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Purpose: The clinical outcomes of patients who received a cervical collar after anterior cervical decompression and fusion were evaluated by comparison with those of patients who did not receive a cervical collar. Methods: All of the comparative studies published in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases as of 1 October 2023 were included. All outcomes were analysed using Review Manager 5.4. Results: Four studies with a total of 406 patients were included, and three of the studies were randomized controlled trials. Meta-analysis of the short-form 36 results revealed that wearing a cervical collar after anterior cervical decompression and fusion was more beneficial (P < 0.05). However, it is important to note that when considering the Neck Disability Index at the final follow-up visit, not wearing a cervical collar was found to be more advantageous. There were no statistically significant differences in postoperative cervical range of motion, fusion rate, or neck disability index at 6 weeks postoperatively (all P > 0.05) between the cervical collar group and the no cervical collar group. Conclusions: This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed no significant differences in the 6-week postoperative cervical range of motion, fusion rate, or neck disability index between the cervical collar group and the no cervical collar group. However, compared to patients who did not wear a cervical collar, patients who did wear a cervical collar had better scores on the short form 36. Interestingly, at the final follow-up visit, the neck disability index scores were better in the no cervical collar group than in the cervical collar group. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023466583. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although radiation workers are exposed to much lower doses of neutron-γ rays than those suffered in nuclear explosions and accidents, it does not mean that their health is not affected by radiation. Lower doses of radiation do not always cause morphological aberrations in chromosomes, so more sophisticated tests must be sought to specific alterations in the exposed cells. Our goal was to characterize the specific gene expression in lymphocytes from logging workers who were continuously exposed to low doses of neutron-γ radiation. We hypothesized that the combination of cell type-specific transcriptomes and open chromatin profiles would identify lymphocyte-specific gene alterations induced by long-term radiation with low-dose neutron^-rays and discover new regulatory pathways and transcriptional regulatory elements. Methods: Lymphocytes were extracted from workers who have been occupationally exposed to neutron-γ and workers unexposed to radiation in the same company. mRNA-seq and ATAC-seq (Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing) were performed, followed integrative analysis to identify specific gene regulatory regions induced by neutron-γ radiation. A qPCR assay was then performed to verify the downregulation of RNA coding for ribosomal proteins and flow cytometry was used to detect ribosomal protein expression and cell cycle alterations. Results: We identified transcripts that were specifically induced by neutron-γ radiation and discovered differential open chromatin regions that correlated with these gene activation patterns. Notably, we observed a downward trend in the expression of both differentially expressed genes and open chromatin peaks. Our most significant finding was that the differential peak upregulated in ATAC-seq, while the differential gene was downregulated in the ribosome pathway. We confirmed that neutron-γ radiation leads to transcriptional inhibition by analyzing the most enriched promoters, examining RPS18 and RPS27A expression by qPCR, and analyzing protein-protein interactions of the differential genes. Ribosomal protein expression and cell cycle were also affected by neutron-γ as detected by flow cytometry. Conclusion: We have comprehensively analyzed the genetic landscape of human lymphocytes based on chromatin accessibility and transcript levels, enabling the identification of novel neutron-γ induced signature genes not previously known. By comparing fine-mapping of open chromatin and RNA reads, we have determined that neutron-γ specifically leads to downregulation of genes in the ribosome pathway, with pseudogenes potentially playing a crucial role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shales in the Carboniferous–Permian Fengcheng (FC) and Lucaogou (LCG) formations in Junggar Basin are important organic rich rocks containing significant oil resources. To evaluate the difference in sedimentary environment conditions and hydrocarbon-generating potential between the FC and LCG formations. Total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-Eval pyrolysis, solvent extraction, column fractionation, stable carbon isotope, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of saturated hydrocarbons and organic petrology from the source rocks of FC and LCG formations. were analyzed. The biomarker composition indicates that during the deposition of FC, LCG-1 to LCG-2, the sedimentary environment for the source rock formations changed with gradual decrease of salinity, from anoxic to dyoxic/suboxic in redox conditions, and from strong stratification to weakened stratification of water. The FC Formation source rock, with main telalginite (planktonic green algae), archaebacteria and minor terrestrial organic matter, deposited in the environment characterized by high salinity and strongly reducing condition. Its TOC content is relatively low with a high original hydrocarbongenerating potential of unit organic material. The LCG Formation source rock deposited in the environment with low salinity and large variations, the organic matter is mainly sourced from telalginite (planktonic green algae), lamalginite, bacteria and higher plants, resulting in strong heterogeneity of the source rock. The abundance of TOC is high, but the original hydrocarbon generation potential of unit organic matter is lower than that of FC Formation. The results provide a geochemical basis for further study of saline-brackish water sedimentary environment shales in the Junggar Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2023, a critically endangered plant species called Plantago fengdouensis was rediscovered on an island in the Yangtze River in Sichuan, China. This species is endemic to the Yangtze River Basin and was previously thought to be extinct in the wild due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. However, two previously unknown populations of the plant were found in January 2024 on two islands in the Yangtze River. Efforts are being made to protect these populations and conduct further surveys to locate any other wild populations. Seeds have been collected for ex situ conservation and genetic investigation, with the aim of potentially reintroducing the species. [Extracted from the article]

A. venetum is highly valuable medicinal plant explore mostly in China and Japan owing to its diverse herbal function in the treatment of a number of ailments. Despite being more popular for the medicinal function, it has an appreciable amount of fiber with a potential significance of complementing cotton, ramie, and other fiber plants. Fabric made from A. venetum fiber is reported to emit infra-red rays of about 8–15 µm wavelength and efficiently resist ultraviolet light – properties that made it a good choice in the industries for making underwear. Presence of small openings in the fiber microstructure permitting air circulation and improves dryness was found helpful in hypertension and coronary heart diseases. Due to its higher modulus and work rupture property, it is commonly blended with cotton or chemical fibers. Besides, the plant with higher lithium accumulation capability is a candidate for remediation of soil from heavy metals and its drought-tolerant nature can as well be exploited for breeding purpose of food/cash crop through gene mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, the total content from two Apocynum species leaves (Apocynum venetum and Apocynum hendersonii) collected from the Ili River Valley Region were extracted, and their bioactivities were investigated. The results showed a significant variation in the total flavonoid contents in the leaf samples collected at different periods (June, July, August, and September), with the highest content in August (60.11 ± 0.38 mg RE/g DW for A. venetum and 56.56 ± 0.24 mg RE/g DW for A. hendersonii), and the lowest in June (22.36 ± 0.05 mg RE/g DW for A. venetum and 20.79 ± 0.02 mg RE/g DW for A. hendersonii). The total flavonoid content was comparably higher in A. venetum than in A. hendersonii. Leaves extracts from the two species demonstrated strong bioactivity, which positively correlated with the total flavonoid contents. The anti-oxidative activity of A. venetum was higher than that of A. hendersonii in tandem with its higher flavonoid contents; the antibacterial activity, however, was conversely