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Grylloprimevala jilina is a true cave insect living in the dark areas of caves. It has the characteristics of sparse skin pigmentation, degeneration of the compound eyes and monocular eyes, and obvious preference for high‐humidity and low‐temperature environments. Given the highly specialized, rare, and limited distribution, G. jilina is considered an endangered species and also a first‐level national protected insect in China. Cave creatures often undergo dramatic morphological changes in their sensory systems to adapt to the cave environment. Most previous studies mainly focused on morphological adaptive changes in cave insects, and only a few studied the changes at the gene level. In this study, we performed transcriptome analysis of G. jilina and constructed phylogenetic trees of genes that are related to environmental adaptation, including chemosensory, visual‐related, reproduction‐related, temperature adaptation‐related, and winged morph differentiation‐related genes. Besides, the expression levels of environmental adaption‐related genes in different tissues, including antennae, heads, thoraxes, abdomens, legs, and tails, were analyzed. The results showed the loss of chemosensory genes and vision‐related genes, the conservation of reproduction‐related genes and temperature adaptation‐related genes, and the conservation of wing‐related genes despite the loss of wings, and the results were consistent with other cave insects. The identification and expression study of genes possibly related to the environmental adaptability in G. jilina provided basic data for the protection of this endangered species and increased knowledge about insect evolution in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older people in long-term care facilities face clinical uncertainty and unpredictable decline. Advance care planning enables older people to identify preferences and wishes for future treatment and care before any loss of capacity. However, it is unclear how, why and under what circumstances the implementation of advance care planning for older people can be normalised into routine practice within long-term care facilities. To identify and explain mechanisms and contextual factors that underpin the implementation of advance care planning for older people in long-term care facilities. Realist review. Long-term care facilities. Consistent with realist review methodology, we developed the initial programme theory by scoping reviews, engaging UK and China stakeholders and utilising the Normalisation Process Theory. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were subsequently searched from 01/01/1990 to 11/06/2021. Inductive and deductive coding was used to generate context-mechanism-outcome configurations, which were iteratively tested to refine the programme theory. 5459 records were identified, and 48 were retained for final synthesis. Seven context-mechanism-outcome configurations were identified: (1) carry out sensitive conversation gradually in a nonthreatening way; (2) identify 'a window of opportunity'; (3) deliver sustainable and available training; (4) build a collaborative and multidisciplinary network; (5) conduct collaborative negotiation to achieve shared decision-making; (6) secure active leadership buy-in; (7) keep conversation and documentation on track. A logic model was developed to conceptualise the causal pathways between the contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes. Normalising conversations about death is paramount to mainstreaming advance care planning implementation in long-term care facilities. The key to achieving this is older people, family members and staff have a shared understanding of the aims, values, and potential benefits of advance care planning. Advance care planning should be introduced at a time that is important to older people and families, rather than being process-driven. Nurse facilitators play a vital role in ensuring older people's voices are heard and in building bridges between participants in advance care planning. The findings of this study inform the appropriate development and evaluation of advance care planning interventions for older people in long-term care facilities. Further research is needed to explore mechanisms that underpin the implementation of advance care planning in Asian countries. This review is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42021214317). