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The feather growth rate in chickens included early and late feathering. We attempted to characterize the genes and pathways associated with the feather growth rate in chickens that are not in agreement with Mendelian inheritance. Gene expression profiles in the hair follicle tissues of late-feathering cocks (LC), early-feathering cocks (EC), late-feathering hens (LH), and early-feathering hens (EH) were acquired using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), mass spectrometry (MS), and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT‑PCR). A total of 188 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were ascertained in EC vs. LC and 538 DEGs were identified in EH vs. LH. We observed that 14 up-regulated genes and 9 down-regulated genes were screened both in EC vs. LC and EH vs. LH. MS revealed that 41 and 138 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were screened out in EC vs. LC and EH vs. LH, respectively. Moreover, these DEGs and DEPs were enriched in multiple feather-related pathways, including JAK-STAT, MAPK, WNT, TGF-β, and calcium signaling pathways. qRT-PCR assay showed that the expression of WNT8A was decreased in LC compared with EC, while ALK and GRM4 expression were significantly up-regulated in EH relative to LH. This study helps to elucidate the potential mechanism of the feather growth rate in chickens that do not conform to genetic law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional polyolefin separators used in lithium-ion batteries face challenges for low porosity, insufficient electrolyte wettability, poor thermal stability, and short circuits caused by dendrite growth. In this work, a unique polyimide/trisilanol isobutyl sesquisiloxane@titanium dioxide fiber separator is prepared by electrospinning and self-assembly, in which polyhedral oligomeric semisiloxane (POSS) serves as a bridge between polyimide (PI) and TiO2. The PI/trisilanollsobutyl (TS)-POSS@TiO2 nanofiber separator with a core–shell structure presenting excellent mechanical strength and electrochemical characteristic effectively inhibits the development of lithium dendrites in lithium-ion batteries. The PI/TS-POSS@TiO2 membrane tensile strength is 17.90 MPa, 152% greater than the pure PI separator tensile strength (7.1 MPa). The lithium-ion battery assembled with a PI/TS-POSS@TiO2 separator has an excellent conductivity of 1.782 mS/cm, which is 92.44% greater than that of a pure PI separator. Its electrochemical stability window also reaches 5.27 V. The lithium-ion battery assembled by the PI/TS-POSS@TiO2 separator exhibits excellent rate performance, cycling stability, and preferable resistance to dendritic penetration. The PI/TS-POSS@TiO2 nanofiber separator has good application prospects in lithium-ion secondary batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, toughening of WC-Co composite prepared by amorphous-crystallization method was investigated. Co-rich nanoparticles, a Co(W,C) solid solution, were incorporated into the WC matrix through the process integrating crystallization of amorphous Co2W4C powder and its in-situ reaction with carbon. The microstructural evolution of the ceramic-metal composite during fabrication was studied in detail. Owing to the interactions between Co-rich nanoparticles coherent with the WC matrix and the dislocations and stacking faults inside WC grains, the composite exhibited high hardness and strength combined with exceptional fracture toughness. The mechanisms for the synergistic improvement of mechanical properties of the composite were disclosed. IMPACT STATEMENT: This study presents the novel preparation of WC-Co composite, characterized by the incorporation of Co-rich nanoparticles into the WC matrix via an amorphous-crystallization technique, yielding exceptional fracture toughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous research, we found that trichokonins' (TKs) employment improved the thermotolerance of the Lanzhou lily, a renowned edible crop species endemic to China that is relatively susceptible to high temperatures (HTs). Here, a novel Lanzhou lily GRAS gene, LzSCL9, was identified to respond to heat stress (HS) and HS+TKs treatment based on transcriptome and RT-qPCR analysis. TKs could improve the upregulation of LzSCL9 during long-term HS. The expression profile of LzSCL9 in response to HS with or without TKs treatment showed a significant positive correlation with LzHsfA2a-1, which was previously identified as a key regulator in TKs' conferred resilience to HT. More importantly, overexpression of LzSCL9 in the lily enhanced its tolerance to HTs and silencing LzSCL9 in the lily reduced heat resistance. Taken together, this study identified the positive role of LzSCL9 in TK-induced thermotolerance, thereby preliminarily establishing a molecular mechanism on TKs regulating the thermostability of the Lanzhou lily and providing a new candidate regulator for plant heat-resistant breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water conservation is an important ecosystem service, which is crucial to the fragile ecological environment and serious soil erosion in Northwest China. However, water conservation has been affected by climate change and human disturbance, and its future spatial and temporal changes are still unclear. This study employed the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade‐offs (InVEST) model to assess the water conservation capacity of Northwest China between 1990 and 2020. Subsequently, the Patch‐generating Land Use Simulation (PLUS) model and the NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX‐GDDP‐CMIP6) were integrated to examine changes in water conservation from 2030 to 2050. The water conservation quantity in Northwest China had a fluctuating growth tendency between 1990 and 2020, with an average of 816.61 × 108 m3. The water conservation capacity's regional distribution pattern shows a steady increase from northwest to southeast. Northwest China's forest land had the greatest water conservation capacity between 1990 and 2020, at 66 mm, while the water land had the lowest, at 1.46 mm. The water conservation capacity in the 2030–2050 future scenario is less than that in 2020 when the regional distribution pattern is comparable to 2020. Natural development scenario (ND) in 2030 has the lowest water conservation capacity (13.41 mm) under ssp1‐2.6 precipitation scenario, whereas in 2050, the highest water conservation capacity (17.47 mm) is found in same scenario. The ecological protection scenario (EP) has the greatest water retention capacity (18.15 mm in 2040) and the lowest (14.38 mm in 2050) in the ssp5‐8.5 scenario. Our research