opposite. Furthermore, a total of 83 flavonoid metabolites were identified in the two species based on UPLC-ESI-MS/MS, out of which 24 metabolites were differentially accumulated. The variability in these metabolites might be the reason for the different bioactivities displayed by the two species. The present study provides insight into the optimal harvest time for Apocynum species planted in the major distribution area of the Ili River Valley and the specific utilization of A. venetum and A. hendersonii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuI is a wide bandgap p-type transparent conductor with promising optoelectronic properties. However, conventional CuI films prepared through the iodination of Cu films exhibit rough surface, poor stability and excessively high hole concentration, hindering its application. Herein, we introduce CuI−Ga 2 O 3 composite films as a substitution to overcome the shortcomings of pure CuI. During the iodination process, Ga 2 O 3 hindered the mobility of CuI grain boundaries, resulting in small grain size and low surface roughness. After the charge re-equilibrium and low-energy carrier filtering at the interface between Ga 2 O 3 and CuI, the hole concentration in the films decreased by an order of magnitude. Due to the interface effect of Ga 2 O 3 at the grain boundaries of CuI, the hole mobility increased by 5 times, and the conductivity improved by 53%. The ultra-wide band gap of Ga 2 O 3 enhanced the transmittance of CuI films in short wavelength region. Ga 2 O 3 served to passivate the grain boundaries of CuI, preventing the oxidation of CuI and the loss of iodine, consequently improving the stability of the films. This work will deepen the understanding of the failure and hole transport mechanisms of CuI films. • The second phase Ga 2 O 3 inhibits the movement of CuI grain boundaries. • Ga 2 O 3 reduces the surface roughness of CuI films. • CuI−Ga 2 O 3 films have lower hole concentration, higher conductivity and hole mobility. • CuI−Ga 2 O 3 films exhibit better stability in ambient than pure CuI films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The new TiO 2 /Au/PMMA structure achieves high hardness and excellent transparency. • Robust electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency within the range of 19–29 dB. • The function lead to applications for aerospace equipment and visualization windows. This research addresses the critical need for a highly stable and transparent electromagnetic shielding coating for aircraft PMMA windows and canopies, crucial for safeguarding against electromagnetic interference and enhancing aircraft stealth capabilities. The study presents the novel design, deposition and investigation of transparent coatings, specifically TiO 2 /Au, on PMMA organic glass cockpit canopies. Optimization of TiO 2 and Au film thicknesses is achieved through simulation using TFcalc software, incorporating polarization and optical constants data obtained in this study. The experiments reveal that the deposition of TiO 2 /Au/TiO 2 on PMMA results in fogging, reducing transparency, while novel TiO 2 /Au coating does not exhibit this issue. The TiO 2 /Au configuration, featuring a TiO 2 layer approximately 30 nm thick and an Au film ranging from 11 to 15 nm in thickness, demonstrates outstanding attributes, including a remarkable transparency level of approximately 70–80% and robust electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency within the range of 19–29 dB across S, C, X, and Ku bands of electromagnetic waves. These exceptional performance characteristics position it as an ideal choice for aviation applications. The synergy of the stable Au and durable TiO 2 components, with their high hardness and self-cleaning properties, extends its potential utility to a diverse array of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressional and shear wave velocities (Vp and Vs, respectively) are important elastic parameters to predict reservoir parameters, such as lithology and hydrocarbons. Due to acquisition technologies and economy, the shear wave velocity is generally lacking. Over the last few years, some researchers proposed deep learning algorithms to predict the shear wave velocity using conventional logging data. However, these algorithms focus either on spatial feature extraction for different physical properties of rocks or on sequential feature extraction in the depth direction of rocks. Only focusing on feature extraction in a direction of rocks might lead to a decrease in prediction accuracy. Therefore, we propose a hybrid network of a two-dimensional convolutional neural network and the gated recurrent unit (2DCNN-GRU), which can establish more complex nonlinear relationships between the input and output data based on the spatial features extracted by 2DCNN and the sequential features extracted by GRU. In this study, two cases are used to validate the reliability and prediction accuracy of the proposed network. Comparing the prediction results of 2DCNN, GRU, and the proposed network, the proposed network shows better performance. Meanwhile, for improving the prediction accuracy of the proposed network, the relationship is analyzed between the prediction accuracy of the proposed network and the length of the input sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Pediastrum has been observed in the Anjihaihe Formation (E2+3a) shale through organic petrology studies. Additionally, analyses of total organic carbon and rock pyrolysis (Rock–Eval) revealed that the E2+3a shale predominantly comprises oil-bearing type I and II kerogen at a low-maturity stage. The organic matter (OM) in the shale is primarily contributed by Pediastrum, indicating excellent original hydrocarbon generation potential. Hydrous pyrolysis was conducted on a Pediastrum-rich sample, and the liquid product was analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) of the saturated fraction. It was discovered that n-C27 might serve as a characteristic biomarker indicating Pediastrum development. During warm and humid climatic conditions, rivers transport significant amounts of freshwater and terrigenous organic matter (OM) into the lake, leading to an increase in felsic minerals and a relative decrease in carbonate minerals. This, in turn, reduces water salinity, resulting in a relative increase in the abundance of Pediastrum. Conversely, during earlier hot and arid climatic conditions, the input of terrigenous OM decreases, and evaporation leads to increased salinity. When the water’s salinity exceeds the “salinity critical point”, the Pediastrum content decreases. Finally, this study presents a formation and evolution model for the E2+3a shale in the Junggar Basin.Graphical Abstract: In this study, Pediastrum has been observed in the Anjihaihe Formation (E2+3a) shale through organic petrology studies. Additionally, analyses of total organic carbon and rock pyrolysis (Rock–Eval) revealed that the E2+3a shale predominantly comprises oil-bearing type I and II kerogen at a low-maturity stage. The organic matter (OM) in the shale is primarily contributed by Pediastrum, indicating excellent original hydrocarbon generation potential. Hydrous pyrolysis was conducted on a Pediastrum-rich sample, and the liquid product was analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) of the saturated fraction. It was discovered that n-C27 might serve as a characteristic biomarker indicating Pediastrum development. During warm and humid climatic conditions, rivers transport significant amounts of freshwater and terrigenous organic matter (OM) into the lake, leading to an increase in felsic minerals and a relative decrease in carbonate minerals. This, in turn, reduces water salinity, resulting in a relative increase in the abundance of Pediastrum. Conversely, during earlier hot and arid climatic conditions, the input of terrigenous OM decreases, and evaporation leads to increased salinity. When the water’s salinity exceeds the “salinity critical point”, the Pediastrum content decreases. Finally, this study presents a formation and evolution model for the E2+3a shale in the Junggar Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of advanced transparent electrical devices has created an urgent demand for wide‐bandgap transparent semiconductors. Herein, a simple, low‐cost ink‐based method for preparation of LaCuOS is introduced. High transmittances of above 60% and 65% at visible (380–750 nm) and mid‐infrared (3–5 μm) wavelengths, respectively, are obtained with LaCuOS films prepared using this ink. With these films, the carrier concentration is above 1018 cm−3, while a conductivity of 5 S cm−1 is obtained, electrical properties that are both higher than those of most transparent p‐type semiconductors. From density functional theory calculations, it is surmised that the improved conductivity of the LaCuOS is a result of its high carrier concentration, and its hole effective mass, which is smaller than that of typical transparent p‐type semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The bast fiber crop ramie can be used as high-quality forage resources, especially in tropical or subtropical