnos were sequenced and assembled, and the detailed comparative analyses of the chloroplast genome structure were provided for the first time. Results: The results showed that the chloroplast genomes of Dactylicapnos have a typical quadripartite structure with lengths from 172,344 bp to 176,370 bp, encoding a total of 133–140 genes, containing 88–94 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNAs and 37–39 tRNAs. 31 codons were identified as relative synonymous codon usage values greater than one in the chloroplast genome of Dactylicapnos genus based on 80 protein-coding genes. The results of the phylogenetic analysis showed that seven Dactylicapnos species can be divided into three main categories. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that seven species form three major clades which should be treated as three sections. Conclusions: This study provides the initial report of the chloroplast genomes of Dactylicapnos, their structural variation, comparative genomic and phylogenetic analysis for the first time. The results provide important genetic information for development of medical resources, species identification, infrageneric classification and diversification of Dactylicapnos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accurate species delimitation is fundamental for testing evolutionary theory and provides essential implications for conservation management. The arctic-alpine genus Saxifraga L. (Saxifragaceae) is taxonomically complex and many species have not been critically assessed. The taxonomic and phylogenetic status of Saxifraga lancangensis Y.Y.Qian, considered as a synonym of Saxifraga mengtzeana Engl. & Irmsch. in previous studies, is re-evaluated in light of new evidence presented here. Results: Evidence from morphological comparison and sequencing of plastid genome indicate that S. lancangensis belongs to Saxifraga sect. Irregulares Haw., and is closely related to Saxifraga geifolia Balf.f., and S. mengtzeana. However, S. lancangensis can be diagnosed by its petals with red and clawless base, leaf blade orbicular and leaf margin shallowly dentate. Conclusions: The morphological and molecular evidence support the resurrection of S. lancangensis as a distinct species. An updated morphological description based on protologue and fresh material, diagnostic characters, and original photographs of the resurrected species are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The research aimed to determine the effects of different surgical procedures on postsurgical pain and early prognosis. We reviewed the perioperative data of patients who underwent single/two-port television-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary nodule surgery in the day surgery ward of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. Methods The clinical and follow-up data of 693 patients undergoing thoracoscopic for pulmonary nodules in the day surgery ward under the centralized management model of our hospital were retrospectively analyzed during the period of January 2021 to December 2022. The patients were divided into a single-port and a two-port thoracoscopy group. The propensity-matching was used to balance the baseline data and analyze the differences in postoperative pain and prognosis of the patientsin the two groups. Results After propensity score matching, the single-port group had lower intraoperative fentanyl consumption [0.5 (0.35, 0.50) mg vs. 0.5 (0.40, 0.50) mg, P = 0.034], remifentanil consumption [0.48 (0.33, 0.63) mg vs. 0.53 (0.35, 0.73) mg, P = 0.031], intraoperative hemorrhage [20 (10, 50) mL vs. 50 (20, 50) mL, P = 0.001], and Visual Analogue Scale on postoperative third day [2 (2, 4) point vs. 3 (2, 4) point, P = 0.007], which were statistically different. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of postoperative rescue analgesia, chest drainage volume, length of hospitalization, pain on postoperative 1st, 5th, 9th, and 30th days, postoperative cough, pulmonary complications within 30 days after surgery, and unplanned hospital visits. Conclusion Compared with two-port thoracoscopy, single-port thoracoscopic day surgery for pulmonary nodules is a safe and feasible procedure that can significantly reduce the use of intraoperative opioid analgesics and the pain level of patients on postoperative 3rd day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foundational cushion plants can re-organize community structures and sustain a prominent proportion of alpine biodiversity, but they are sensitive to climate change. The loss of cushion species can have broad consequences for associated biota. The potential plant community changes with the population dynamics of cushion plants remain, however, unclear. Using eight plant communities along a climatic and community successional gradient, we assessed cushion population dynamics, the underlying ecological constraints and hence associated plant community changes in alpine communities dominated by the foundational cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides. The population dynamics of Arenaria are attributed to ecological constraints at a series of life history stages. Reproductive functions are constrained by increasing associated beneficiary plants; subsequent seedling establishment is constrained by temperature, water and light availability, extreme climate events, and interspecific competition; strong competitive exclusion may accelerate mortality and degeneration of cushion populations. Along with cushion dynamics, species composition, abundance and community structure gradually change. Once