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The Southern Song planned and constructed the Diaoyucheng Fortress at Hezhou of the Sichuan Theatre, during the 13th century. This fortress became famous for its 36-year resistance against the Mongols and the death of Möngke Khan in 1259. Based on historical documents and data from re-analysis of archaeological report and field survey, this study explores its initiation, construction and transition, to build a coherent narrative for its transformation from a hinterland transport hub during the Song-Jin War (1125–1234) to a frontier stronghold during the Song-Mongol War (1235–1279), which experiences the establishment of Zhuanban Granary in the 1130s, the construction of Xinyuguan Fort in the 1160s–1170s, the transformation into a refuge in 1240, and the expansion into the Diaoyucheng Fortress in 1243–1279. By combining spatial analysis with military history, this study discusses how the peninsular site, the “dustpan” form, and the fort cluster were formed under the influence of military strategies in different war periods and the topography in Sichuan. With the comparisons with the fortifications across Eurasia around the same period, this study illustrates this fortress epitomizes the development of knowledge system for fortification design in ancient China, especially the river defense fortress taking advantage of topography and navy.

ObjectivesThe helium cooling tube is the core component of the fusion superconducting magnet system. It connects the superconducting magnet cooling channel and the cryogenic system, and is directly related to the operation stability of the superconducting magnet system. Since helium cooling pipes need to be welded on site, the structural design of helium pipes needs to be comprehensively considered from multiple aspects such as functional realization and on-site process operability, and reasonable solutions need to be proposed.MethodsThrough comprehensive analysis of the polar field structure of the fusion reactor, the structural optimization and pressure loss assessment of the cryogenic helium cooling tube were carried out. A comprehensive comparative analysis of the helium hole size and the optimal design of weld chamfer was carried out from the perspective of structural mechanics. The general requirements for the design criteria of the fusion reactor magnet helium cooling tube were proposed. Based on the structural mechanical analysis and pressure loss analysis of helium cooling tubes, and the comprehensive consideration of field operability, a helium cooling tube design scheme was proposed to meet the requirements of helium cooling tubes for fusion reactor magnets.ResultsAlthough short running helium cooling pipes will cause an increase in local pressure loss, which is equivalent to a conductor of 2.7 meters long, the pressure loss caused by them is basically negligible compared with the total length of the coil.ConclusionsThe adoption of the short track helium tube design scheme can not only meet the functional requirements, but also greatly improve the operability of the field process and meet the requirements of helium cooling tubes for superconducting magnets in fusion reactors.

The stress relaxation resistance of a Cu–Ni–Si alloy strip after 48 h of initial loading stress of 80% σ0.2 at 125 °C was studied. The stress relaxation curve was fitted using a model. By employing EBSD, TEM, and other techniques, this study examined the microstructural characteristics of the Cu–Ni–Si alloy strip before and after stress relaxation. This study investigated the stress relaxation mechanism of the alloy and revealed that the stress relaxation rate of the Cu–Ni–Si alloy strip was 10.82% after 48 h at 125 °C. The stress relaxation process of the alloy strip was divided into two main stages. During the first stage, there was a significant rearrangement and movement of dislocations within the alloy strip, leading to a rapid decline in the remaining stress. In the second stage, the interaction among the Ni2Si phase, twins and dislocations led to a slow decrease in the remaining stress. After the stress relaxation of the alloy strip, the precipitated phase in the microstructure grew from 67 nm to 200 nm, the recrystallization microstructure increased from 57.91% to 62.42%, and the twin boundary content decreased from 22.1% to 18.5%. These observed changes in the microstructure are anticipated to further reduce the stress relaxation resistance of the alloy strip.

Abstract Background Predator‒prey interactions and their dynamic changes provide frequent opportunities for viruses to spread among organisms and thus affect their virus diversity. However, the connections between dietary diversity and virus diversity in predators have seldom been studied. The avivorous bats, Ia io, show a seasonal pattern of dietary diversity. Although most of them primarily prey on insects in summer, they mainly prey on nocturnally migrating birds in spring and autumn. Results In this study, we characterized the RNA virome of three populations of I. io in Southwest China during summer and autumn using viral metatranscriptomic sequencing. We also investigated the relationships between dietary diversity and RNA virus diversity by integrating DNA metabarcoding and viral metatranscriptomic sequencing techniques at the population level of I. io. We found 55 known genera belonging to 35 known families of RNA viruses. Besides detecting mammal-related viruses, which are the usual concern, we also found a high abundance of insect-related viruses and some bird-related viruses. We found that insect-related viruses were more abundant in summer, while the bird-related viruses were predominantly detected in autumn, which might be caused by the seasonal differences in prey selection by I. io. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was identified between prey diversity and total virus diversity. The more similar the prey composition, the more similar the total virus composition and the higher the count of potential new viruses. We also found that the relative abundance of Picornaviridae increased with increasing prey diversity and body mass. Conclusions In this study, significant links were found between RNA virus diversity and dietary diversity of I. io. The results implied that dynamic changes in predator–prey interactions may facilitate frequent opportunities for viruses to spread among organisms. Video Abstract

Under the condition of controlling the total rolling deformation to 80.0%, the effects of multi-pass rolling, the ratio of deformation between the first and second stages in two-stage rolling, and aging parameters on the microstructural evolution and property enhancement of Cu–Ni–Si alloy were investigated. The results showed that the second-stage rolling promotes the formation of high-density dislocations, significantly enhancing dislocation strengthening. Simultaneously, the high-density dislocations facilitate the precipitation of the second phase during aging, and concurrently improving the strength and electrical conductivity of the alloy. In the two-stage rolling and aging process, a ratio of first-stage to second-stage rolling deformation less than 1 yields superior comprehensive properties. Specifically, when the first-stage rolling deformation is 35.0% and the second-stage deformation is 68.8%, the alloy achieves an optimal electrical conductivity of 49.53% IACS, hardness of 272.9 HV0.1, tensile strength of 773.0 MPa, and yield strength of 723.3 MPa. This is because a rolling ratio less than 1 results in higher dislocation density; the δ-Ni2Si precipitates have a coherent relationship with the Cu matrix, the interparticle spacing of precipitates is smaller. The average grain size is refined from 1.29 μm to 1.08 μm, significantly enhancing grain boundary strengthening. Dislocation strengthening and second-phase strengthening are the primary strengthening mechanisms of the alloy, and the calculated alloy strength agrees well with the experimental values, with errors less than 3.4%. Additionally, the Avrami equation in phase transformation kinetics was utilized to study the variation law of the volume fraction of the δ-Ni2Si phase with aging time.