region where there is lack of high-quality protein feed. Hongxuan No.1 (HX_1) is a unique ramie variety with a light reddish brown leaf color, which is obviously different from elite cultivar, Zhongzhu No.1 (ZZ_1, green leaf). While, the regulatory mechanism of color difference or secondary metaboliates synthesis between these two varieties have not been studied. Results: In this study, phenotypic, transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of HX_1 and ZZ_1 were conducted to elucidate the mechanism of leaf color formation. Chromaticity value and pigment content measuring showed that anthocyanin was the main metabolites imparting the different leaf color phenotype between the two varieties. Based on LC/MS, at least 14 anthocyanins were identified in leaves of HX_1 and ZZ_1, and the HX_1 showed the higher relative content of malvidin-, pelargonidin-,and cyanidin-based anthocyanins. Transcriptome and metabolome co-analysis revealed that the up-regulated expression of flavonoids synthesis gene was positively correlated with total anthocyanins accumulation in ramie leaf, and the differentfially expression of "blue gene" (F3'5'H) and the "red gene" (F3'H) in leaves bring out HX_1 metabolic flow more input into the cyanidin branch. Furthermore, the enrichment of glycosylated modification pathway (UGT and AT) and the expression of flavonoid 3-O-glucosyl transferase (UFGT), anthocyanidin reductase (ANR), in leaves were significantly influenced the diversity of anthocyanins between HX_1 and ZZ_1. Conclusions: Phenotypic, transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of HX_1 and ZZ_1 indicated that the expression levels of genes related to anthocyanin metabolism contribute to the color formation of ramie variety. Anthocyanins are important plant secandary metabilates with many physiological functions, the results of this study will deepened our understanding of ramie leaf color formation, and provided basis for molecular breeding of functional forage ramie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P-type transparent conductive materials (TCMs) are urgently needed in the development of photoelectric devices. In particular, the P-type TCMs that can be applied in the mid-infrared range are even rarer due to the conflict between the transparent range and the conductivity of materials. In this work, a P-type mid-infrared transparent conductive LaSe2 film is obtained by a two-step method combining the RF sputtering and a selenized annealing process. The crystal structure of the film has been confirmed by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum analysis. According to the Hall effect measurement results, the LaSe2 film has a higher conductivity (about 3.6 S/cm) than that of traditional P-type mid-infrared TCMs, which is attributed to its ten times higher carrier concentration (about 1019 cm−3) and a much smaller hole effective mass (about 0.34 me) compared to the conventional P-type mid-infrared TCMs. The transmittance (about 75%) is at the same level as that of the traditional P-type mid-infrared TCMs. In a sense, the LaSe2 is a promising candidate material for the development of mid-infrared photoelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crude oil has been discovered in the Paleogene and Neogene units of the Weixinan Sag in the Beibu Gulf Basin. To determine the source and accumulation mode of this crude oil, 12 crude oil samples and 27 source rock samples were collected and an extensive organic geochemical analysis was conducted on them. Based on the geological conditions and the analytical results, the types, origins and accumulation patterns of crude oil in the study area were elucidated. Except for a shallowly‐buried and biodegraded crude oil deposit in Neogene rocks, the crude oil samples in the study area were normal. All of the crude oils were derived from lacustrine source rocks. According to biomarker compositions, the crude oils could be divided into two families, A and B, distinctions that were reinforced by differences in carbon isotope composition and spatial distribution. Oil‐source correlation analysis based on biomarkers revealed that Family A oils were derived from the mature oil shale at the bottom of the second member of the Liushagang Formation, while the Family B oils formed in the mature shale of the Liushagang Formation. The Family A oils, generated by oil shale, mainly migrated laterally along sand bodies and were then redistributed in adjacent reservoirs above and below the oil shale layer, as well as in shallow layers at high structural positions, occupying a wide distribution range. The Family B oils were generated by other shale units before migrating vertically along faults to form reservoirs nearby, resulting in a narrow distribution range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new P-type transparent conductive LaSe 2 film with excellent photoelectric properties is found. • A novel two-step method is used to prepare LaSe 2 film. • Effect of annealing time on their photoelectric properties is investigated. • Results indicate that the best annealing time is 2 h. LaSe 2 films were prepared on sapphire (0001) substrates by combining magnetron sputtering and selenized annealing. The influence of selenized annealing time on the structures and photoelectric properties of the thin films were investigated using glancing incident X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectrometry and Hall effect measurements. The results showed that the film had a perfect monoclinic structure and a smooth surface morphology. The average transmittance in the mid-infrared range was greater than 55%, and the highest was 65%. The LaSe 2 films had a higher carrier concentration (∼1019 cm−3) and conductivity (∼1.9 S/cm) than those of other P-type transparent conductive films, which showed that LaSe 2 was a potential new P-type material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Petrous bone cholesteatoma (PBC) is a rare but local aggressive lesion which can lead to severe complications. Surgery is the mainstay for its treatment. Objectives: To analyse the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes in a series of patients with PBC, paying special attention to cochlea preservation and use of endoscope. Materials and methods: Retrospective study of 51 patients with PBC who underwent surgery at our centre. Results: Hearing loss (72.5%) and facial paralysis (58.8%) were the two most common symptoms. According to Sanna's classification, supralabyrinthine subtype (51.0%) was the most common subtype, followed by the massive subtype (33.3%). In most patients, PBC was radically removed using subtotal petrosectomy (80.4%). Endoscope was used for assistance in six cases. Various managements of facial nerve were used in different cases. Hearing rehabilitation was not emphasized (44 postoperative dead ear); however, cochlea was preserved as far as possible (45.3%). Recurrence was identified in five patients by MRI with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) sequence. No recurrence was detected in patients underwent surgery with endoscope assistance. Conclusions and significance: radical excision and functional reconstruction constitute the framework of PBC surgery. Cochlea preservation is critical for possible cochlear implantation in the future. Use of endoscope has the potential to enhance surgical precision and reduce recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Source rocks are found in the Eocene Liushagang Formation (El 1: bottom , El 2 and El 3:top members), in the Weixi'nan sag, Beibuwan Basin. The source rocks are mainly mudrocks, except El 2 , which consists of organic-rich shales at the bottom and mudrocks in the middle-upper part. Total organic carbon (TOC) and Rock-Eval analyses of 146 samples indicate that El 2 rocks have the best hydrocarbon generating potential, especially for organic-rich shales that contain up to 10% TOC with HI > 800 mg/g. The vitrinite reflectance analysis suggests that El source rocks are marginally mature to mature. Geochemical analyses were conducted on 18 El rock extracts and 18 oil samples from the WZ12 field. El 2 and El 3 source rock have similar organic facies and are distinct from El 1. El 2 and El 3 have higher C 27 βα (20R + 20S) diasteranes/C 27 αββ (20R + 20S) steranes (C 27 DiaS/C 27 S), Gammacerane/Hopane (G/H) and (C 28 + C 29) tricyclic terpane/((C 28 + C 29) tricyclic terpane + Ts) (ETR), and low C 23 tricyclic terpane/hopane (C 23 /H) and C 24 tetracyclic terpanes/C 26 tricyclic terpane (C 24 /C 26). These biomarker distributions indicate that El 2 and El 3 rocks were deposited under more alkaline-saline environment and had less import of terrestrial organic matter relative to El 1. El 2 can be distinguished from El 3 as having higher 4-methylsteranes/C 29 ααα steranes (4MSI) and G/H. WZ12 oils all exhibit similar compositions and display biomarker characteristics that correlate with the El 2 and El 3 rock extracts. 