cushion plants completely degenerate, previously cushion-dominated communities shift to relatively stable communities that are overwhelmingly dominated by sedges. Climate warming may accelerate the degeneration process of A. polytrichoides. Degeneration of this foundational cushion plant will possibly induce massive changes in alpine plant communities and hence ecosystem functions in alpine ecosystems. The assessment of the population dynamics of foundation species is critical for an effective conservation of alpine biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When facilitating other species and sustaining plant community structures and biodiversity, alpine cushion plants simultaneously experience negative feedback effects from surrounding vegetation. However, the impact of surrounding vegetation on cushion dynamics remains poorly understood, particularly in terms of allelopathic potentials. To investigate the allelopathic potentials of surrounding vegetation on seedling establishment of the typical cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides Edgew. along an elevational gradient, we extracted potential allelopathic compounds and tested their impacts on seed germination and seedling growth of A. polytrichoides. In addition, exclusion experiments using activated carbon were conducted to further elucidate these effects. Our results demonstrate that surrounding vegetation exhibits certain allelopathic potentials on A. polytrichoides seedling establishment, with variations observed based on elevation, source and concentration of allelopathy compounds, as well as growing season. Specifically, low-elevation vegetation exerts pronounced suppression on seedling establishment. Conversely, higher-elevation vegetation generally shows no effect on seed germination but stimulates seedling growth through allelopathy mechanisms. Moreover, aboveground vegetation predominantly inhibits both seed germination and seedling growth in low-elevation communities; however, the effects of belowground vegetation depend on elevation and extract concentration levels. The identified allelopathic potentials of surrounding vegetation significantly influence the population dynamics of cushion A. polytrichoides by potentially accelerating population degeneration in lower-elevation communities while ensuring consistent population recruitment and expansion in higher-elevation communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ultrasound (US) has a high sensitivity in detecting monosodium urate (MSU) deposition in gout patients. However, the value of US in predicting gout flares has been reported only in a few monocentric studies. Objective: To investigate the association between gout flares in the previous year and US-detected MSU burden using two different US scores. Design: A retrospective study. Methods: Patients with gout were consecutively recruited to undergo musculoskeletal US examinations of their knees, ankles, and feet. The score derived from Outcome Measure in Rheumatology (hereinafter referred to as MSU score) and musculoskeletal US features-based (hereinafter referred to as MSKF score) were used to quantify the MSU burden of gout. Odds ratios for frequent gout flares were calculated. Results: We enrolled 1894 patients with gout (mean age: 45 years; gout duration: 5 years; males: 96.1%), experiencing a median of three flares over the past year. Of these, 428 (22.6%) patients reported frequent (⩾7) gout flares. The MSU and MSKF median scores were 6 and 9, respectively. For each five-point increase in MSU and MSKF score, the odds ratio of frequent gout flares increased 1.13-fold and 1.24-fold, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) for the MSU and MSKF score was 0.635 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.604–0.665] and 0.688 (95% CI: 0.659–0.718), respectively, (AUC difference 0.054, p value for AUC difference < 0.001). Conclusion: The MSU and MSKF scores were significantly associated with the number of gout flares in the previous year. The MSKF score outperformed the MSU score in terms of frequent gout flare discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in situ methodology was devised to refine the annealing parameters for a soft magnetic high-entropy alloy, Al 0.7 NiCoFe 1.5 Cr 1.5 . Anomalous Hall measurements were employed to elucidate the magnetic characteristics in real time during annealing. This approach facilitates the determination of an optimal annealing temperature range, centered approximately at 500 ° C , within a single annealing process. After annealing, a notable 51.5% enhancement in the saturation magnetization was observed, accompanied by a significant 80.5% reduction in coercivity. Moreover, the methodology enables the acquisition of intricate insights into phase transitions occurring throughout the annealing process. The findings affirm the efficacy of the in situ technique for refining the annealing parameters and underscore its potential applicability in the exploration of microstructural and phase transformations in materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anomalous Nernst effect (ANE), as a three-dimensional thermoelectric effect in ferromagnetic materials, is expected to break through the limitations of the traditional Seebeck effect, thereby improving thermoelectric conversion efficiency. This study reports an anisotropic anomalous Nernst effect in metallic nickel assembled by the alignment of nanowires. It is found that the ANE voltage varies with the angle to the alignment direction of nanowires within the in-plane of metallic