Abstract Predation reduces the population density of prey, affecting its fitness and population dynamics. Few studies have connected trait changes with fitness consequences in prey and the molecular basis and metabolic mechanisms of such changes in bat-insect systems. This study focuses on the responses of Helicoverpa armigera to different predation risks, focusing on echolocating bats and their calls. Substantial modifications were observed in the nocturnal and diurnal activities of H. armigera under predation risk, with enhanced evasion behaviors. Accelerated development and decreased fitness were observed under predation risks. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses indicated that exposure to bats induced the upregulation of amino acid metabolism- and antioxidant pathway-related genes, reflecting shifts in resource utilization in response to oxidative stress. Exposure to bat predation risks enhanced the activity of DNA damage repair pathways and suppressed energy metabolism, contributing to the observed trait changes and fitness decreases. The current results underscore the complex adaptive strategies that prey species evolve in response to predation risk, enhancing our understanding of the predator–prey dynamic and offering valuable insights for innovative and ecologically informed pest management strategies.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between changes in functional network hierarchy and pain in patients with chronic back pain (CBP) by analyzing the differences in functional network connectivity gradients between the CBP group and the healthy control group.MethodsData (including basic clinical information such as VAS scores, years of pain, and resting functional MRI images) from the patients with CBP and healthy controls (HC) were obtained from the OpenPain database. Participants were grouped into 32 pairs matched by age and sex. The rs-fMRI images were pre-processed to obtain Fisher-Z transformed functional connectivity matrices, and BrainSpace was used to analyse the gradient scores of seven functional networks (sensorimotor network, visual network, dorsal attention network, ventral attention network, limbic network, frontoparietal control network and default mode network) in the two groups. The differences in the gradient scores of the functional networks between the two groups were analyzed statistically. Besides, the correlation analysis was applied to explore the relationship between the different functional network gradient scores and the VAS scores.ResultsBoth ends of the functional network hierarchy (i.e., sensorimotor and default mode networks) were significantly constricted in the CBP group compared to the HC group, and gradients in the cortical range were suppressed. Compared to the HC group, the CBP group had higher gradient scores of sensorimotor, visual, dorsal attention, and ventral attention network, and lower gradient scores of frontoparietal control, limbic, and default mode network. There were significant differences in the increased gradient scores of sensorimotor network (PPPPr=0.432, Pr=-0.404, P

Abstract Borehole instability in igneous rock formation has attracted more and more attention in recent ten years. In order to understand the mechanism of wellbore instability in igneous formation, a borehole stability model is established by applying the thermal, seepage and stress coupling model combined with a true triaxial rock strength criterion, which can reveal evolution of borehole collapse pressure with time. The effect of drilling cycle on borehole collapse pressure considering the coupling effects of temperature, seepage, and stress is quantitatively analyzed. Results show that, compared with only considering the effect of stress, wellbore collapse pressure increases with the coupling effect of temperature, seepage, and stress. Meanwhile, the stability of wellbore can be enhanced by reducing drilling fluid temperature; with the increase of formation porosity, the borehole collapse pressure increases rapidly, and then remains unchanged or decreases; while with the increase of formation permeability, borehole collapse pressure decreases rapidly, i.e. the shear failure of wellbore is mitigated. Besides, compared with vertical well, the horizontal well is more sensitive to the change of rock permeability. The investigation of drilling cycle shows that, the borehole collapse pressure increased sharply when the formation was drilled instantaneously. However, the subsequent growth trend slows down, which suggests that during the early stages of drilling operation, it is advisable to appropriately increase the mud weight to enhance the wellbore’s support capability by the bottomhole pressure. The research findings can enhance the understanding of the instability mechanism of igneous rock formations and reduce the risk of wellbore instability in igneous rock formations.

Cu–15Ni–8Sn-xNb alloys (x = 0, 0.2, 0.6 wt%) were prepared using a medium-frequency induction melting furnace. The effect of Nb addition on grain refinement and inhibition of discontinuous precipitation (DP) in Cu–15Ni–8Sn alloys was systematically studied to elucidate the mechanism by which microstructural characteristics contribute to strength improvement. The results indicate that the increase the Nb content from 0 to 0.6 wt% reduces the average grain size of the as-cast alloy from approximately 524.8 μm to approximately 81.3 μm, and significantly decreases the lamellar transition structure region (α+γ). During solution treatment, dispersed needle-like NbNi3 phases were observed in the Cu–15Ni–8Sn-0.2Nb alloy. After aging, the DP growth rate in the Cu–15Ni–8Sn-0.2Nb alloy was notably slower than those of the other alloys. This was attributed to NbNi3 phases at the grain boundaries hindering DP nucleation, with intragranular NbNi3 phases inhibiting DP growth. The phase transformation order of the solid solution Cu–15Ni–8Sn-0.2Nb at 673 K aging is: spinodal structure → D022 ordered phase → L12 ordered phase → DP. The hardness and tensile strength of the Cu–15Ni–8Sn-0.2Nb alloy peaked at 338.3 HV and 725.42 MPa, respectively, after aging for 120 min. Using the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) and Arrhenius equations, the activation energies of DP in Cu–15Ni–8Sn-xNb (x = 0, 0.2, 0.6 wt%) alloys were calculated to be 93.19, 148.64, and 98.33 kJ/mol, respectively. These values suggest that the diffusion of DP atoms in the Nb-containing alloys is hindered, which effectively inhibits DP formation.

【Objective】 The Barkol Lake Basin is located in the east of Xinjiang of China, and groundwater plays a pivotal role in supporting agriculture, livestock and other sectors in the region. This study aims to analyze the chemical characteristics and health risks associated with groundwater in the plain areas in the basin. 【Method】 The analysis utilized groundwater quality data collected in August 2022. Factors influencing groundwater chemistry were evaluated using ion ratio and saturation index methods. Groundwater quality and the associated health risks were assessed with the entropy weight water quality index method and a health risk assessment model. 【Result】 The groundwater in the study area is weakly alkaline, with low salinity and moderate hardness. Its hydrochemical profile is primarily of the HCO₃·SO₄-Ca·Na type. The chemical properties are predominantly influenced by rock weathering and cation exchange. In the region, 75.0% of the groundwater is deemed drinkable without treatment, 8.3% is of moderate quality, and 16.7% is undrinkable without further treatment. The non-carcinogenic health risk index for Na⁺ is the highest, with children facing a greater potential non-carcinogenic risk compared to adults. 【Conclusion】 Overall, groundwater quality in the area is satisfactory, though there are potential risks in the northern part of Bolqiangji Town. This analysis provides a baseline for ensuring the safe use of groundwater in the region.

BackgroundObesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) have become increasingly significant global health issues. Time-restricted feeding (TRF), as a novel dietary intervention, has garnered attention in recent years. However, there is limited research focusing on the effects of TRF on energy expenditure and systemic low-grade inflammation. This study aims to investigate the impact of TRF on weight management, glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, and lipid metabolism in male C57BL/6J mice, particularly in the context of metabolic disorders induced by a high-fat diet (HFD).MethodsC57BL/6J mice were divided into two groups: a normal diet (ND) group and a high-fat diet (HFD) group. The study duration was 12 weeks. Key parameters observed included body weight, glucose tolerance (via glucose tolerance tests), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and insulin secretion under glucose stimulation. Additionally, liver tissue was subjected to Oil Red O staining to assess lipid accumulation, and white and brown adipose tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) to evaluate adipocyte size. The expression of hepatic lipogenesis-related genes (Srebp-c, Chrebp, Fasn, and Acc1) and thermogenic genes in brown adipose tissue (UCP1 and PGC-1α) were also measured. Furthermore, temperature changes in the interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) were monitored.ResultsIn the ND group: TRF improved insulin resistance and reduced circulating levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6, with a slight reduction in body weight.In the HFD group: TRF significantly mitigated weight gain, improved glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, and enhanced insulin secretion under glucose stimulation. Additionally, TRF reduced hepatic steatosis by downregulating the expression of lipogenesis-related genes in the liver. TRF also increased thermogenesis by upregulating the expression of thermogenic genes (UCP1 and PGC-1α) in BAT, while lowering serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α, though IL-1β levels remained unchanged.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that TRF can activate thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue and reduce inflammation maker, leading to an improvement in hepatic steatosis and a reduction in white adipose tissue accumulation. These findings suggest that TRF may be a promising intervention for mitigating metabolic disturbances associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. The study provides mechanistic insights into the beneficial effects of TRF, highlighting its potential in modulating lipid metabolism and exerting anti-inflammatory effects.