1D thermal and burial history model shows that El 2 and El 3 began to generate a great deal of hydrocarbon at ∼11.5 Ma and 23 Ma, respectively. At this stage, traps formed and faults actively extended downwards into the El 2 and likely into El 3. Oils expelled from El 2 and El 3 migrated upward into shallow intervals along faults then laterally along the structural slopes and accumulated in areas with good fault sealing primarily in the Miocene age Nx and Nj strata. Meanwhile, under the effect of overpressure in the middle of organic-rich shales, oils from El 2 may have migrated downward into reservoirs in the upper part of El 3. Lithologic traps in El 1 reservoir may be charged with relatively immature oil derived from El 1. Highlights • Source rocks in El 2 , especially organic-rich shales in the bottom of El 2 are the most important source rocks. • Sedimentary environment of different intervals of El have been distinguished. • WZ12 oils generated from oil El 2 and El 3 source rocks based on biomarkers parameters of saturated hydrocarbon. • Faults and overpressure may be responsible for the distribution of WZ12 oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As lanthanum oxide (La 2 O 3) has a large bandgap, it exhibits excellent optical properties. In this work, La 2 O 3 thin films are prepared by the sol-gel method from a lanthanum chloride (LaCl 3) precursor, on quartz and sapphire (0001) substrates. The effect of the annealing temperature (400–800 °C) on the optical properties of the La 2 O 3 films is investigated. The structure and optical properties are analyzed by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and infrared variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. Results indicate that with an annealing temperature of ~600 °C, the roughness and optical properties of La 2 O 3 films can be significantly improved. Highlights • La 2 O 3 thin films are prepared by sol-gel method on quartz and sapphire substrates. • Effect of annealing temperature on their optical properties is investigated. • Results indicate that the best annealing temperature is around 600 °C. • The roughness and optical properties of films are significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using a hydroponic culture system, the terrestrial fiber crop ramie can growth optimally in aquatic environment and enhance exponentially quantities of high quality seedlings for subsequent field cultivation. In this study, the survival rate of ramie seedling was more than 97% when cultured using the novel hydroponic method. Further physiological analysis of the hydroponic ramie to different concentration of livestock wastewater demonstrated that all of these ramies can survival in livestock wastewater, but the 4 times diluted livestock wastewater (total N: 100.9 mg L−1, total P: 2.69 mg L−1) was more appropriate for ramie growth. The nutrients N and P in livestock wastewater were significantly decreased by the growth of ramie, and the removal efficiency of total N and total P in the 4 times diluted livestock wastewater achieved 78.1% and 43.1% respectively within 5 weeks. In conclusion, our studies highlight that the combination of ramie and the hydroponic technology resulted to be effective in the phytoremediation of livestock wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of TOC, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, carbon isotope composition, solvent extract, extract fractionation, and the gas chromatography-mass spectrum (GC-MS) of the saturated fraction were conducted on the Lower Permian Fengcheng Formation carbonate-bearing shales and argillaceous dolomites of Well FN7 in the northwestern Junggar Basin to understand the geochemistry and depositional environmental evolution of the carbonate-bearing lacustrine source rocks. The results indicate that the Fengcheng Formation carbonate-bearing shales are fair to good source rocks with Type II kerogen for generating oil and minor gas, and the argillaceous dolomites are poor source rocks. The thermal mature shales contain more residually generated hydrocarbon, whereas the argillaceous dolomites contain more migrated hydrocarbon. This property is favorable for shale oil or tight oil accumulation in the Fengcheng Formation. Biomarker analyses indicate that the Fengcheng Formation source rocks were formed in the anoxic reducing lacustrine depositional environment with a stratified water column and high salinity. The source rock organic matter has major aquatic phytoplankton and algae input and less terrestrial organic matter input. During the Fengcheng Formation period, oxidation had a weak increasing tendency and salinity had a weak decreasing tendency from the early to late periods under the background of a reducing environment. Except for poor source rocks in upper and lower parts, the good source rocks are primarily in the middle part of the Fengcheng Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shale from the Cretaceous Taizhou Formation is an important source rock in the Gaoyou Sag, Northern Jiangsu Basin. Fifty-three shale core samples analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC) and Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses were used to evaluate the geochemistry of this shale. Twenty-one samples of them were analyzed using solvent extraction, extract fractionation, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) of the saturated fraction, and organic petrology analyses. Based on the test results, the shale of the Taizhou Formation contains mainly Type II-III organic matter and is chiefly oil-prone and oil-gas-prone, as a fair to good oil-source rock with a small quantity of gas-source rock. Vitrinite reflectance, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, and biomarker suggest that in this sag, the shale of the Taizhou Formation is mainly in the early mature stage and within the oil window, so the shale generates chiefly liquid oil. The Gaoyou Sag is an oil-generating sag. The saturated fraction and biomarker composition of the shale provide evidence that the Taizhou Formation shale was formed mainly in a reductive sedimentary environment with anoxic fresh to low salinity water. The organic matter came chiefly from plankton and partly from land plants and bacterial organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shales in the Baijiantan Formation are considered to be an important potential source rock in the Junggar Basin. To evaluate this basin’s source-rock characteristics, 61 core samples from 14 boreholes were analyzed using total organic carbon and total sulfur analyses and Rock-Eval pyrolysis. Thirty-two core samples were analyzed using solvent extraction, column fractionation, biomarker analysis and the organic petrology of kerogen. The results suggest that the shales in the Baijiantan Formation have fair to excellent hydrocarbon generation potential, and the organic matter types include both Type II and Type III. The shales in the Baijiantan Formation are mainly oil-generating rocks, and better source rocks are mainly distributed in the middle–lower section of the Baijiantan Formation. The total organic carbon and total sulfur analyses, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, and biomarkers indicate that the shales in the Baijiantan Formation formed in a low-salinity to freshwater lacustrine sedimentary environment under reducing conditions. Biomarkers indicate that the organic matter input of the shales exhibits varying contributions from plankton, algae and terrestrial organisms. The biomarker molecular composition of the source rock is related to the organic matter source, salinity, redox conditions and maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates fault-tolerant control (FTC) for feedback linearisable systems (FLSs) and its application to an aircraft. To ensure desired transient and steady-state behaviours of the tracking error under actuator faults, the dynamic effect caused by the actuator failures on the error dynamics of a transformed model is analysed, and three control strategies are designed. The first FTC strategy is proposed as a robust controller, which relies on the explicit information about several parameters of the actuator faults. To eliminate the need for these parameters and the input chattering phenomenon, the robust control law is later combined with the adaptive technique to generate the adaptive FTC law. Next, the adaptive control law is further improved to achieve the prescribed performance under more severe input disturbance. Finally, the proposed control laws are applied to an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle (AHV) subject to actuator failures, which confirms the effectiveness of the proposed strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybridization and polyploidization can be major mechanisms for plant evolution and speciation. Thus, the process of polyploidization and evolutionary history of polyploids is of widespread interest. The chloroplast DNA regions trnH - psbA was used to analyze to phylogenetic relationships and maternal donor of Elymus species and their closely related species. The Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic reconstructions partitioned the Elymus species into two groups. All the Elymus species were related to species of Pseudoroegneria . These