nickel. The ANE voltage reaches 530 nV under a longitudinal temperature difference of 23 K when the magnetic field is applied parallel to the alignment direction of nanowires, which is 143% of its value in the vertical direction. This design concept for anisotropic materials may provide a novel path to enhanced thermoelectric efficiency in ANE-based thermoelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is associated with elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels and frequent gout flares. Losing weight can reduce the SUA level and gout flares. The effect of orlistat on SUA levels and gout flares in patients with overweight/obesity and hyperuricemia (HUA) has not been extensively studied. This study investigated the effects of orlistat on SUA levels and gout flares compared to placebo in overweight and obese patients with HUA. Methods: A total of 72 Chinese patients with overweight/obesity and HUA were randomly divided into a placebo group (35, 48.6%) and an orlistat group (37, 51.4%); the trial lasted 12 weeks. The primary endpoints were the relative changes in body weight, the SUA level, and gout flares in the per-protocol population. Results: Orlistat reduced the proportion of patients with gout flares (log-rank P = 0.023, hazard ratio = 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.11–0.85). There was no significant difference in SUA level between the two groups. The average weight loss of the orlistat group was 2.85 kg, and the average weight loss of the placebo group was 0.76 kg. The weight loss in the orlistat group was significantly greater than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study is the first to demonstrate that orlistat has no significant effect on SUA levels in patients with overweight/obesity and HUA. The utility of orlistat as an adjunct therapy to prevent gout flares during weight loss in patients with HUA was emphasized. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05496075. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed a new approach for the manufacturing of blade preform by cross wedge rolling (CWR) process, and the sintered Ti–6Al–4V alloy prepared by PM process was taken as the billet, and the evolution behavior of residual pores under complex stress and strain state in CWR was investigated by systematic experiments and finite element (FE) simulation. The results showed that the number and size of the pores increased in the central of the rolled part due to the nucleation of new pores and growth of residual pores, and the porosity of other points is significantly lower than the initial state, indicating that the pore closure occurred. Moreover, the evolution behavior of residual pores is closely related to the three-direction principal stress state and maximum shear stress τmax of the rolled part, which are significantly affected by process parameters. Therefore, in order to obtain rolled part with higher density, the initial forming temperature T and area reduction φ should not be less than 980 °C and 50 pct, respectively, and the maximum allowable rolling speed n should be limited to 10 r/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis, characterized by lipid accumulation in intracellular compartments, is related to acute kidney injury (AKI), but the mechanism remains obscure. In our previous study, the protective effect of augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) on AKI was not fully clarified. In this study, we established an AKI mouse model by knocking out proximal tubule‐specific ALR and an AKI cell model by inducing hypoxia, as well as enrolled AKI patients, to investigate the effects of ALR on ferroptosis and the progression of AKI. We found that ALR knockout aggravated ferroptosis and increased ROS accumulation and mitochondrial damage, whereas ALR overexpression attenuated ferroptosis through clearance of ROS and maintenance of mitochondrial morphology. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that ALR could directly bind to long‐chain‐fatty‐acid‐CoA ligase 4 (ACSL4) and further inhibit the expression of ACSL4 by interacting with certain regions. By resolution liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadruple mass spectrometry, we found that ALR could reduce the contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially arachidonic acid. In addition, we showed that ALR binds to ACSL4 and attenuates oxylipin accumulation, exerting a protective effect against ferroptosis in AKI. Therefore, targeting renal ALR can attenuate ferroptosis and can offer a promising strategy for the treatment of AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of different concentrations of glutamine on host performance are important in the context of aquaculture. Here, four diets were fed to Xenocypris davidi Bleeker young fish (initial mean weight of 2.94 ± 0.14 g , N=240), with 0, 3, 6, and 9 g/kg of glutamine supplementation, for a period of 8 weeks (The protein content and lipid content in the basal diet were 32.84 % and 5.41 %).The fish were randomly divided into 4 groups with 3 replicates per group and 20 per replicate. Water temperature, dissoloved oxygen and pH in this trial were 26 ± 1 °C, 6 ± 0.5 mg/L and 7.9 ± 0.3, respectively. The results showed that supplementation with 6 and 9 g/kg of glutamine significantly increased the final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR), and specific growth rate (SGR) of the fish (P < 0.05), and there was a positive linear and quadratic correlation in the FBW, WGR and SGR. Conversely, there was a decreasing trend observed in the