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytophthora capsici causes significant loss to pepper (Capsicum annum) in China and our goal was to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for P. capsici and characterize genetic diversity nationwide. Eighteen isolates of P. capsici from locations worldwide were re-sequenced and candidate nuclear and mitochondrial SNPs identified. From 2006 to 2012, 276 isolates of P. capsici were recovered from 136 locations in 27 provinces and genotyped using 45 nuclear and 2 mitochondrial SNPs. There were two main mitochondrial haplotypes and 95 multi-locus genotypes (MLGs) identified. Genetic diversity was geographically structured with a high level of genotypic diversity in the north and on Hainan Island in the south, suggesting outcrossing contributes to diversity in these areas. The remaining areas of China are dominated by four clonal lineages that share mitochondrial haplotypes, are almost exclusively the A1 or A2 mating type and appear to exhibit extensive diversity based on loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Analysis of SNPs directly from infected peppers confirmed LOH in field populations. One clonal lineage is dominant throughout much of the country. The overall implications for long-lived genetically diverse clonal lineages amidst a widely dispersed sexual population are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• F. cirrhosae bulbus and its adulterants can be identified with two pairs of probes. • This assay is highly sensitive and specific, rapid, simple, and cost-effective. • As low as 10% adulteration can be detected in F. cirrhosae bulbus in one reaction. • Our method can be used as a prototype for detecting other species for drug safety. Fritillariae cirrhosae bulbus , a well-known and precious medicinal and edible herb in China, causes remarkable effects on swelling and relieving cough, with fewer side effects than other congeneric medicine. It has been subject to various cheaper congeneric adulteration because of its high price and limited production. In this paper, a rapid, high throughput, sensitive and efficient technique was described for simultaneous identification of F. cirrhosae bulbus and its common adulterants by employing multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification coupled with high-resolution melting (MLPA-HRM) curve assay in their internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) regions. This assay was highly sensitive with a detection limit of 0.19 ng genomic DNA, and highly specific with no cross-reaction with common adulterants. Mixed sample analysis showed as low as 10% adulteration can be detected from F. cirrhosae bulbus in one MLPA-HRM reaction. Overall, the method described in this paper is well suited for detecting adulteration in F. cirrhosae bulbus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoirs tend to accumulate phosphorus (P) originating from agriculture, industry, and other upstream sources in sediment, with this stored P later released. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of sediment P release in reservoirs remains unclear. This study investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics in P of the sediment and water of three cascade reservoirs in the Weiyuan River (Tuojiang tributary). The results showed elevated P in sediment [total P (TP): 1208.93 mg kg−1] and water (TP: 0.23 mg L−1) during the low-water season (LWS), which could be attributed to notably higher organic matter content (9.65%), finer particle size (20.95 μm), and extended hydraulic retention time (HRT: 13.13 days) downstream of the cascade reservoirs. Further study employing static in-situ diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) and dynamic ex-situ adsorption kinetic experiments confirmed that the downstream release of P from sediments [diffusion flux (F d): 1.67 mg m−2 d−1, equilibrium P concentrations (EPC 0): 0.22 ± 0.10 mg L−1] greatly exceeded those upstream (−0.66 ± 0.17 mg m−2 d−1, 0.07 ± 0.001 mg L−1), Fe (II) was a critical factor in regulating sedimentary P release. The combined effects of high P in overlying water and sediment significantly stimulated downstream phytoplankton growth, particularly among cyanobacteria (26.48%) and green algae (8.33%). Further regulatory steps are needed to regulate LWS algal blooms downstream of cascade reservoirs. [Display omitted] • High levels of phosphorus (P) were found downstream of cascade reservoirs. • There was higher risk of sediment P release downstream of cascade reservoirs. • DGT was effective for evaluating the risk of P release from sediments. • Ferrous ion was a key factor regulating P release in cascade reservoir sediments. • Increased monitoring downstream of cascade reservoirs is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an eco-efficient cement-limestone- calcined clay tailings ultra-high performance concrete (LC2 UHPC). On the basis of the D-optimal mixture design method, the LC2 UHPC recipes and fresh behaviors are firstly proposed and optimized. Then, the macro and micro characteristics of produced LC2 UHPC are evaluated. The obtained experimental results show that when the added total amount of limestone powder and calcined clay tailings reach 56.8% of the cementitious materials, the corrosion resistance properties of LC2 UHPC are optimized and advanced compared to normal UHPC. Afterwards, the microstructure and hydration properties of LC2 UHPC are presented. The ITZ of LC2 UHPC is denser than normal UHPC. Hydration degree of cement LC2 UHPC is higher. Moreover, the addition of limestone powder