The rapid development of miniaturization and refinement of modern electronic components has led to higher requirements for nanosized powders. The barium strontium titanate (Ba1-xSrxTiO3, BST) nanopowders with fine grains, uniform particle size and high purity have broad application prospects. Herein, BST nanopowders were synthesized via nonhydrolytic sol-gel method and the effects of different processing parameters on structure were investigated systematically by using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, laser particle size analyser and thermogravimetric mass spectrometry. In the first step, different dispersants, dispersant concentration and calcination temperature were selected for synthesis of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 powder to find optimal conditions. In the second step, these optimal conditions were used to synthesize BST powders, but different (Ba+Sr)/Ti and Ba/Sr molar ratios were used to find those that can enable preparation of single phase cubic perovskite powder. Therefore, this study showed how the processing parameters can be systematically tuned with the idea to obtain ultra-fine single phase BST nanoparticles.

ObjectiveA method of ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry （UPLC-MS） was established for the determination of octylphenol ethoxylates （OPEO） and nonylphenol ethoxylates （NPEO） in coating agent.MethodsSamples were extracted with water， and purified by solid phase extraction column. And Thermo Acclaim RSLC 120 C18 （2.1 mm×100 mm， 2.2 μm） chromatographic column was used for separation. Acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid water were mobile phase， gradient elution and quantification was performed in SIM mode with positive ion mode of electrospray ionization.ResultsOctylphenol ethoxylates （OPEO） and nonylphenol ethoxylates （NPEO） were in the range of 0-400 μg/L， and the linear relationships was good （r2>0.996）. The recoveries at three spiked levels （0.12， 0.24 mg/kg， 1.2 mg/kg） were 88.5%-96.9% with the relative standard deviation of 2.9%-7.0%， and the limits of quantitative was 0.12 mg/kg.ConclusionThe method was simple， rapid and accurate. Its sensitivity， accuracy and precision were suitable for the quantitative analysis and determination of alkylphenol ethoxylates in coating agent.

The Fe–Ni–Mo–C–Cu (Q61) composites reinforced by Al2O3 particles with different contents were prepared by powder forging. The microstructure and properties of the tempered and quenched Q61 composites were studied. The results show that, when the mass fraction of Al2O3 is 0.15%, the Al2O3 particles are distributed homogeneously in the matrix. Compared with the single Q61 without reinforced particles under the same state, the hardness and yield strength of the tempered composites are increased from HRC 38 and 1106 MPa to HRC 39.8 and 1121 MPa, respectively, while the elongation is decreased from 12% to 6.5%; the hardness of the quenched Q61 composites is enhanced from HRC 61.5 to HRC 63.2, and the wear rate is reduced from 5.27×10−6 mm3·m−1·N−1 to 3.08×10−6 mm3·m−1·N−1, lower than that of the typical 40Cr gear materials (3.34×10−6 mm3·m−1·N−1). However, the Al2O3 particles are aggregated gradually when the Al2O3 addition content is more than 0.15%. Though the yield strength is still improved, the plasticity is reduced significantly for the tempered composites, and the wear rate is greatly increased for the quenched composites, showing the degraded wear resistance. In summary, the Q61 composites with 0.15% Al2O3 particles show the higher comprehensive mechanical properties in the tempered state and the good wear resistance in the quenched states, respectively.

Heavy metal residues in natural ecosystems have emerged as a significant global environmental problem requiring urgent resolution. Because these elements are non-biodegradable, organisms can accumulate excessive levels of heavy metal elements into their tissues. Previous studies suggest that prolonged exposure to heavy metal enrichment poses comprehensive toxicity to various organs in vertebrates. However, few studies have focused on elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying the hepatotoxic effects of heavy metal enrichment in Chiroptera. In this study, 10 Hipposideros armiger individuals were dissected from Yingde City (YD, relatively pollution-free) and Chunwan City (CW, excessive heavy metals emission). Environmental samples were also obtained. To investigate the mechanism of heavy metal toxicity in bat livers, we employed a combination of multi-omics, pathology, and molecular biology methods. Our results revealed significant enrichment of Cd and Pb in the bat livers and food sources in the CW group (P

BackgroundThe skin fungal communities of animals play a crucial role in maintaining host health and defending against pathogens. Because fungal infections can affect the skin microbiota of bats, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of healthy bat skin fungal communities and the ecological processes driving them provides valuable insights into the interactions between pathogens and fungi.MethodsWe used Kruskal–Wallis tests and Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) to clarify differences in skin fungal community structure among bat species. A Generalized Linear Model (GLM) based on a quasi-Poisson distribution and partial distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) was performed to assess the influence of variables on skin fungal communities. Using community construction models to explore the ecological processes driving fungal community changes, t-tests and Wilcoxon tests were used to compare the alpha diversity and species abundance differences between the fungal structure on bat species’ skin and the environmental fungal pool.ResultsWe found significant differences in the composition and diversity of skin fungal communities among bat species influenced by temperature, sampling site, and body mass index. Trophic modes and skin fungal community complexity also varied among bat species. Null model and neutral model analysis demonstrated that deterministic processes dominated the assembly of skin fungal communities, with homogeneous selection as the predominant process. Skin fungal communities on bat species were impacted by the environmental fungal reservoir, and actively selected certain amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) from the environmental reservoir to adhere to the skin.ConclusionIn this study, we revealed the structure and the ecological process driving the skin fungal community across bat species in northern China. Overall, these results broaden our knowledge of skin fungal communities among bat species, which may be beneficial to potential strategies for the protection of bats in China.

Abstract CO2 mineralization plays a critical role in the storage and utilization of CO2. Coal fly ash (CFA) and red mud (RM) are widely utilized as CO2 mineralizers. However, the inert calcium species in CFA limit its carbonation capacity, meanwhile the substantial Ca2+ releasing of RM is hindered by a covering layer of calcium carbonate. In this study, CO2 mineralization in a composite system of CFA and RM was investigated to enhance the carbonation capacity. Multiple analyzers were employed to characterize the raw materials and resulting mineralization products. The results demonstrated that a synergistic effect existed in the composite system of CFA and RM, resulting in improving CO2 mineralization rate and efficiency. The produced calcium carbonate was ectopically attached the surface of CFA in the composite system, thus slowing down its coverage on the surface of RM. This phenomenon facilitated further releasing Ca2+ from the internal RM, thereby enhancing CO2 mineralization efficiency. Meanwhile, the inclusion of RM significantly improved the alkalinity of the composite system, which not only promoted the dissolution of Ca2+ of the inert CaSO4(H2O)2 in CFA, but also accelerated CO2 mineralization rate. The investigation would be beneficial to CO2 mineralization using industrial solid wastes.