condition factor (CF), viscerosomatic index (VSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) with increased glutamine supplementation. HSI and FCR decreased linearly and quadratically, VSI is only linearly correlated. Dietary glutamine was found to improve the intestinal structure and function of X. davidi. This was achieved through an increase in the digestive and antioxidant enzyme activities in the intestine, as well as an increase in the muscle layer thickness (MT), villus height (VH), and villus width (VW) of the intestine. These effects were particularly evident in the 6 and 9 g/kg glutamine supplementation groups. This finding was further corroborated by oil red O staining and the relative areas of lipid droplets. A gradual increase in plasma total protein (TP) concentrations with increasing glutamine supplementation was observed linearly and quadratically, and was considerably higher in the 9 g/kg group than in the control group (P < 0.05). In contrast, plasma total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations were significantly decreased linearly and quadratically after fish were fed with diets with appropriate glutamine supplementation levels (P < 0.05). Notably, we further constructed the correlation analysis and the important factors that affect the growth performance of host after feeding glutamine were found and verified. In the present study, we observed that pepsin (PEP) and amylase (AMS) (belong to digestive enzymes), MT, VH and VW (belong to intestinal morphology), crude protein (belong to proximate composition) showed significant positive correlation with FBW, WGR, SGR (belong to growth performance, P < 0.05). Overall, these findings suggest that dietary glutamine can enhance host performance in X. davidi, particularly when supplemented at 9 g/kg. This may have important implications for the aquaculture industry, as it can improve the health and growth of farmed fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiferroic materials offer a promising avenue for manipulating digital information by leveraging the cross-coupling between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic orders. Despite the ferroelectricity has been uncovered by ion displacement or interlayer-sliding, one-unit-cell of multiferroic materials design and wafer-scale synthesis have yet to be realized. Here we develope an interface modulated strategy to grow 1-inch one-unit-cell of non-layered chromium sulfide with unidirectional orientation on industry-compatible c-plane sapphire. The interfacial interaction between chromium sulfide and substrate induces the intralayer-sliding of self-intercalated chromium atoms and breaks the space reversal symmetry. As a result, robust room-temperature ferroelectricity (retaining more than one month) emerges in one-unit-cell of chromium sulfide with ultrahigh remanent polarization. Besides, long-range ferromagnetic order is discovered with the Curie temperature approaching 200 K, almost two times higher than that of bulk counterpart. In parallel, the magnetoelectric coupling is certified and which makes 1-inch one-unit-cell of chromium sulfide the largest and thinnest multiferroics. 2D multiferroic materials have garnered broad interests due to their magnetoelectric properties and multifunctional applications. Here, the authors discover a multiferroic feature in interfacial modulation synthesized wafer-scale one-unit-cell Cr2S3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods accurately predicting the responses of colorectal cancer (CRC) and colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) to personalized chemotherapy remain limited due to tumor heterogeneity. This study introduces an innovative patient‐derived CRC and CRLM tumor model for preclinical investigation, utilizing 3d‐bioprinting (3DP) technology. Efficient construction of homogeneous in vitro 3D models of CRC/CRLM is achieved through the application of patient‐derived primary tumor cells and 3D bioprinting with bioink. Genomic and histological analyses affirm that the CRC/CRLM 3DP tumor models effectively retain parental tumor biomarkers and mutation profiles. In vitro tests evaluating chemotherapeutic drug sensitivities reveal substantial tumor heterogeneity in chemotherapy responses within the 3DP CRC/CRLM models. Furthermore, a robust correlation is evident between the drug response in the CRLM 3DP model and the clinical outcomes of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. These findings imply a significant potential for the application of patient‐derived 3DP cancer models in precision chemotherapy prediction and preclinical research for CRC/CRLM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium selenide (VSe2−x) is a promising anode material for grid-scale energy storage due to its high conductivity, large interlayer spacing, and distinctive multielectron transport. However, the electrochemical performances are restricted by sluggish redox kinetics, which deteriorate the cycling stability and specific capacity. Here we propose a synergistic strategy to boost sodium-ion storage by introducing Se vacancies and tuning the interlayer spacing of VSe2−x. The V–Se bond energy is decreased by the vacancy, which promotes sodium-ion adsorption/conversion, and in parallel, the expanded interlayer spacing accelerates sodium-ion transport. The obtained VSe2−x/nitrogen-doped carbon (VSe2−x/NC) exhibits ultrahigh specific capacity (584.4 mA h g−1 at 0.5 A g−1), high rate performance, and excellent cycling stability. In particular, a sodium-ion full cell composed of the VSe2−x/NC