and calcined clay tailings can decrease the environmental impact by 37.1% compared to normal UHPC. The disadvantage of LC2 UHPC mainly is that the compressive strength and workability of LC2 UHPC is lower than normal UHPC. Considering the fact that the LC2 system is a low-carbon and more sustainable cementitious material than normal cement, the produced LC2 UHPC can be treated as an eco-friendly construction product, which is suitable to be wildly utilized to some area with plenty of clay sources in China in the future. [Display omitted] • Limestone and calcined clay tailings with cement are adopted in UHPC. • D-optimal design is used to optimize the recipes of UHPC. • Optimal content of limestone and calcined clay tailings of UHPC. • Limestone and calcined clay tailings can promote the properties of UHPC. • LC2 UHPC decreases environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon × C. transvaalensis ) is widely used as turf in southern and transition zones of China. From June to September in 2022, an unknown disease was consistently observed on hybrid bermudagrass in different regions of Nanjing, China, that exhibited distinct symptoms of leaf necrosis, severe root rot, and circular or irregular necrotic patches with 20- to 300-cm diameters. In this study, culture-independent and -dependent methods were used to elucidate the dominant fungal pathogens associated with the disease. Basidiomycota and Marasmiellus were shown to be the dominant phyla (51.96 to 70.60%) and genera (50.09 to 69.84%) in the symptomatic samples. A total of 128 fungal strains were isolated from symptomatic root tissues, and 40 strains representing the largest proportion (31.25%) were identified as Marasmiellus mesosporus based on the morphological characteristics, phylogenetic analysis of the ITS and LSU rDNA region, and pathogenicity testing. Temperature sensitivity tests revealed that M. mesosporus grew well at high temperatures (growth rate of 13.74 mm/day at 36°C). To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. mesosporus causing root rot disease on hybrid bermudagrass during hot summer months. The study will have important implications for the management of the disease., Competing Interests: The author(s) declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between diet quality and cognitive performance, indicating that improving diet quality may be beneficial in preventing cognitive decline in older adults. However, few study has investigated the causal relationship between diet quality and cognitive performance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the causal effects of diet quality on cognitive performance in Chinese adults aged 55 years and older. Particularly, we utilize the Chinese Diet Quality Index (CHEI), a dietary assessment tool tailored for Chinese populations, as a proxy for older adults' diet quality., Methods: Data were obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]55 years old) conducted in 2004 and 2006. Cognitive function was tested by a subset of items from the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Modified (TICS-m). Data on dietary intake was retrieved from three consecutive 24 hour recalls by participants and its quality was assessed by the 17-items Chinese Healthy Eating Index (CHEI). An Instrumental Variable technique was used to deal with the potential endogeneity of dietary quality. The instrumental variable used in our study is the community mean of CHEI., Results: After adjusting for socio-demographic factors (age, gender, education, per capita household income), lifestyle habits (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, BMI), and chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes), our findings revealed that improving diet quality had a significant positive effect on cognitive performance ([Formula: see text]), particularly in females aged 55-65 years ([Formula: see text]) and females with primary education and below ([Formula: see text])., Conclusion: Our study suggests that improving diet quality and adhering to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese may enhance cognitive performance in Chinese adults aged 55 years and older., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The purpose of this paper was to systematically evaluate the application value of artificial intelligence in predicting mortality among COVID-19 patients., Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, China Biomedical Literature, and VIP databases were systematically searched from inception to October 2022 to identify studies that evaluated the predictive effects of artificial intelligence on mortality among COVID-19 patients. The retrieved literature was screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tools. Statistical analysis of the included studies was performed using Review Manager 5.3, Stata 16.0, and Meta-DiSc 1.4 statistical software. This meta-analysis was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022315158)., Findings: Of 2193 studies, 23 studies involving a total