Abstract Currently, three carnivorous bat species, namely Ia io, Nyctalus lasiopterus, and Nyctalus aviator, are known to actively prey on seasonal migratory birds (hereinafter referred to as “avivorous bats”). However, the absence of reference genomes impedes a thorough comprehension of the molecular adaptations of avivorous bat species. Herein, we present the high-quality chromosome-scale reference genome of N. aviator based on PacBio subreads, DNBSEQ short-reads and Hi-C sequencing data. The genome assembly size of N. aviator is 1.77 Gb, with a scaffold N50 of 102 Mb, of which 99.8% assembly was anchored into 21 pseudo-chromosomes. After masking 635.1 Mb repetitive sequences, a total of 19,412 protein-coding genes were identified, of which 99.3% were functionally annotated. The genome assembly and gene prediction reached 96.1% and 96.1% completeness of Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO), respectively. This chromosome-level reference genome of N. aviator fills a gap in the existing information on the genomes of carnivorous bats, especially avivorous ones, and will be valuable for mechanism of adaptations to dietary niche expansion in bat species.

Abstract Background The majority of bat species have developed remarkable echolocation ability, especially for the laryngeally echolocating bats along with high-frequency hearing. Adaptive evolution has been widely detected for the cochleae in the laryngeally echolocating bats, however, limited understanding for the brain which is the central to echolocation signal processing in the auditory perception system, the laryngeally echolocating bats brain may also undergo adaptive changes. Result In order to uncover the molecular adaptations related with high-frequency hearing in the brain of laryngeally echolocating bats, the genes expressed in the brain of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (CF bat) and Myotis pilosus (FM bat) were both detected and also compared. A total of 346,891 genes were detected and the signal transduction mechanisms were annotated by the most abundant genes, followed by the transcription. In hence, there were 3,088 DEGs were found between the two bat brains, with 1,426 highly expressed in the brain of R. ferrumequinum, which were significantly enriched in the neuron and neurodevelopmental processes. Moreover, we found a key candidate hearing gene, ADCY1, playing an important role in the R. ferrumequinum brain and undergoing adaptive evolution in CF bats. Conclusions Our study provides a new insight to the molecular bases of high-frequency hearing in two laryngeally echolocating bats brain and revealed different nervous system activities during auditory perception in the brain of CF bats.

Novel tungstate SrLa6-xW10O40: xEu3+ (x = 0, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, 0.12, 0.15, 0.18, 0.21) red phosphors were prepared by solid state method at 1150 °C by using SrCO3, La2O3, WO3 and Eu2O3 as raw materials. The powders were agglomerated with particles having mostly spheroidal morphology, mean particle size D50 = 12.8 μm and narrow particle size distribution. With the increase of doping amount x, there is no significant difference in the diffraction peak position of the phosphor, but the cell volume of SrLa6W10O40 slowly decreases. The relative strength of diffraction peaks decreases gradually and the half-peak width widens gradually, indicating that the inclusion of Eu3+ ions affects the crystallization of the SrLa6W10O40 matrix. Excitation and emission spectra of the prepared samples were obtained. The optimal doping content has the SrLa5.85W10O4: 0.15Eu3+ phosphor and is characterised with the colour coordinate of (0.652, 0.348), which is closer to the red standard colour (0.67, 0.33) than the near-ultraviolet red phosphor Y2O2S: Eu3+ (0.622, 0.351) used for commercial LED.

Objective： This study aimed to develop an ion chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (IC-MS/MS) for the analysis of glyphosate and its metabolite amino methyl phosphoric acid (AMPA) residues in tea without derivatization. Methods： Tea samples were ultrasonically extracted with 20 mmol/L NaOH aqueous solution and cleaned up by dispersive solid-phase extraction (150 mg primary-secondary amine (PSA), 15 mg C18, 15 mg graphitized carbon black (GCB)). The samples were separated on an ion chromatographic column AS11-HC-4 μm (2 mm×250 mm) by using an isometric elution procedure of 35 mmol/L aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide as mobile phase. A multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) model was used to obtain the sensitivity of the method, and the isotopically labeled internal standards were applied in the calibration process. Good linearities and recoveries were obtained in the validation process. Results: The correlation coefficients R2 were 0.999 8 and 0.998 2, respectively. The detection limits of glyphosate and AMPA in tea were both 0.05 mg/kg, and the quantification limits were both 0.10 mg/kg. The average recoveries of glyphosate and AMPA were 61.2%～104.9% and 61.5%～83.2%, respectively with RSDs less than 20%. Conclusion: This method meets the requirements of green analytical chemistry and can be used for routine detection of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphoric acid residues in tea.

Objective: To find, prepare and identify a new oxyphenisatine di（acetate） analogue. Methods: A suspected derivative of oxyphenisatine di（acetate） was found by high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry during the routine screening of weight loss healthcare product. The compound was isolated and purified by column chromatography, and the possible structures were inferred from the information of isotope mass spectra, secondary ion mass spectra, one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectra. Finally, all possible structures were prepared by de novo synthesis strategy, and their fine structures were confirmed by spectral comparison. Results： The compound was identified as 5-Cl oxyphenisatine di（acetate）, a new type of oxyphenisatine di（acetate）, which has not been approved as food additives. Conclusion: The toxicological and pharmacological effects of this compound are not clear and should be of concern to regulators. The mass spectrometric fragmentation rule and the de novo synthesis of doubtful structures of these compounds will be beneficial to confirm the fine structure of new compounds.

Phenotypic analysis of mature soybeans is a critical aspect of soybean breeding. However, manually obtaining phenotypic parameters not only is time-consuming and labor intensive but also lacks objectivity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a rapid, accurate, and efficient method to collect the phenotypic parameters of soybeans. This study develops a novel pipeline for acquiring the phenotypic traits of mature soybeans based on three-dimensional (3D) point clouds. First, soybean point clouds are obtained using a multi-view stereo 3D reconstruction method, followed by preprocessing to construct a dataset. Second, a deep learning-based network, PVSegNet (Point Voxel Segmentation Network), is proposed specifically for segmenting soybean pods and stems. This network enhances feature extraction capabilities through the integration of point cloud and voxel convolution, as well as an orientation-encoding (OE) module. Finally, phenotypic parameters such as stem diameter, pod length, and pod width are extracted and validated against manual measurements. Experimental results demonstrate that the average Intersection over Union (IoU) for semantic segmentation is 92.10%, with a precision of 96.38%, recall of 95.41%, and F1-score of 95.87%. For instance segmentation, the network achieves an average precision (AP@50) of 83.47% and an average recall (AR@50) of 87.07%. These results indicate the feasibility of the network for the instance segmentation of pods and stems. In the extraction of plant parameters, the predicted values of pod width, pod length, and stem diameter obtained through the phenotypic extraction method exhibit coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.9489, 0.9182, and 0.9209, respectively, with manual measurements. This demonstrates that our method can significantly improve efficiency and accuracy, contributing to the application of automated 3D point cloud analysis technology in soybean breeding.