anode and a Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode delivers unexpected stability with the cycle number exceeding 2400. The sodium-ion storage mechanism is clarified by theoretical calculations and in situ experimental characterization. This work provides a new paradigm to boost sodium-ion battery performances by combining defect and structure engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanopore sequencers can enrich or deplete the targeted DNA molecules in a library by reversing the voltage across individual nanopores. However, it requires substantial computational resources to achieve rapid operations in parallel at read-time sequencing. We present a deep learning framework, NanoDeep, to overcome these limitations by incorporating convolutional neural network and squeeze and excitation. We first showed that the raw squiggle derived from native DNA sequences determines the origin of microbial and human genomes. Then, we demonstrated that NanoDeep successfully classified bacterial reads from the pooled library with human sequence and showed enrichment for bacterial sequence compared with routine nanopore sequencing setting. Further, we showed that NanoDeep improves the sequencing efficiency and preserves the fidelity of bacterial genomes in the mock sample. In addition, NanoDeep performs well in the enrichment of metagenome sequences of gut samples, showing its potential applications in the enrichment of unknown microbiota. Our toolkit is available at https://github.com/lysovosyl/NanoDeep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic segmentation of remote sensing images is crucial for various practical applications. In the field of deep learning, convolutional neural network (CNN) has been the primary approach for semantic segmentation over the past decade. Recently, Transformer-based models have achieved superior segmentation performance due to their exceptional global modelling capabilities. However, the Transformer-based models tend to focus more on extracting global contextual information, leading to suboptimal performance in segmenting local edges and difficulties in preserving fine-grained details during the patch token downsampling process. Inspired by the local receptive field of CNN, this article proposes a Local-Enhanced Multi-Scale Aggregation Swin Transformer (LMA-Swin) for semantic segmentation of high-resolution remote sensing images. Specifically, we adopt Swin Transformer as main encoder, introduce convolutional blocks as auxiliary encoder, and design a feature modulation module (FMM) to integrate the local contextual modelling ability of CNN into the Transformer backbone. Additionally, we propose a novel cross-aggregation decoder (CAD) to effectively aggregate shallow edge information and deep semantic information, thereby enhancing the discriminative ability for multi-scale objects. On the ISPRS Vaihingen and Potsdam datasets, experimental results illustrate noteworthy improvement in segmentation performance accomplished through the proposed approach. Code: . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: 4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde (4-HBd) is used for the treatment of headaches, dizziness, and convulsions. The objective of this study was to characterize the pharmacokinetics of 4-HBd in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) rats by microdialysis technology with high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Methods: Microdialysis was used to collect blood, feces, and urine of normal and CIRI model rats. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined using HPLC-DAD and 4-HBd metabolites were determined using UPLC-MS. Results: After gavage of 4-HBd in normal and middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) rats, it was widely distributed to all tissues (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and brain) in both the equilibrium and elimination phases, and the distribution pattern was basically the same; the highest concentration was found in the brain. The absolute bioavailability of 4-HBd was 5.33%; however, after intragastric administration in normal and MCAO/R rats, fecal and urinary excretion of 4-HBd accounted for 0.02% and 0.01% and for 0.01% and 0.03% of the dosage, respectively. Furthermore, 4-HBd was rapidly metabolized into 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA) after administration in both the control and MCAO/R groups. Compared with the control, the peak time of 4-HBd plasma concentration in the MCAO/R rats decreased from 10.67 min to 8.83 min, the area under the concentration-time curve decreased significantly, and the half-life increased from 31.81 min to 78.85 min. Conclusions: The rapid absorption and low absolute bioavailability of 4-HBd by gavage in rats are followed by rapid and wide distribution to various tissues and organs, including the brain. The prototype drug is excreted in the feces and urine in low amounts, and it is metabolized to 4-HBA in large amounts in vivo; the pathological state of the MCAO/R model mainly affects its absorption degree and metabolism rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Central Asia, especially the Tian‐Shan and Pamir‐Alay, is a biodiversity hotspot for Hedysarum (Fabaceae) with a high number of endemic species. However, to date, studies of the genus Hedysarum based on molecular data have included only a few species distributed in this region. To fill this gap, we analysed 110 Hedysarum species, 36 of which were from the Tian‐Shan and Pamir‐Alay Mountains of Central Asia. We performed phylogenetic