of 25 AI models met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 18 studies explicitly mentioned training and test sets, and 5 studies did not explicitly mention grouping. In the training set, the pooled sensitivity was 0.93 [0.87, 0.96], the pooled specificity was 0.94 [0.87, 0.97], and the area under the ROC curve was 0.98 [0.96, 0.99]. In the validation set, the pooled sensitivity was 0.84 [0.78, 0.88], the pooled specificity was 0.89 [0.85, 0.92], and the area under the ROC curve was 0.93 [1.00, 0.00]. In the subgroup analysis, the areas under the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves of the artificial intelligence models KNN, SVM, ANN, RF and XGBoost were 0.98, 0.98, 0.94, 0.92, and 0.91, respectively. The Deeks funnel plot indicated that there was no significant publication bias in this study (P > 0.05)., Interpretation: Artificial intelligence models have high accuracy in predicting mortality among COVID-19 patients and have high prognostic value. Among them, the KNN, SVM, ANN, RF, XGBoost, and other models have the highest levels of accuracy., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Although the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant has spread, data on the clinical characteristics of infected patients are limited. In this study, the demographic, clinical characteristics, and laboratory data of 310 SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant patients treated at Haihe Hospital of Tianjin were collected and analyzed. Information on these patients was compared to 96 patients with the Delta variant of concern (VOC) and 326 patients with the Beta VOC during the previous coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Harbin. Of the 310 patients infected with the Omicron variant, the median age was 35 years. Most patients were clinically classified as mild (57.74%), and the most common symptoms were cough (48.71%), fever (39.35%), and sore throat (38.26%). The results for different vaccination groups in the Omicron group showed that the median of "SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG" after 2 or 3 doses of vaccination was higher than the unvaccinated group (all Ps ​< ​0.05). Older age was associated with a higher proportion of moderate cases and lower asymptomatic and mild cases based on clinical classifications. Compared to the Delta and Beta groups, the median age of the Omicron group was younger. The total number of asymptomatic patients and mild patients in the Omicron virus group was higher than the Delta and Beta groups (60.97% vs. 54.17% vs. 47.55%). This study presented the clinical characteristics of the first group of patients infected with the Omicron variant in Tianjin, China, and compared their clinical features with patients infected by the Delta and Beta variants, which would increase our understanding of the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The genus Clarireedia contains multiple species causing dollar spot (DS) on turfgrass worldwide. In November 2020, 119 Clarireedia isolates were obtained from symptomatic seashore paspalum at golf courses in Hainan province and identified to species level based on partial sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. A total of 45 and 22 isolates were identified as C. paspali and C. monteithiana , respectively; the remaining 52 isolates defined a new clade. Isolates from this clade were further selected for phylogenetic, morphological, and biological analyses. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods were implemented to obtain phylogenetic trees for partial sequences of the ITS, EF-1α , and McM7 genes. The selected isolates consistently fell into a distinct, well-supported clade within Clarireedia . Morphological and biological characteristics were observed among the different species in Clarireedia . Altogether, this study described a new species, Clarireedia hainanense , which has widespread distribution in Hainan, China. These findings may have important implications for the management of DS disease.

Low-molecular-weight (LMW) phthalate acid esters (PAEs) tend to enter the atmosphere, flying for several kilometers, so it is easy to endanger human health. This work is the first to use quantum chemistry calculations (Gaussian 16 program) and computational toxicology (ECOSAR, TEST, and Toxtree software) to comprehensively study the ozonolysis mechanism of six LMW PAEs (dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dipropyl phthalate (DPP), diisopropyl phthalate (DIP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)) in the atmosphere and the toxicity of DMP (take DMP as an example) in the conversion process. The results show that the electron-donating effect of the ortho position of the LMW PAEs has the most obvious influence on the ozonolysis. We summarized the ozonation reaction law of LMW PAEs at the optimal reaction site. At 298 K, the law of initial ozonolysis total rate constant of the LMW PAEs is k DIP  > k DPP  > k DIBP  > k DMP  > k DEP  > k DBP , and the range