The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is a circumpolar member of the Cervidae family, and has adapted to a harsh environment. Summer is a critical period for reindeer, with peak digestibility facilitating body fat accumulation. The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in nutrient metabolism, and is affected by captivity. However, differences in the composition of the gut microbiota and metabolites between captive and grazing reindeer during summer remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a comparative study of the fecal microbiota and metabolites between captive (n = 6) and grazing (n = 6) male reindeer, using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing and gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry, respectively. Our results indicated that Prevotella, Phocaeicola, Papillibacter, Muribaculum, and Bacteroides were the predominant genera in the feces of reindeer. However, microbial diversity was significantly higher in captive reindeer compared to their grazing counterparts. Principal coordinate analysis revealed significant differences in the fecal microbiota between captive and grazing reindeer. In captive reindeer, the relative abundances of the genera Clostridium, Paraprevotella, Alistipes, Paludibacter, Lentimicrobium, Paraclostridium, and Anaerovibrio were significantly higher, while those of the genera Prevotella, Phocaeicola, Pseudoflavonifractor, and Lactonifactor were significantly lower. A comparison of predicted functions indicated that pathways involved in fat digestion and absorption, histidine metabolism, lysine biosynthesis, and secondary bile acid biosynthesis were more abundant in captive reindeer, whereas the pathways of fructose and mannose metabolism and propanoate metabolism were less abundant. An untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed that 624 metabolites (e.g., amino acids, lipids, fatty acids, and bile acids) and 645 metabolites (e.g., carbohydrates and purines) were significantly increased in the feces of captive and grazing reindeer, respectively. In conclusion, we unveiled significant differences in fecal microbiota and metabolites between captive and grazing male reindeer, with the results suggesting a potentially enhanced ability to utilize plant fibers in grazing reindeer.

Summary: The study of vocal communication in non-human animals can uncover the roots of human languages. Recent studies of language have focused on two linguistic laws: Zipf’s law and the Menzerath-Altmann law. However, whether bats’ social vocalizations follow these linguistic laws, especially Menzerath’s law, has largely been unexplored. Here, we used Asian particolored bats, Vespertilio sinensis, to examine whether aggressive vocalizations conform to Zipf’s and Menzerath’s laws. Aggressive vocalizations of V. sinensis adhere to Zipf’s law, with the most frequent syllables being the shortest in duration. There was a negative association between the syllable number within a call and the average syllable duration, in agreement with Menzerath’s law. A decrease in the proportion of some long syllables and a decrease in the duration of several syllable types in long-duration calls explain the occurrence of this law. Our results indicate that a general compression principle organizes aspects of bat vocal communication systems.

Combining periodic layered structure with three-dimensional cylindrical local resonators, a hybrid metastructure with improved wave isolation ability was designed and investigated through theoretical and numerical approaches. The metastructure is composed of periodic rubber layers and concrete layers embedded with three-dimensional resonators, which can be freely designed with multi local resonant frequencies to attenuate vibrations at required frequencies and widen the attenuation bandgap. The metastructure can also effectively attenuate seismic responses. Compared with layered rubber-based structures, the metastructure has more excellent wave attenuation effects with greater attenuation and wider bandgap.

ObjectiveAntibiotic resistance genes （ARGs） have received wide attention all over the world. The purpose of this study was to explore the bacterial community structure， the types and levels of antibiotic resistance genes in a water body in east China， and to compare and analyze the characteristics of microbial species distribution and antibiotic resistance gene distribution in various water environments.MethodsA total of 10 households in Haimen City， Jiangsu Province were selected and their surrounding water environment samples were collected. 21 water samples including river water （4）， Mingou water （9） and well water （8） were collected for metagenomics sequencing， assembled with MetaWRAP， annotated with CARD database， and analyzed with R software.ResultsIn various water bodies， the dominant bacteria phyla was Proteobacteria， the dominant bacteria genera were Deuterostomia， Pseudomonas， Flavobacteriales and Streptomycetaceae. The ARGs annotated were mainly composed of quinolones， aminoglycosides， macrolides and beta-lactams antibiotic resistance genes. The top four relative abundance of resistance genes were macB， RanA， evgS and TxR， The average absolute abundance and expression of resistance genes in well water and Mingou water were higher than those in river water.ConclusionMultiple ARGs are detected to varying degrees in well water， river water， and Mingou water bodies， and the expression of resistance genes in well water and Mingou water bodies is higher than that in river water bodies， possibly due to human production and living activities.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to achieve rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of the respective contents of glutamine （Gln） enantiomers in functional foods by establishing a water-soluble lanthanide shift reagent-identified method based on the 1H-qNMR technique.MethodsThe internal standard disodium terephthalate was added to the samples dissolved in ultrapure water. After vertexing and centrifuging， an appropriate amount of supernatant was taken into the NMR tube with deuterium water as a field-locking solvent and the water-soluble lanthanide shift reagent samarium （Ⅲ）-propylenediaminetetraacetate as the chiral selector. The 1H-NMR spectrum was collected by a 600 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for the direct determination of the contents of Gln enantiomers in functional foods.ResultsThe Gln enantiomers and DT quantitative peaks were well-separated. The mass concentration of D- and L-glutamine has a good linearity in the range of 100.0-2 000.0 µg/mL with R2>0.99. The limit of detection was 30.0 µg/mL， and the limit of quantification was 100.0 µg/mL. The average recovery rates obtained from standard addition methods were between 94.27% and 116.07% with the relative standard deviations （n=6） being 0.18%-1.84%.ConclusionThis method offers high recovery， good repeatability， and a simple pretreatment process， and the sample test can be completed within 15 min. The testing of different dosage forms of functional foods purchased from the supermarket platform revealed that the enantiomeric purity of Gln in the samples was ≥99%. No significant difference was observed between this method and high-performance liquid chromatography （P>0.05） in the determination of total Gln. The method can provide a practical technique for the rapid detection of the contents of glutamine enantiomers.

Novel (Cr,V)-ZrSiO4 jewel green pigments were synthesized by in situ mineralization at 900°C. The effects of Cr/Si molar ratio were investigated via DTA-TG, XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, UV-Vis-NIR, colorimeter and etc. The obtained results referred that the colour of pigment exhibits blue to jewel green, and then to dark green as the Cr/Si molar ratio increases from 0 to 0.4. When the Cr/Si molar ratio is 0.2, the (Cr,V)-ZrSiO4 pigment exhibits a jewel green hue (L* = 56.69, a* = −18.52, b* = −9.28), showing good rendering performance. In addition, the obtained pigment shows good thermal stability in the base glaze synthesized at 1200°C and near-infrared reflection performance. The results of this study show great potential for using the pigments for heat insulation.

ABSTRACTThe gut microbiome is a symbiotic microbial community associated with the host and plays multiple important roles in host physiology, nutrition, and health. A number of factors have been shown to influence the gut microbiome, among which diet is considered to be one of the most important; however, the relationship between diet composition and gut microbiota in wild mammals is still not well recognized. Herein, we characterized the gut microbiota of bats and examined the effects of diet, host taxa, body size, gender, elevation, and latitude on the gut microbiota. The cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and 16S rRNA gene amplicons were sequenced from the feces of eight insectivorous bat species in southern China, including Miniopterus fuliginosus, Aselliscus stoliczkanus, Myotis laniger, Rhinolophus episcopus, Rhinolophus osgoodi, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Rhinolophus affinis, and Rhinolophus pusillus. The results showed that the composition of gut microbiome and diet exhibited significant differences among bat species. Diet composition and gut microbiota were significantly correlated at the order, family, genus, and operational taxonomic unit levels, while certain insects had a marked effect on the gut microbiome at specific taxonomic levels. In addition, elevation, latitude, body weight of bats, and host species had significant effects on the gut microbiome, but phylosymbiosis between host phylogeny and gut microbiome was lacking. These findings clarify the relationship between gut microbiome and diet and contribute to improving our understanding of host ecology and the evolution of the gut microbiome in wild mammals.IMPORTANCEThe gut microbiome is critical for the adaptation of wildlife to the dynamic environment. Bats are the second-largest group of mammals with short intestinal tract, yet their gut microbiome is still poorly studied. Herein, we explored the relationships between gut microbiome and food composition, host taxa, body size, gender, elevation, and latitude. We found a significant association between diet composition and gut microbiome in insectivorous bats, with certain insect species having major impacts on gut microbiome. Factors like species taxa, body weight, elevation, and latitude also affected the gut microbiome, but we failed to detect phylosymbiosis between the host phylogeny and the gut microbiome. Overall, our study presents novel insights into how multiple factors shape the bat’s gut microbiome together and provides a study case on host-microbe interactions in wildlife.