analyses, divergence time estimates, and biogeographic analyses using both the internal transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA ITS) and three plastid DNA (cpDNA) sequences (trnL‐trnF, matK, psbA‐trnH). Our phylogenetic analysis grouped the species of Hedysarum into three sections: H. sect. Hedysarum, sect. Multicaulia, and sect. Stracheya, which are largely consistent with previous phylogenetic classifications. Accordingly, most of the Central Asian species we studied (28 spp.) were placed in H. subsect. Crinifera within H. sect. Multicaulia. Our divergence time and biogeographic analyses indicate that Hedysarum likely originated in West Asia and/or East Asia during the Early Miocene or Middle Miocene and subsequently dispersed to adjacent areas of Eurasia, as well as North America via the Bering Land Bridge. The likely area of origin for H. sect. Multicaulia is West Asia, while East Asia appears to be the center of origin for H. sect. Hedysarum and sect. Stracheya. In addition, we suggest that the rapid radiation of the species of H. subsect. Crinifera occurred in the Tian‐Shan and Pamir‐Alay Mountains, as well as the Turkish‐Iranian Plateau, and that geological and climatic changes were the main causes of speciation in Hedysarum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bridges' expansion joints are prone to damage during operation, and repairing them often requires interruption of traffic, the impact of which can be minimized by using fast-hardening and early-strength expansion joint materials. In this study, a fast-hardening polymer cement composite (PCC) was developed using sulfate aluminate cement and ordinary silicate cement as binding agents and polymer powder as admixture. To improve the crack resistance of the material, several types of fibers were added and the effects of different fiber types and admixtures on the crack resistance of the material were compared using SCB tests. The results showed that the best effect of improving the crack resistance of concrete was achieved with a volume fraction of 0.5% of basalt fibers. Then, a test method for the interfacial shear properties of PCC materials and ordinary concrete was established, and the cohesive force model was selected as the interface simulation parameter for finite element analysis and compared with experimental data to verify its feasibility. Finally, based on the previously obtained PCC material parameters, a solid model of the expansion joint anchorage zone was established to study the mechanical properties of the expansion joint anchorage zone with the application of fast-hardening PCC material. This research provides a new way to develop fast-hardening and early-strength expansion joint materials with high crack resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The free surface and pycnocline wake characteristics of SUBOFF were studied by simulations and experiments in a two-layer ocean. The experimental results showed that the simulation method accurately calculated the wake characteristics of the scaling model, and the simulation method was expanded to full-scale prototypes. When typical Froude numbers of flow is from 0.05 to 2.7, the submerged body velocity can influence the wake characteristics of the free surface and pycnocline interface. The wake system of the free surface would transform into a Kelvin wake, and the angles of the V-shaped divergent waves of the pycnocline interface would be reduced with the increasing Froude number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of dispersal modes has been proposed to promote the diversification of angiosperms. However, little is known about the relative impact of different dispersal modes on plant diversification. We test the association between dispersal modes and diversification rates using Rhamnaceae, the cosmopolitan buckthorn family, as a model. We found that species with diplochory have the highest diversification rates followed by those with myrmecochory and ballistic dispersal, while lineages dispersed by vertebrates and wind have relatively low diversification rates. The difference in diversification rates may be closely linked to the difference in dispersal distance and ecological interactions implied by each dispersal mode. Species which disperse over larger geographical distances may have much higher speciation rates due to the increased chance of establishing isolated populations due to geological barriers or habitat fragmentation. However, long-distance dispersal may also increase the chance of extinction. By contrast, species with short-distance dispersal modes may have low speciation rates. Complex interactions with the surrounding environment may, however, impact diversification rates positively by increasing plant survival and reproductive success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: How geographical isolation and ecological divergence act together to promote plant diversity in mountainous regions remains largely unknown. In this study, we chose two genera comprising a small number of species distributed in the Sino-Himalayan region, Megacodon (Gentianaceae) and Beesia (Ranunculaceae), which both exhibit a fragmented distribution pattern and are found across a wide range of elevations. By summarizing their common patterns of speciation and/or divergence processes, we aim to understand how environmental changes accelerated lineage diversification in the Sino-Himalayan region through ancient allopatry and ecological divergence. Results: Using ddRAD-seq, chloroplast genome sequences, and specific molecular markers, we