is 9.56 × 10 -25  cm 3 molecule -1 s -1 - 1.47 × 10 -22  cm 3 molecule -1 s -1 . According to the results of toxicity assessment, the toxicity of products is lower than DMP for aquatic organisms after ozonolysis. But those products have mutagenicity, developmental toxicity, non-genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and corrosiveness to the skin. The proposed ozonolysis mechanism promotes our understanding of the environmental risks of PAEs and provides new ideas for studying the degradation of PAEs in the tropospheric gas phase., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A high-quality reference genome is necessary to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying important biological phenomena; therefore, in the present study, a chromosome-level genome assembly of the Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis was performed. Muscle of a male shrimp was sequenced using PacBio platform, and assembled by Hi-C technology. The assembled F. chinensis genome was 1.47 Gb with contig N50 of 472.84 Kb, including 57.73% repetitive sequences, and was anchored to 43 pseudochromosomes, with scaffold N50 of 36.87 Mb. In total, 25,026 protein-coding genes were predicted. The genome size of F. chinensis showed significant contraction in comparison with that of other penaeid species, which is likely related to migration observed in this species. However, the F. chinensis genome included several expanded gene families related to cellular processes and metabolic processes, and the contracted gene families were associated with virus infection process. The findings signify the adaptation of F. chinensis to the selection pressure of migration and cold environment. Furthermore, the selection signature analysis identified genes associated with metabolism, phototransduction, and nervous system in cultured shrimps when compared with wild population, indicating targeted, artificial selection of growth, vision, and behavior during domestication. The construction of the genome of F. chinensis provided valuable information for the further genetic mechanism analysis of important biological processes, and will facilitate the research of genetic changes during evolution., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Sclerotinia homoeocarpa causes dollar spot disease on turfgrass and is a serious problem on many species worldwide. Fludioxonil, a phenylpyrrole fungicide, is not currently registered for dollar spot control in China. In this study, the baseline sensitivity to fludioxonil was established using an in vitro assay for 105 isolates of S. homoeocarpa collected from 10 locations in different regions of China. Results indicate that the frequency distribution of effective concentration for 50% inhibition of mycelial growth (EC 50 ) values of the S. homoeocarpa isolates was unimodal (W = 0.9847, P = .2730). The mean EC 50 value was 0.0020 ± 0.0006 μg/ml with a range from 0.0003 to 0.0035 μg/ml. A total of 7 fludioxonil-resistant mutants were obtained in laboratory, the mutants were stable in fludioxonil sensitivity after the 10th transfer, with resistance factor (RF) ranging from 4.320 to >13,901.4. The mutants showed a positive cross-resistance between fludioxonil and the dicarboximide fungicide iprodione, but not propiconazole, fluazinam, and thiophanate-methyl. When mycelial growth rate, pathogenicity and osmotic sensitivity were assessed, the mutants decreased in the fitness compared with their parental isolates. Sequence alignment of the histidine kinase gene Shos1 revealed a 13-bp fragment deletion only in one mutant, no mutations were observed on Shos1 in the rest resistant mutants., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Phytophthora capsici causes significant loss to pepper (Capsicum annum) in China and our goal was to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for P. capsici and characterize genetic diversity nationwide. Eighteen isolates of P. capsici from locations worldwide were re-sequenced and candidate nuclear and mitochondrial SNPs identified. From 2006 to 2012, 276 isolates of P. capsici were recovered from 136 locations in 27 provinces and genotyped using 45 nuclear and 2 mitochondrial SNPs. There were two main mitochondrial haplotypes and 95 multi-locus genotypes (MLGs) identified. Genetic diversity was geographically structured with a high level of genotypic diversity in the north and on Hainan Island in the south, suggesting outcrossing contributes to diversity in these areas. The remaining areas of China are dominated by four clonal lineages that share mitochondrial haplotypes, are almost exclusively the A1 or A2 mating type and appear to exhibit extensive diversity based on loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Analysis of SNPs directly from infected peppers confirmed LOH in field populations. One clonal lineage is dominant throughout much of the country. The overall implications for long-lived genetically diverse clonal lineages amidst a widely dispersed sexual population are discussed.