results indicated that (1) Pseudoroegneria (St genome) was the maternal donor of the polyploidy Elymus ; (2) the St genome of Elymus had several origins and diverse species of Pseudoroegneria might have taken part in the formation of polyploid species of Elymus ; (3) high degree genome differentiation exists among the Pseudoroegneria species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a mass of transitional types of rock including proportionally-predominated shales, secondary siliciclastic sandstones, and carbonate rocks which are in small proportion (major dolostone and minor limestone) in Lucaogou Formation of the Jimusaer Sag of Junggar Basin. These rocks were deposited in brackish lacustrine environment under alkaline to weak alkaline conditions. The various rock types were all formed in reduction environment, but there is the broadest oxidation–reduction varying condition for the shale, and environmental reductivity where dolostones deposited is stronger than that of sandstones. The organic matter in source rocks comes from either aquatic organism or terrestrial organism. As reservoir, parts of sandstones and dolostones contain more primitive solid organic matters which might act as the hydrocarbon-generating material base. Parent material types of source rocks in different lithologies are mainly mixed type of type II 2 -I and have oil-prone characteristic. In the study area, the Ro value corresponding to oil generation peak for source rock is Ro=0.9%, lower than the classic model oil peak Ro=1.0% and thermal maturity of source rocks in multifarious types fall in the stage of oil generation. Determined by relationships of TOC content vs. Bitumen/TOC and TOC content vs. HCI, the lower TOC limit for active rocks is around 1.0%, hereby, about 90% of the shales, all of the limestone, and a third of the dolostone and sandstone are active source rocks. Therefore, there are preferable oil-generating potential of lithologically different source rocks in Lucaogou Formation of the Jimusaer Sag. The shales are chiefly oil-prone source rock and parts of dolostone, sandstone and limestone also have a contribution to the oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale oil exploration and development have been conducted in the Permian Lucaogou Formation in the Jimusaer Sag, Junggar Basin. The upper (P 2 l 2) and lower (P 2 l 1) members of the Lucaogou Formation developed with sand layers, which are the shale oil development sections in the Lucaogou Formation. In order to clarify the enrichment law of shale oil for these members, the geological conditions of the P 2 l 2 and P 2 l 1 members were analyzed. The focus of this study were oil-bearing sandstone and mudstone samples from the Lucaogou Formation. These samples were studied by casting thin section observation, total organic carbon, pyrolysis, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The results showed that the upper and lower members of the Lucaogou Formation are mainly characterized as interbedded source rock and reservoir. An oil-source correlation showed that the crude oil in the upper member mainly originated from its adjacent source rock from a deeper position through secondary migration. However, no evidence of secondary migration was observed in the crude oil in the lower member which mainly originated from the adjacent source rock. For the sandbodies in the upper member, when burial is shallower than peak oil generation, the physical properties of the middle part of the sandbody are better than the top and bottom. When burial is deeper than peak oil generation, relatively good physical properties developed in the sandstone in the vicinity the source rock. The lower member has less reservoir thickness, poorer lateral continuity and horizontal permeability than the upper member. The high-quality reservoirs are represented in a single sandbody in the lower member that is mainly developed in the middle part. After the crude oil was discharged from the source rock enters the sandbody, and long-distance lateral migration was restricted. Thus, crude oil in the lower member is enriched and accumulated in situ. • The characteristics of the source rocks and reservoir of the upper and lower members of the Lucaogou Formation are described. • The oil-source correlation in the upper and lower reservoirs of the Lucaogou Formation have been discussed. • The oil accumulation model of the upper and lower member of the Lucaogou Formation is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zingiberales is an ancient monocot order in the angiosperms. It has undergone radiation since the Cretaceous period. However, the relationships among primary lineages (families) are difficult to resolve. Additional support for phylogenetic relationships within this order have been obtained using plastid genome data from 76 coding genes and 4 rDNA loci from 17 species represented eight families. We reconstructed ancestral geographic areas using the Bayesian Binary Markov Chain Monte Carlo (BMM) method. These analyses indicated several major radiations of Zingiberales occurring in Africa, Neotropical America and Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sources and enrichment of organic matter in a sediment core in the first member of the Xiagou Formation (Kg) from the Chang 2-2 borehole of the Jiuquan Basin, NW China, have been examined using Rock-Eval, maceral, carbon isotopes and biomarker data. This data indicates that highly variable organic matter sources and preservation conditions in response to climate change. TOC content, HI, and δC value were strongly correlated with the abundance of gammacerane, woody organic matter content, steranes/hopanes ratio, and C sterane content. This correlation demonstrates the importance that the control of the salinity of the depositional environment and organic matter sources can have upon the enrichment, type, and carbon isotopic composition of organic matter. In the Jiuquan Basin's relatively high temperature and arid climate, high salinity lakes with high primary productivity of algae, planktons, and bacteria, and good organic matter preservation conditions (anoxic bottom water) resulted in the enrichment of isotopically-light algae-bacterial organic matter. In the Jiuquan Basin's regions with a relatively low temperature and wet climate, fresh lakes with low primary productivity of algae, planktons, and bacteria received significant terrigenous high plants input, resulting in the deposition of a low abundance of isotopically heavier terrestrial organic matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional screening of a metagenomic library of termite hindgut identified an overlapping gene cluster encoding the phosphotransferase system (PTS) components, which consisted of a glucoside specific PTS enzyme II gene ( glu1923 ) and a glycoside hydrolase gene ( glu1392 ). Hydrolytic experiments revealed that the combined effect of Glu1923 and Glu1392 was responsible for the utilization of glucosidic substrates in recombinant Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) strains. Yeast two hybrid analysis suggested that there was an interaction between Glu1923 and Glu1392, and the domain EIIA of Glu1923 played an important role for the interaction. In addition, the hydrolase Glu1392 displayed hydrolysis ability toward cellobiose and maltose, and had a very high tolerance to glucose with a K i value of 2.25 M. These properties make Glu1392 an interesting candidate in biotechnology applications after further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates fault-tolerant control (FTC) for feedback linearizable systems (FLSs) and its applications. The dynamic effects caused by the actuator faults on the feedback linearized model are firstly analyzed, which reveals that under actuator faults, the control input in the linearized model is affected by uncertain terms. In the framework of model reference control, the first FTC strategy is proposed as a robust controller, which achieves asymptotic tracking control of the FLS under actuator faults. A disadvantage of this strategy is that it relies on explicit information about several parameters in the actuator faults. This requirement is later relaxed by combining the robust FTC strategy with an adaptive technique to generate the adaptive FTC law, which is then improved to alleviate possible chattering of the actuator and estimation drifting of the adaptive parameter. Finally, the proposed FTC strategies are evaluated by reference command tracking control of a pendulum and an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle under actuator faults. Simulation results demonstrate good tracking performance, which confirms effectiveness of the proposed strategies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elymus L. is not only an important gene pool for crops, such as wheat and barley, but also an important part of fine forages. The endosperm is a important part to seeds of cereal crops and the weight of endosperm is more than 90% in cereal crops seeds. The endosperm characteristics is a relatively stable genetic character, which can be used as a indicator to research plant