Abstract Background The niche breadth of an animal population comprises both within-individual and between-individual variation (individual specialization). Both components can be used to explain changes in population niche breadth, and this has been extensively investigated in dietary niche dimension studies. However, little is known about how changes in food resources or environmental factors across seasons affect changes in individual and population space use within the same population. Methods In this study, we used micro-GPS loggers to capture the space use of individuals and of a population of the great evening bat (Ia io) in summer and autumn. We used I. io as a model to investigate how individual spatial niche breadth and spatial individual specialization affect changes in population niche breadth (home range and core area sizes) across seasons. Additionally, we explored the drivers of individual spatial specialization. Results We found that the population home range and the core area of I. io did not increase in autumn when insect resources were reduced. Moreover, I. io showed different specialization strategies in the two seasons: higher spatial individual specialization in summer and lower individual specialization but broader individual niche breadth in autumn. This trade-off may maintain the dynamic stability of the population spatial niche breadth across seasons and facilitate the population response to changes in food resources and environmental factors. Conclusions Like diet, spatial niche breadth of a population also may be determined by a combination of individual niche breadth and individual specialization. Our work provides new insights into the evolution of niche breadth from the spatial dimension.

A new approach was developed to prepare NaZr2(PO4)3 (NZP) powders at low temperature of 330°C. The effect of different molar ratios of ZrO(NO3)2 • xH2O to NaH2PO4 • 2H2O on the synthesis of NZP powders was systematically investigated by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, EDS and Raman spectroscopy. The mineralizer NaNO3 was formed in situ due to the mechanochemical reaction between raw materials ZrO(NO3)2 • xH2O and NaH2PO4 • 2H2O during the grinding process. When the optimal molar ratio of Zr:P = 2:6 was used, the NZP powders with high crystallinity, good dispersity and particle sizes in the range of 500-700 nm were obtained. The dense NZP ceramics was obtained by sintering at 1100 °C for 3 h with 2 wt.% ZnO as the sintering aid. The relative density and Vickers hardness of the sintered ceramics reached 93.4% and 704MPa, respectively.

BackgroundMolten salt electrochemical separation of spent fuel in molten salt medium is one of the most widely studied technologies in pyroprocessing. It is based on the use of electrolysis to achieve the separation.PurposeThis study aims to investigate the separation of actinides and lanthanides in situ using high-temperature molten salt media.MethodsCyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and constant potential electrolysis were employed to study the electrochemical behavior and separation feasibility of UF4 and LnF3 (Ln=Eu, Sm, Yb, La, Ce, and Ho) in FLiBe molten salt. Firstly, the eutectic salt was prepared, followed by the precise measurement and mixing of FLiBe molten salt and UF4 or LnF3 powder in accordance with the desired concentration ratio. Then, the electrochemical behavior of uranium and lanthanide elements in FLiBe molten salt was experimentally studied using electrochemical CV and SWV. Subsequently, the constant potential electrolysis method was employed to achieve the electrochemical deposition of uranium or lanthanide elements. Finally, the feasibility of separating uranium and lanthanide elements in FLiBe molten salt was evaluated through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the electrolysis products.ResultsExperimental results show that U4+ undergoes two electron transfer reductions on an inert tungsten electrode, namely U4++e-→U3+ and U3++3e-→U0, while Yb3+, Sm3+, and Eu3+ have only one electron transfer reduction, leading to the +2 valence state of Yb2+, Sm2+, and Eu2+ ions, respectively. In addition, La3+, Ce3+, and Ho3+ ions do not exhibit significant electrochemical signals within the electrochemical window of FLiBe molten salt. The findings from XRD and EDS analyses verify that the electrolysis products presented on the W electrode consist of metal U, UF3, and entrain molten salt, with no lanthanide (Ln=Eu, Sm, Yb, La, Ce, and Ho) electrolytic deposition product detected.ConclusionsThe suitable electrolytic separation method developed in this study provides basic data to separate actinides and lanthanides from molten salts.

Many studies have investigated the role of insectivorous bats as natural enemies of agricultural pests. However, insectivorous bats have a broad diet, and whether their prey species are beneficial or harmful is unknown; thus, accurately assessing the services provided by bats is challenging. In China, most people, including farmers and plant protection workers, have an insufficient understanding of the ecological value of bats in biological control. Therefore, we collected the fecal samples of 10 bat species from three different sampling sites located in Guizhou Province, China, and conducted DNA metabarcoding to determine the diet composition of bats. We also categorized the prey species from the diet of bats as harmful or beneficial, based on previous studies, and recorded the industries they affect. Our results showed that the 10 bat species consumed prey from 19 orders and 96 families; most of them being lepidopterans. Among 564 total prey species recorded, 390 (69.15%) were pests and 28 (4.96%) were beneficial insects. Among them, 326 (57.80%) were agriculture or forestry pests, such as globally present Cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) and Beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua). These results indicated that insectivorous bats have more beneficial effects than harmful effects, especially in the context of agriculture and forestry, as they suppressed very few beneficial arthropod mesopredators. By comparing the differences in the diet of I. io in different regions, we found that bats present in different regions can provide different predation services. Our study showed that insectivorous bats provide excellent pest suppression services in various industries and regions. It might be helpful for increasing awareness among people and bat conservation in China and other regions.

ABSTRACT Skin acts as a mechanical barrier between the body and its surrounding environment and plays an important role in resistance to pathogens. However, we still know little regarding skin responses to physiological changes, particularly with regard to responses against potential pathogens. We herein executed RNA-seq on the wing of the Rhinolophus ferrumequinum to assess gene-expression variations at four physiological stages: pre-hibernation, hibernation (early-hibernation and late-hibernation), and post-hibernation, as well as the gene-expression patterns of infected and uninfected bats with the Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Our results showed that a greater number of differentially expressed genes between the more disparate physiological stages. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the down-regulated response pathways in hibernating bats included phosphorus metabolism and immune response, indicating metabolic suppression and decreased whole immune function. We also found up-regulated genes in post-hibernating bats that included C-type lectin receptor signalling, Toll-like receptor signalling pathway, and cell adhesion, suggesting that the immune response and skin integrity of the wing were improved after bats emerged from their hibernation and that this facilitated clearing Pd from the integument. Additionally, we found that the genes involved in cytokine or chemokine activity were up-regulated in late-hibernation compared to early-hibernation and that FOSB regulation of immune cell activation was differentially expressed in bats infected with Pd during late-hibernation, implying that the host’s innate immune function was enhanced during late-hibernation so as to resist pathogenic infection. Our findings highlight the concept that maintenance of intrinsic immunity provides protection against pathogenic infections in highly resistant bats.