studied the phylogenetic relationships, population structure, and historical biogeography of Beesia and Megacodon. Both genera began to diverge from the late Miocene onwards, with ancient allopatry at lower elevations formed narrow-range species or relict populations. Mantel tests between genetic distance and climatic, elevational, or geographic distance revealed an isolation-by-distance pattern in Beesia and Megacodon stylophorus. Megacodon showed two clades occupying entirely different altitudinal ranges, whereas Beesia calthifolia exhibited a genetic divergence pattern along an elevation gradient. Furthermore, we conducted morphological measurements on Beesia calthifolia and found that different elevational groups had distinct leaf shapes. Conclusions: The regional disjunctions of plant groups in the Sino-Himalayan region are drastic and closely related to several biogeographic boundaries. As a consequence of major geological and climate change, ecological divergence when different elevations are colonized often happens simultaneously within plant groups. Although habitat fragmentation and parapatric ecological divergence each spur speciation to different extents, a combined effect of these two factors is a common phenomenon in the Sino-Himalayan region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Sino-Himalayan flora harbors highly diverse high-elevation biotas, but our understanding of its evolutionary history in temporal and spatial dimensions is limited. In this study, we integrated a dated phylogenetic tree with comprehensive species distribution data to investigate changes over time and space in floristic elements, including the tropical, Tethys, northern temperate, and East Asian floristic elements, across the entire Sino-Himalaya and its three floristic regions: the Yunnan Plateau, Hengduan Mountains, and East Himalaya regions. Results: Our results revealed that the Sino-Himalayan flora developed from lowland biomes and was predominantly characterized by tropical floristic elements before the collision between the Indian subcontinent and Eurasia during the Early Cenozoic. Subsequently, from the Late Eocene onwards, the uplifts of the Himalaya and Hengduan Mountains transformed the Sino-Himalayan region into a wet and cold plateau, on which harsh and diverse ecological conditions forced the rapid evolution of local angiosperms, giving birth to characteristic taxa adapted to the high altitudes and cold habitat. The percentage of temperate floristic elements increased and exceeded that of tropical floristic elements by the Late Miocene. Conclusions: The Sino-Himalayan flora underwent four significant formation periods and experienced a considerable increase in endemic genera and species in the Miocene, which remain crucial to the present-day patterns of plant diversity. Our findings support the view that the Sino-Himalayan flora is relatively young but has ancient origins. The three major shifts in the divergence of genera and species during the four formation periods were primarily influenced by the uplifts of the Himalaya and Hengduan Mountains and the onset and intensification of the Asian monsoon system. Additionally, the temporal patterns of floristic elements differed among the three floristic regions of the Sino-Himalaya, indicating that the uplift of the Himalaya and surrounding areas was asynchronous. Compared to the Yunnan Plateau region, the East Himalaya and Hengduan Mountains experienced more recent and drastic uplifts, resulting in highly intricate topography with diverse habitats that promoted the rapid radiation of endemic genera and species in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposed to use cross wedge rolling (CWR) to manufacture sintered TC4 (S-TC4) titanium alloy blade preform prepared by powder metallurgy technology. The hot uniaxial compression tests, CWR experiments, and numerical simulation were carried out to investigate the influence of forming parameters on microstructure evolution. The results showed that the pattern of stress–strain curve is typical featured of work hardening and dynamic softening, and the Arrhenius equation was determined to describe the high-temperature flow behavior of the studied S-TC4 alloy. In regard to microstructure evolution, the volume fraction of alpha phase f α increases and then decreases radially from inside to outside, and the lamellar alpha phase was equiaxialized by to the shear and torsion stress. And increasing the initial forming temperature T was not conducive to the preservation of the alpha phase, and both the volume fraction of alpha phase fα and average thickness of lamellar alpha phase lα are negatively correlated with the rolling speed n and area reduction φ . Moreover, the maximum initial forming temperature, rolling speed, and area reduction are 940 °C, 10 r/min, and 60%, respectively, in order to achieve the best match between strong plasticity and thermal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance tracking control is essential for permanent magnet synchronous motors in the perturbed environment. Given this, a new hybrid controller is proposed in this study for a permanent magnet synchronous motor with load disturbances as well as time delays. First, a new prescribed performance method is proposed to achieve the full-state performance constraints with load disturbances. Second, a time-varying filter is proposed for the first time to avoid the "complexity explosion" problem of the backstepping method while guaranteeing the convergence of the filtering error. Third, by