classification and phylogenetic relationships. As the kind of micro morphological characteristics of plants, the endosperm characteristics is valuable in phylogeny of Triticeae. To provide evidence of the endosperm cells for reveal the phylogenetic relationships of Elymus species, as well as accumulate data for use the genus improve the quality of wheat and barley. The endosperm cells of 11 Triticeae species which belong to 6 Elymus species, 2 Pseudoroegneria species, 1 Hordeum species or 2 Agropyron species, were surveyed in this paper. The results were as follows: (1) Significant variations existed in the size, forms and quantity of endosperm cells in those species; (2) The cell shape and size existed small variations in Agropyron cristatum (P), A. mongolicum (P) and Pseudoroegneria libanotica (St) , P. spicata (St), respectively, (3) The differences in genera were smaller than those in species, indicating that the characters of endosperm cells had less value in the systematic studies of those genera than in the studies of those species in Triticeae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is on the design and simulation of robust tracking control for an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle (AHV), which is affected by high nonlinearity, uncertain parameters and input constraints. The linearisation method is employed for the longitudinal AHV model about a specific trim condition, and then considering the additive uncertainties of three parameters, the linearised model is just in the form of affine parameter dependence. From this point, the linear parameter-varying method is applied to design the desired controller. The poles for the closed-loop system of the linearised model are placed into a desired vertical strip, and the quadratic stability of the closed-loop system is guaranteed. Input constraints of the AHV are addressed by additional linear matrix inequalities. Finally, the designed controller is evaluated on the nonlinear AHV model and simulation results demonstrate excellent tracking performance with good robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the brackish water sedimentary environment of the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang, the organic-rich shale and shale oil formation with relatively low maturity, is characterized by relatively high abundance of C 28 regular steranes. However, the biogenic source of organic matter and favorable sedimentary environment for the type of source rock has been thoroughly classified. In this paper, organic geochemical and petrological, analyses of the Lucaogou Formation shale in the Jimusaer Sag, Junggar Basin in the north of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomy Region were carried out. The source rocks in the Lucaogou Formation are mainly composed of two types of maceral including lamalginite (cyanobacteria) and telalginite (green algae), with the former predominantly fueling the high C 28 regular sterane content. Petrological, organic and inorganic geochemical analyses suggest that the lamalginite was developed in low-salinity water while the telalginite was developed in high-salinity water. Based on geochemical and organic petrological characteristics, both the lamalginite and telalginite have good hydrocarbon-generating potential, but in the lower thermal evolution stage of the Lucaogou Formation source rock, telalginite have higher hydrocarbon-generating rate. • Lamalginite (cyanobacteria) is the primary source of C 28 regular steranes. • The lamalginite (cyanobacteria) is more developed when the salinity is low and the telalginite (green algae) is more developed when the salinity is high. • In the lower thermal evolution stage of the Lucaogou Formation source rock, the lamalginite (cyanobacteria) has lower hydrocarbon-generating rate than the telalginite (green algae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two-dimensional (2D) X-ray imaging is the dominant imaging modality for cardiac interventions. However, the use of X-ray fluoroscopy alone is inadequate for the guidance of procedures that require soft-tissue information, for example, the treatment of structural heart disease. The recent availability of three-dimensional (3D) trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE) provides cardiologists with real-time 3D imaging of cardiac anatomy. Increasingly X-ray imaging is now supported by using intra-procedure 3D TEE imaging. We hypothesize that the real-time co-registration and visualization of 3D TEE and X-ray fluoroscopy data will provide a powerful guidance tool for cardiologists. In this paper, we propose a novel, robust and efficient method for performing this registration. The major advantage of our method is that it does not rely on any additional tracking hardware and therefore can be deployed straightforwardly into any interventional laboratory. Our method consists of an image-based TEE probe localization algorithm and a calibration procedure. While the calibration needs to be done only once, the GPU-accelerated registration takes approximately from 2 to 15s to complete depending on the number of X-ray images used in the registration and the image resolution. The accuracy of our method was assessed using a realistic heart phantom. The target registration error (TRE) for the heart phantom was less than 2mm. In addition, we assess the accuracy and the clinical feasibility of our method using five patient datasets, two of which were acquired from cardiac electrophysiology procedures and three from trans-catheter aortic valve implantation procedures. The registration results showed our technique had mean registration errors of 1.5–4.2mm and 95% capture range of 8.7–11.4mm in terms of TRE. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new triterpenoid saponin, named semenoside A (1), was isolated from Semen Celosia cristatae. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of 1D, 2D NMR, HR-FAB-MS and ESI-MS techniques, and physicochemical properties. The hepatoprotective activity of semenoside A with an oral dose of 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0mg/kg, respectively, were investigated by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The results indicated that it had significant hepatoprotective effects (p <0.01). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Constituents of the fruits of Peatasites tatewakianus were investigated. A new compound, namely bakkenolide-VI (1), was isolated. The structures was elucidated on the basis of 1D, 2D NMR, TOF-MS and ESI-MS techniques, and physicochemical properties. The neuroprotective activity of the new compound was assayed with primary cultured neurons exposed to oxygen–glucose deprivation and oxidative insults. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Transcriptome and proteome profiles revealed global view of ramie regulation mechanism responding to hydroponic culturing compared to soiled culturing. • 24 BnALDH genes grouped in 8 ALDH superfamily, mainly functioned in roots, is responsible for the quick and stable adaptation of ramie to hypoxic aquatic environment through acetaldehyde detoxification and osmotic protection. • BnALDH18 is a promising and untapped gene for improving oxygen deficiency tolerance in ramie under hydroponic culturing, which was proved by its heterologously overexpression in Escherichia coli cells. It is an increasing interest in developing a hydroponic culture system for ramie propagation, which provide a promising method for blocking-up the soilborne diseases. However, there is an urgent need for better understanding of ramie adaptation mechanism during hydroponic culturing under low-oxygen condition. In this study, a genome-wide study plus transcriptomic and proteomic analysis was conducted to profile the molecular responses related to ramie oxidative adaption. The results showed that aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) played important roles in molecular oxygen deficiency and anaerobic metabolism in ramie. Totally, 24 ALDH genes in ramie genome were identified and grouped into 8 superfamily. All of these 24 BnALDH genes, which are unevenly distributed on the 12 chromosomes, exhibited differential expression patterns under hydroponic and soiled culturing. The expression level of almost all the BnALDHs in leaves are lower than in the roots. The BnALDHs classified into family 2 and family 10 were up-regulated in the hydroponic cultured ramie roots. Especially, BnALDH18 belonging to family 10 showed the strongest response to low-oxygen stress. In addition, heterologous overexpression analysis of BnALDH18 in Escherichia coli showed its function for elevating tolerance to oxidative stress. The genome-wide identification and analysis of evolution and expression manner demonstrated that BnALDH s are promising and untapped genetic resources for improving oxygen deficiency tolerance of ramie under hydroponic culturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the geochemistry, organic petrography, stable carbon isotopic compositions and biomarker analyses of the Late Miocene Zeit Formation shale samples in the Tokar area, Red Sea Basin, the