CuCr30 composite was commonly applied in medium and low voltage vacuum interrupters. The WC/CuCr30 composites based on changing of Cr particle morphology and orientation were successfully prepared by vacuum hot press sintering and hot extrusion, and the arc erosion resistance behavior at different voltages along the deformation direction of Cr particles was investigated on the JF04C electrical contact material testing system. The microstructure characterization of WC/CuCr30 composites shows that the Cr particles in the WC/CuCr30 composite have been elongated and the long axis direction is close to parallel to the extrusion direction after the hot extrusion deformation. Compared with the longitudinal section, the thermal conductivity of CuCr30 and WC/CuCr30 composites in the cross section is increases by 3.75% and 3.63%, respectively. The electrical contact testing results under different voltages shows that the addition of WC particles can extend the service life of the CuCr30 composite, and the operation times of WC/CuCr30 composite (4850 times) increases by 34.72% compared to CuCr30 composite (3600 times) at 30 V DC. The welding force decreases more obviously with the increase of the voltage, and the average welding force of WC/CuCr30 composite decreases by 8.57% and 20.9% at 24 V DC and 30 V DC compared with CuCr30, respectively. The arc erosion mechanism analysis shows that addition of WC particles is beneficial for the decrease of arc duration. And WC particles can effectively inhibit the arc erosion process and delay the formation of bumps and pits.

Abstract Heterogeneous pathogenic stress can shape major histocompatibility complex (MHC) diversity by influencing the functional plasticity of the immune response. Therefore, MHC diversity could reflect environmental stress, demonstrating its importance in uncovering the mechanisms of adaptive genetic variation. In this study, we combined neutral microsatellite loci, an immune‐related MHC II‐DRB locus, and climatic factors to unravel the mechanisms affecting the diversity and genetic differentiation of MHC genes in the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), a species with a wide geographical distribution that has three distinct genetic lineages in China. First, increased genetic differentiation at the MHC locus among populations compared using microsatellites indicated diversifying selection. Second, the genetic differentiation of MHC and microsatellites were significantly correlated, suggesting that demographic processes exist. However, MHC genetic differentiation was significantly correlated with geographical distance among populations, even after controlling for the neutral markers, suggesting a major effect of selection. Third, although the MHC genetic differentiation was larger than that for microsatellites, there was no significant difference in the genetic differentiation between the two markers among genetic lineages, indicating the effect of balancing selection. Fourth, combined with climatic factors, MHC diversity and supertypes showed significant correlations with temperature and precipitation, but not with the phylogeographic structure of R. ferrumequinum, suggesting an effect of local adaptation driven by climate on MHC diversity. Moreover, the number of MHC supertypes varied between populations and lineages, suggesting regional characteristics and support for local adaptation. Taken together, the results of our study provide insights into the adaptive evolutionary driving forces at different geographic scales in R. ferrumequinum. In addition, climate factors may have played a vital role in driving adaptive evolution in this species.

Introducing carbon diffusion is an effective method for fabricating composite steel with high strength and high ductility. Herein, three kinds of low-carbon martensite steels with different silicon contents were selected as high-strength layer materials. The effective mechanisms of the diffused content of carbon between the neighboring layers on the strength and ductility of martensite–austenite composite steel were researched. Results revealed that the martensite–austenite composite steel with different diffused contents of carbon was obtained by changing the silicon content in the martensite layer. Some carbon atoms diffused from the austenite layer into the neighboring martensite layers, resulting in an increased hardness of the martensite layer. With increasing the diffused content of carbon, the hardness of the martensite layer increased gradually. When the increment of carbon content within martensite layer was 0.16 wt%, 0.23 wt% and 0.25 wt%, respectively, the tensile strength increment of composite steel was 1, 23 and 110 MPa, respectively, as compared with the monolithic martensite steel. This indicated that the increased diffused content of carbon was beneficial for improving the tensile strength of composite steel. Accompanied with the decrement of carbon content inside the austenite layer, the elongation of composite steel was 13.6%, 17.3% and 17.9%, respectively. With decreasing the hardening ability of the austenite layer, the coordinated deformability between the neighboring layers was decreased. Consequently, the elongation of composite steel was reduced. This finding indicated that the slight diffusion of carbon atoms between neighboring layers was beneficial for improving the ductility of composite steel.

Summary: The nocturnal and cryptic nature of bats makes it difficult to determine their foraging behavior and predatory sensory cues. Here, we present a protocol for determining the behavioral strategies and sensory cues of bat predation on airborne prey. We describe steps for indoor foraging behavior simulation, dual-choice acoustic playback, and visual presentation experiments. This protocol was used to study the avivorous bat, Ia io, but it can be adapted for studying other aerial-hawking bats and even other taxa.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Gong et al. (2022).1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

Arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) is a crucial rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of melatonin. AANAT has been confirmed to be independently duplicated and inactivated in different animal taxa in order to adapt to the environment. However, the evolutionary forces associated with having a single copy of AANAT remain unclear. The greater horseshoe bat has a single copy of AANAT but exhibits different hibernation rhythms in various populations. We analyzed the adaptive evolution at the gene and protein levels of AANAT from three distinct genetic lineages in China: northeast (NE), central east (CE), and southwest (SW). The results revealed greater genetic diversity in the AANAT loci of the NE and CE lineage populations that have longer hibernation times, and there were two positive selection loci. The catalytic capacity of AANAT in the Liaoning population that underwent positive selection was significantly higher than that of the Yunnan population (p < 0.05). This difference may be related to the lower proportion of α helix and the variation in two interface residues. The adaptive evolution of AANAT was significantly correlated with climate and environment (p < 0.05). After controlling for geographical factors (latitude and altitude), the evolution of AANAT by the negative temperature factor was represented by the monthly mean temperature (r = −0.6, p < 0.05). The results identified the gene level variation, functional adaptation, and evolutionary driving factors of AANAT, provide an important foundation for further understanding the adaptive evolution of the single copy of AANAT in pteropods, and may offer evidence for adaptive hibernation rhythms in bats.

The Caodong School (曹洞宗) advocates the integration of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism (三教會通) and interprets Chan through the I Ching (以易釋禪). During the transition from the Ming to the Qing Dynasty, there was extensive interaction and mobility between the Ming loyalists (遺民) and Chan monks. This accelerated the secularization of monks and promoted the construction of temple gardens, which were expressed and preserved through literary Chan poetry. This study explores the relationship between Buddhist concepts and garden construction through a specific case, the Changshou Monastery Garden (長壽寺花園) in Canton (now Guangzhou) during the Qing Dynasty. This study examines how the Chan master Shilian Dashan 石濂大汕 (1633–1705), who journeyed to Dang Trong (Cochinchina 廣南) to spread Buddhist teachings, shaped the design and layout of the temple garden, reflecting Buddhist ideals and Caodong principles. This study analyzes the changes in landscape at the Changshou Monastery Garden, according to “the sound of tides” (潮音) from a Buddhist perspective. It also reveals how Dashan, as both a monk and a literati, blended Chan and Chinese philosophy in making the garden. The cultural resonance of tides within religious and literati traditions furnishes novel insights and prospects for the development of garden spaces.