combining Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals with adaptive neural networks, the time-delay disturbance and unknown nonlinear dynamics of the control system have been solved. The stability analysis proves that all signals in the closed-loop system are bounded. To show the effectiveness of the intelligent controller, the comparison simulations are given to confirm the advantages of the proposed adaptive neural control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an opportunistic parasite that can infect the central nervous system (CNS), causing severe toxoplasmosis and behavioral cognitive impairment. Mortality is high in immunocompromised individuals with toxoplasmosis, most commonly due to reactivation of infection in the CNS. There are still no effective vaccines and drugs for the prevention and treatment of toxoplasmosis. There are five developmental stages for T. gondii to complete life cycle, of which the tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages are the key to the acute and chronic infection. In this study, to better understanding of how T. gondii interacts with the host CNS at different stages of infection, we constructed acute and chronic infection models of T. gondii in astrocytes, and used label-free proteomics to detect the proteome changes before and after infection, respectively. A total of 4676 proteins were identified, among which 163 differentially expressed proteins (fold change ≥ 1.5 or ≤ 0.67 and p-value ≤ 0.05) including 109 up-regulated proteins and 54 down-regulated proteins in C8-TA vs C8 group, and 719 differentially expressed proteins including 495 up-regulated proteins and 224 down-regulated proteins in C8-BR vs C8-TA group. After T. gondii tachyzoites infected astrocytes, differentially expressed proteins were enriched in immune-related biological processes to promote the formation of bradyzoites and maintain the balance of T. gondii, CNS and brain. After T. gondii bradyzoites infected astrocytes, the differentially expressed proteins up-regulated the host's glucose metabolism, and some up-regulated proteins were strongly associated with neurodegenerative diseases. These findings not only provide new insights into the psychiatric pathogenesis of T. gondii, but also provide potential targets for the treatment of acute and chronic Toxoplasmosis. Author summary: Toxoplasma gondii is an extremely widespread and a worldwide health problem protozoon, which can infect the central nervous system, inducing acute and chronic infection and causing severe toxoplasmosis and behavioral cognitive impairment. However, there is still no effective vaccines to prevent infection, drugs used to treat the acute infected individuals have a lot of limitations, and no drugs to treat chronic infected individuals. In this study, we established an acute and chronic infection model of T. gondii in astrocytes, and then used label-free quantitative proteomics to detect the proteome changes before and after infection, respectively. We aimed to understand the molecular mechanism and find special targets of T. gondii infection at different stages by analyzing the biological processes and signaling pathways, which the differential expressed proteins were involved in. Our study may provide new insights for further exploring the parasite-host interaction, and new targets for developing anti-Toxoplasma vaccines and drugs for the treatment of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Corydalis, with ca. 530 species, has long been considered taxonomically challenging because of its great variability. Previous molecular analyses, based on a few molecular markers and incomplete taxonomic sampling, were clearly inadequate to delimit sections and subgenera. We have performed phylogenetic analyses of Corydalis and related taxa, using 65 shared protein‐coding plastid genes from 313 accessions (including 280 samples of ca. 226 species of Corydalis) and 152 universal low‐copy nuclear genes from 296 accessions (including 271 samples of Corydalis) covering all 42 previously recognized sections and five independent "series". Phylogenetic trees were inferred using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood. Eight selected morphological characters were estimated using ancestral state reconstructions. Results include: (i) of the three subgenera of Corydalis, two are fully supported by both the plastid and nuclear data; the third, subg. Cremnocapnos, is weakly supported by plastid DNA only, whereas in the nuclear data the two included sections form successive outgroups to the rest of the genus; (ii) among all 42 sections and five "series", 25 sections and one "series" are resolved as monophyletic in both data sets; (iii) the common ancestor of Corydalis is likely to be a perennial plant with a taproot, yellow flowers with a short saccate spur, linear fruits with recurved fruiting pedicels, and seeds with elaiosomes; (iv) we provide a new classification of Corydalis with four subgenera (of which subg. Bipapillatae is here newly described), 39 sections, 16 of which are consistent with the previous classification, 16 sections have been recircumscribed, one section has been reinstated and six new sections are established. Characters associated with lifespan, underground structures, floral spur, fruit and elaiosomes are important for the recognition of subgenera and sections. These new phylogenetic analyses combined with ancestral character reconstructions uncovered previously unrecognized relationships, and greatly improved our understanding of the evolution of the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]