paleoenvironment and hydrocarbon-generating potential were analyzed. The Zeit Formation shales from the Wells S. Suakin-1 and Tokar-1 contain mostly Type III kerogens with minor Type II organic matter (OM), indicating more favorable gas-generating potential. OM of the shale samples from the Late Miocene Zeit Formation are predominantly of terrigenous higher plants. Kerogens from the Well Tokar-1 show abundant brown liptinites, indicating the mixed origin of planktonic/bacterial and terrigenous OM. The Late Miocene Zeit Formation was deposited in dysoxic/suboxic, reducing and salt water environments. According to the results of Tmax, Ro and biomarker maturity parameters, the most shale samples from the Zeit Formation are in early mature to mature stages. The shales from the Late Miocene Zeit Formation are generally fair to good source rock. The shales from wells Suakin-2, Talla-2 and Tokar-1 have high hydrocarbon-generating potential. • OMs from the Zeit Fm. Are predominantly of terrigenous higher plants. • Shales were deposited in dysoxic/suboxic, reducing and salt water environments. • Shales from the Zeit Formation are in early mature to mature stages. • Shales from the Zeit Formation are generally fair to good source rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing demand for scratch-resistant flexible electronics, the development of transparent coatings with good scratch resistance and self-healing properties has emerged as a key research topic. In this study, a high-strength self-healing poly(urethane – urea) (PUU)-based nanocomposite coating was prepared by introducing functionalized nanodiamond (ND) into a PUU matrix via solution blending. The PUU matrix had hard-segment repeating units and was constructed using isophorone diamine and isophorone isocyanate. The ND particles were modified using a silane coupling agent, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, to obtain well-dispersed KH-ND nanoparticles. KH-ND promoted microphase separation in the PU matrix, inducing the formation of dense and homogeneous hard domains that dissipated stress, prevented further crack development, and improved the mechanical properties and scratch resistance of the coating. In addition, the coating exhibited excellent self-healing properties. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the self-healing and hardening mechanisms of the coating. The environmentally friendly PUU/KH-ND coating is easy to prepare and has broad application prospects in transparent and anti-scratch coatings for flexible electronics, automobiles, and home appliances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The clinical outcomes of using a zero-profile for anterior cervical decompression and fusion were evaluated by comparison with anterior cervical plates. Methods: All of the comparative studies published in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Web of Science, EBSOChost, and EMBASE databases as of 1 October 2021 were included. All outcomes were analysed using Review Manager 5.4. Results: Seven randomized controlled studies were included with a total of 528 patients, and all studies were randomized controlled studies. The meta-analysis outcomes indicated that the use of zero-profile fixation for anterior cervical decompression and fusion was better than anterior cervical plate fixation regarding the incidence of postoperative dysphagia (P < 0.05), adjacent-level ossification (P < 0.05), and operational time (P < 0.05). However, there were no statistically significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, Visual Analogue Scale, Neck Disability Index, or Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale (all P > 0.05) between the zero-profile and anterior cervical plate groups. Conclusions: The systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that zero-profile and anterior cervical plates could result in good postoperative outcomes in anterior cervical decompression and fusion. No significant differences were found in intraoperative blood loss, Visual Analogue Scale, Neck Disability Index, or Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale. However, the zero-profile is superior to the anterior cervical plate in the following measures: incidence of postoperative dysphagia, adjacent-level ossification, and operational time. PROSPERO registration CRD42021278214. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the organic matter source in stylolite and its effect on hydrocarbon migration, carbonate rock core samples containing stylolites in the eastern Sichuan Basin were collected. The stylolite and matrix in the cores were analyzed by total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-Eval pyrolysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC–MS) for the saturated fractions. The organic matter is more enriched in the stylolite than the matrix, and the stylolite have higher hydrocarbon expulsion efficiency than the matrix, which can be used as a supplement to the later generation of the source rock. The hydrocarbons formed by the matrix aggregated near the stylolites and cause the Hydrocarbon Index of the matrix which adjacent to the stylolites to become higher, this indicates that the stylolite is an important channel for hydrocarbon discharge of carbonate rocks. The ratios of close molecular biomarker in stylolite indicate that the deposition environment, biological origin and maturity of organic matter in the stylolites are consistent with the matrix, therefore, the organic matter in the stylolite should be inherited from the matrix, but the light to heavy molecular biomarker ratios of the stylolite indicate that component fractionation occurred when the hydrocarbons generated in the matrix migrated to the stylolite. Especially, a series of light to heavy molecule ratios of C 19 to C 23 tricyclic terpanes and C 14 to C 19 normal alkane of stylolite are lower than that of matrix, this indicates that the hydrocarbon fractionation in the course of hydrocarbon migration along the stylolite is more obvious than that in the matrix. • The organic-rich stylolite in low-abundance carbonate source rocks is an important supplement to the parent material for hydrocarbon generation. • The stylolite is important pathway for fluid migration in carbonate rocks. • The hydrocarbons in the matrix underwent a fractionation effect as they migrated from the matrix to the stylolite. • The hydrocarbon fractionation in the course of hydrocarbon migration along the stylolite is more obvious than that in the matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Adventitious root formation is a significant limiting factor in the vegetative propagation of economically important plants. Owing to the low germination rates and survival of conventional seed propagation, vegetative propagation remains the best option for large-scale production. Generally, there is a lack of competency for elite plant species cuttings or explants to form adventitious roots. The molecular-level studies of the adventitious root formation have not been explored in many species, such as ramie. As the WUSCEL-related homeobox gene family plays a critical role in promoting vegetative organs and stem cell functioning, we investigated their potential role in adventitious root formation in ramie using genome-wide characterization, gene structure, and expression analysis. The overall result indicated their possible involvement in rooting ramie cuttings. This study thus increases our understanding of the role of these genes and lays a foundation for further studies. A WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) gene family has been implicated in promoting vegetative organs to embryonic transition and maintaining plant embryonic stem cell identity. Using genome-wide analysis, we identified 17 candidates, WOX genes in ramie (Boehmeria nivea). The genes (BnWOX) showed highly conserved homeodomain regions typical of WOX. Based on phylogenetic analysis, they were classified into three distinct groups: modern, intermediate, and ancient clades. The genes displayed 65% and 35% collinearities with their Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa ortholog, respectively, and exhibited similar motifs, suggesting similar functions. Furthermore, four segmental duplications (BnWOX10/14, BnWOX13A/13B, BnWOX9A/9B, and BnWOX6A/Maker00021031) and a tandem-duplicated pair (BnWOX5/7) among the putative ramie WOX genes were obtained, suggesting that whole-genome duplication (WGD) played a role in WOX gene expansion. Expression profiling analysis of the genes in the bud, leaf, stem, and root of the stem cuttings revealed higher expression levels of BnWOX10 and BnWOX14 in the stem and root and lower in the leaf consistent with the qRT-PCR analysis, suggesting their direct roles in ramie root formation. Analysis of the rooting characteristics and expression in the stem cuttings of sixty-seven different ramie genetic resources showed a possible involvement of BnWOX14 in the adventitious rooting of ramie. Thus, this study provides valuable information on ramie WOX genes and lays the foundation for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C), a