The accurate and rapid identification of rice diseases is crucial for enhancing rice yields. However, this task encounters several challenges: (1) Complex background problem: The rice background in a natural environment is complex, which interferes with rice disease recognition; (2) Disease region irregularity problem: Some rice diseases exhibit irregular shapes, and their target regions are small, making them difficult to detect; (3) Classification and localization problem: Rice disease recognition employs identical features for both classification and localization tasks, thereby affecting the training effect. To address the aforementioned problems, an enhanced rice disease recognition model leveraging the improved YOLOv7-Tiny is proposed. Specifically, in order to reduce the interference of complex background, the YOLOv7-Tiny model’s backbone network has been enhanced by incorporating the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM); subsequently, to address the irregularity issue in the disease region, the RepGhost bottleneck module, which is based on structural reparameterization techniques, has been introduced; Finally, to resolve the classification and localization issue, a lightweight YOLOX decoupled head has been proposed. The experimental results have demonstrated that: (1) The enhanced YOLOv7-Tiny model demonstrated elevated F1 scores and mAP@.5, achieving 0.894 and 0.922, respectively, on the rice pest and disease dataset. These scores exceeded the original YOLOv7-Tiny model’s performance by margins of 3.1 and 2.2 percentage points, respectively. (2) In comparison to the YOLOv3-Tiny, YOLOv4-Tiny, YOLOv5-S, YOLOX-S, and YOLOv7-Tiny models, the enhanced YOLOv7-Tiny model achieved higher F1 scores and mAP@.5. The improved YOLOv7-Tiny model boasts a single image inference time of 26.4 ms, satisfying the requirement for real-time identification of rice diseases and facilitating deployment in embedded devices.

Insectivorous bats are generalist predators and can flexibly respond to fluctuations in the distribution and abundance of insect prey. To better understand the effects of bats on arthropod pests, the types of pests eaten by bats and the response of bats to insect prey need to be determined. In this study, we performed DNA metabarcoding to examine prey composition and pest diversity in the diets of four insectivorous species of bats (Hipposideros armiger, Taphozous melanopogon, Aselliscus stoliczkanus, and Miniopterus fuliginosus). We evaluated the correlation between bat activity and insect resources and assessed dietary niche similarity and niche breadth among species and factors that influence prey consumption in bats. We found that the diets of these bats included arthropods from 23 orders and 200 families, dominated by Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. The proportion of agricultural pests in the diet of each of the four species of bats exceeded 40% and comprised 713 agricultural pests, including those that caused severe economic losses. Bats responded to the availability of insects. For example, a higher abundance of insects, especially Lepidoptera, and a higher insect diversity led to an increase in the duration of bat activity. In areas with more abundant insects, the number of bat passes also increased. The dietary composition, diversity, and niches differed among species and were particularly significant between H. armiger and T. melanopogon; the dietary niche width was the greatest in A. stoliczkanus and the narrowest in H. armiger. The diet of bats was correlated with their morphological and echolocation traits. Larger bats preyed more on insects in the order Coleoptera, whereas the proportion of bats consuming insects in the order Lepidoptera increased as the body size decreased. Bats that emitted echolocation calls with a high peak frequency and duration preyed more on insects in the order Mantodea. Our results suggest that dietary niche differentiation promotes the coexistence of different bat species and increases the ability of bats to consume insect prey and agricultural pests. Our findings provide greater insights into the role of bats that prey on agricultural pests and highlight the importance of combining bat conservation with integrated pest management.

The present work aimed to investigate folate receptor (FOLR1, FOLR2, FOLR3) expression, functional enrichment, signaling pathway and prognosis in ovarian cancer patients by integrated bioinformatics analysis.

The electrochemical behavior of Li2O in KCl-LiCl molten salt has been studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry. The diffusion coefficient D=0.5×10-5 cm2/s of O2- in KCl-LiCl molten salt at 923 K has been calculated by convolutional voltammetry. Gd2O3, Nd2O3, Sm2O3 and Dy2O3 were used as cathodes to conduct electrolysis in KCl-LiCl-Li2O(w=1%) molten salt(constant voltage 3.40 V, electrolysis temperature 923 K, electrolysis time 25 h). By XRD analysis, it was confirmed that the rare earth oxides are partially reduced to metals, and the possible reactions during the electrolysis process were analyzed. At the same time, the PRS model was used to analyze the electrolytic reduction models of these rare earth oxides, and the optimal porosity(Popt) of Gd2O3, Nd2O3, Sm2O3 and Dy2O3 are 18.7%, 24.2%, 30.6%,16.7%, respectively. The minimum electrolysis time of them are 133, 157, 143, and 119 h, respectively, which are compared with the results of the electrolytic experiment, it is found that the porosity and electrolysis time of the cathode do not meet the requirements for complete reduction of metal oxides, and the corresponding explanation is given.

Oriented SiC whisker-reinforced Al2O3/Cu composites were fabricated by powder metallurgy and hot extrusion. The microstructure of the composites was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the composites were measured. The results indicated that the SiC whiskers aligned along the extrusion direction, and the nano Al2O3 particles were uniformly dispersed in the Cu matrix with ideal interfacial bonding. Particle and whisker hybrid reinforcement significantly enhanced the mechanical properties. The yield strength and elongation of (1 vol.%SiCw + Al2O3)/Cu composites were 6% and 15.6% higher than those of the Al2O3/Cu composites, respectively. The experimental yield strength was consistent with the theoretical value associated with different strengthening mechanisms. The main strengthening mechanisms were fine grain strengthening, Orowan strengthening and load transfer strengthening. The electrical conductivity of all the composites was higher than 82.8% IACS; however, the SiC whiskers led to electrical conductivity anisotropy. In general, the electrical conductivity of composites is related to the volume fraction and type of reinforcement. Therefore, the influence of the hybrid composition on the electrical conductivity was studied, and an analytical model for the electrical conductivity of hybrid-reinforced copper matrix composites was established, including the characteristic parameters of the particles and whiskers. The model and presented findings can provide a design basis for hybrid-reinforced composites.

Loss of crop yield due to non-native invasive pests is a global phenomenon with profound population, biodiversity, ecosystem, and economic impacts. The polyphagous and migratory fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) has become a major invasive pest around the globe in the past decade, posing a great threat to global food security. Early warning and timely detection of this pest and its associated agricultural risks are essential for preventing, intervening, controlling, and mitigating invasion threats, which could reduce crop losses and economic damage. However, one key challenge is how to effectively and accurately monitor pest invasion as soon as possible prior to their establishment. Here, we aimed to determine the effectiveness of four different methods for identifying the presence of FAW, namely DNA metabarcoding, field survey, light trap, and sex pheromone trap. We collected fecal samples of six bat species in the FAW colonization area, including Rhinolophus pearsonii, Rhinolophus rex, Ia io, Myotis altarium, Myotis pilosus, and Myotis chinensis. We then utilized bat fecal samples to monitor FAW through DNA metabarcoding during its early establishment stages and compared this approach to three traditional surveillance methods. The results revealed interspecific differences in the occurrence frequency of FAW in different bat species. Furthermore, bat fecal DNA metabarcoding successfully monitored the occurrence of this pest nearly one month in advance compared with traditional approaches, which coincides with the adult migration time of larval counterparts found in the field based on effective accumulated temperature calculations. Our results showed that DNA metabarcoding dietary analysis of generalist insectivorous bats can be an effective, noninvasive, and economically viable tool for invasion pests monitoring to inform management decisions.