key regulator of the ABA signaling pathway, plays important roles in plant growth and development, hormone signaling, and abiotic stress response. Although the PP2C gene family has been identified in many species, systematic analysis was still relatively lacking in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.). In the present study, we identified 63 BnPP2C genes from the ramie genome, using bioinformatics analysis, and classified them into 12 subfamilies, and this classification was consistently supported by their gene structures and conserved motifs. In addition, we observed that the functional differentiation of the BnPP2C family of genes was restricted and that fragment replication played a major role in the amplification of the BnPP2C gene family. The promoter cis-regulatory elements of BnPP2C genes were mainly involved in light response regulation, phytohormone synthesis, transport and signaling, environmental stress response and plant growth and development regulation. We identified BnPP2C genes with tissue specificity, using ramie transcriptome data from different tissues, in rhizome leaves and bast fibers. The qRT-PCR results showed that the BnPP2C1, BnPP2C26 and BnPP2C27 genes had a strong response to drought, high salt and ABA, and there were a large number of stress-responsive elements in the promoter region of BnPP2C1 and BnPP2C26. The results suggested that BnPP2C1 and BnPP2C26 could be used as the candidate genes for drought and salt tolerance in ramie. These results provide a reference for further studies on the function of the PP2C gene and advance the development of the mechanism of ramie stress response, with a view to providing candidate genes for the molecular breeding of ramie for drought and salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Solar desalination is one of the most promising technologies to address global freshwater shortages. However, traditional evaporators encounter the bottleneck of reduced evaporation rate or even failure due to salt accumulation in high-salinity water. Inspired by ancient waterwheels, we have developed an adaptively rotating evaporator that enables long-term and efficient solar desalination in brines of any concentration. The evaporator is a sulphide-loaded drum-type biochar. Our experiments and numerical simulations show that this evaporator, thanks to its low density and unique hydrophilic property, rotates periodically under the center-of-gravity shift generated by salt accumulation, achieving self-removal of salt. This allows it to maintain a high evaporation rate of 2.80 kg m−2 h−1 within 24 h even in saturated brine (26.47%), which was not achieved previously. This proof-of-concept work therefore demonstrates a concentration- and time-independent, self-rotation-induced solar evaporator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effects of long-term bathing in radon hot springs on oxidative damage and antioxidation function in humans. In this study, blood was collected from residents in the Pingshan radon hot spring area (RHSA), Jiangzha RHSA, and control area (CA). 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), representing oxidation and antioxidant levels, respectively, were analyzed as indices. Compared to the CA group, the RHSA group in the Pingshan and Jiangzha areas showed significantly decreased 8-OHdG levels (Z =-3.350, -3.316, respectively, P < .05) and increased TrxR levels (Z =2.394, 3.773, respectively, P < .05). The RHSA and CA groups in Jiangzha had lower levels of TrxR and 8-OHdG compared to those in Pingshan. This finding may be related to the different radon concentration levels, bathing time and other factors. Results suggested that long-term bathing in radon hot spring may activate antioxidant function and reduce oxidative damage in the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The clinical outcomes of using a tubular microdiscectomy for lumbar disc herniation were evaluated by comparison with conventional microdiscectomy. Methods: All of the comparative studies published in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases as of 1 May 2023 were included. All outcomes were analysed using Review Manager 5.4. Results: This meta-analysis included four randomized controlled studies with a total of 523 patients. The results showed that using tubular microdiscectomy for lumbar disc herniation was more effective than conventional microdiscectomy in improving the Oswestry Disability Index (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in operating time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, Visual Analogue Scale, reoperation rate, postoperative recurrence rate, dural tear incidence, and complications rate (all P > 0.05) between the tubular microdiscectomy and conventional microdiscectomy groups. Conclusions: Based on our meta-analysis, it was found that the tubular microdiscectomy group had better outcomes than the conventional microdiscectomy group in terms of Oswestry Disability Index. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of operating time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, Visual Analogue Scale, reoperation rate, postoperative recurrence rate, dural tear incidence, and complications rate. Current research suggests that tubular microdiscectomy can achieve clinical results similar to those of conventional microdiscectomy. PROSPERO registration number is: CRD42023407995. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the therapeutic effect of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy on lumbar disc herniation, and explored its effect on oxidative stress in patients with lumbar disc herniation. One hundred and ten patients with lumbar disc herniation were selected in The Affiliated People's Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from May 2015 to May 2016. Patients were divided into control group (n=50) and observation group (n=60) according to different surgical methods. Patients in control group were subjected to traditional open discectomy, while patients in observation group were treated with percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy. Surgical-related indicators, ODI and VAS scores before and 3 months after surgery, serum inflammatory factors and oxidative stress indicators were compared between 2 groups. There was no significant difference in operation time between the groups. Blood loss, incision size and time of bed rest in observation group were better than those in control group (P<0.05). Compared with preoperative levels, ODI and VAS scores of the two groups were significantly reduced at 3 months after surgery, but the scores of observation group were significantly higher than those of control group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the levels of serum inflammatory factors TNF-α and CRP and oxidative stress indicators MDA, MPO, SOD and TAC between the two groups before surgery (P>0.05). Levels of serum inflammatory factors TNF-α and CRP and oxidative stress indicators MDA and MPO were significantly lower and levels of oxidative stress indicators SOD and TAC were significantly higher in observation group than in control group (P<0.05). Therefore, treatment of lumbar disc herniation with percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy has the advantages of small trauma, less blood loss and fast recovery, and can effectively improve the dysfunction, reduce pain and serum levels of inflammatory factors, and improve the levels of oxidative stress indicators, thereby improving the surgical results. Thus, this method should be considered for wide-use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factors (TFs) are one of the most prominent plant-specific TF families and play essential roles in plant growth, development and adaptation to abiotic stress. Although the NAC gene family has been extensively characterized in many species, systematic analysis is still relatively lacking in Apocynum venetum (A. venetum). In this study, 74 AvNAC proteins were identified from the A. venetum genome and were classified into 16 subgroups. This classification was consistently supported by their gene structures, conserved motifs and subcellular localizations. Nucleotide substitution analysis (Ka/Ks) showed the AvNACs to be under the influence of strong purifying selection, and segmental duplication events were found to play the dominant roles in the AvNAC TF family expansion. Cis-elements analysis demonstrated that the light-, stress-, and phytohormone-responsive elements being dominant in the AvNAC promoters, and potential TFs including Dof, BBR-BPC, ERF and MIKC_MADS were visualized in the TF regulatory network. Among these AvNACs, AvNAC58 and AvNAC69 exhibited significant differential expression in response to drought and salt stresses. The protein interaction prediction further confirmed their potential roles in the trehalose metabolism pathway with respect to drought and salt resistance. This study provides a reference for further understanding the functional characteristics of NAC genes in the stress-response mechanism and development of A. venetum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]