can help restore and rebuild Northwest China's natural ecosystem and offer a theoretical foundation for the protection of ecological environment and the rational utilization of water resources in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient communication is crucial in reducing injuries and fatalities in coal mine accidents, necessitating the study of simulation methods for mine communication. When transceiver antennas are positioned close to the same side of the tunnel, the simulation results from the Ray Tracing (RT) method exhibit significant errors. Additionally, the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method demands substantial computational resources. In response to these challenges, we propose a RT-FDTD method, guided by the law of conservation of energy. This approach involves dividing the mine tunnel into a cuboidal region, using the RT method to calculate the electric field strength on the cuboid's surface, and then employing this as the excitation source for the FDTD method. Subsequently, the FDTD method is used to calculate the electric field strength within the cuboid. Experimental results demonstrate that the RT-FDTD method effectively mitigates the limitations of the RT and FDTD methods, enhancing both the efficiency and accuracy of simulations in underground mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials with various shapes and sizes are recognized as outstanding templates for preparing porous metal oxides used as gas-sensitive materials. Here, a facile synthetic strategy is developed to assemble ZIF-67 and ZIF-8 into Co3O4/ZnO hollow porous nanofibers with an MOF-on-MOF heterojunction for gas-sensing applications. The fabricated sensor using this innovative MOF-on-MOF nanomaterial demonstrates high gas sensor response, low limit of detection, remarkable selectivity, and excellent stability to H2S gas. Notably, the Co3O4/ZnO nanofibers show a maximum response of 50 and 1080 at 200 ppb and 5 ppm of H2S under optimal conditions, respectively. Furthermore, the gas-sensing mechanism is proposed in detail, and theoretical calculations based on first-principles further reveal the performance of Co3O4/ZnO nanofibers in enhancing the sensing of H2S. This study offers an approach for fabricating dual MOF-based nanostructures with abundant pores and high surface area for high-performance gas-sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aboveground biomass (AGB) is a key parameter reflecting crop growth which plays a vital role in agricultural management and ecosystem assessment. Real-time and non-destructive biomass monitoring is essential for accurate field management and crop yield prediction. This study utilizes a multi-sensor-equipped unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to collect remote sensing data during critical growth stages of millet, including spectral, textural, thermal, and point cloud information. The use of RGB point cloud data facilitated plant height extraction, enabling subsequent analysis to discern correlations between spectral parameters, textural indices, canopy temperatures, plant height, and biomass. Multiple linear regression (MLR), support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF) models were constructed to evaluate the capability of different features and integrated multi-source features in estimating the AGB. Findings demonstrated a strong correlation between the plant height derived from point cloud data and the directly measured plant height, with the most accurate estimation of millet plant height achieving an R2 of 0.873 and RMSE of 7.511 cm. Spectral parameters, canopy temperature, and plant height showed a high correlation with the AGB, and the correlation with the AGB was significantly improved after texture features were linearly transformed. Among single-factor features, the RF model based on textural indices showcased the highest accuracy in estimating the AGB (R2 = 0.698, RMSE = 0.323 kg m−2, and RPD = 1.821). When integrating two features, the RF model incorporating textural indices and canopy temperature data demonstrated optimal performance (R2 = 0.801, RMSE = 0.253 kg m−2, and RPD = 2.244). When the three features were fused, the RF model constructed by fusing spectral parameters, texture indices, and canopy temperature data was the best (R2 = 0.869, RMSE = 0.217 kg m−2, and RPD = 2.766). The RF model based on spectral parameters, texture indices, canopy temperature, and plant height had the highest accuracy (R2 = 0.877, RMSE = 0.207 kg m−2, and RPD = 2.847). In this study, the complementary and synergistic effects of multi-source remote sensing data were leveraged to enhance the accuracy and stability of the biomass estimation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades, there has been a significant global climate change characterized by an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme climate events. The vegetation status in Qinghai Province has undergone substantial changes, which are more pronounced than other regions in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, a clear understanding of the response characteristics of plateau vegetation to extreme climate events is currently lacking. In this study, we investigated the response of net primary productivity (NPP) to different forms of extreme climate events across regions characterized by varying levels of aridity and elevation gradients. Specifically, we observed a significant increase in NPP in relatively arid regions. Our findings indicate that, in relatively arid regions, single episodes of high-intensity precipitation have a pronounced positive effect (higher correlation) on NPP. Furthermore, in high-elevation regions (4000–6000 m), both the intensity and frequency of precipitation events are crucial factors for the increase in regional NPP. However, continuous precipitation can have significant negative impacts on certain areas within relatively wet regions. Regarding temperature, a reduction in the number of frost days within a year has been shown to lead to a significant increase in NPP in arid regions. This reduction allows vegetation growth rate to increase in regions where it was limited by low temperatures. Vegetation conditions in drought-poor regions are expected to continue to improve as extreme precipitation intensifies and extreme low-temperature events decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of extreme climate events on vegetation growth and ecosystem function has garnered widespread attention, particularly in plateau regions, which are facing increasingly severe environmental pressures. This study employs the Events Coincidence Analysis (ECA) method to examine the impacts of extreme climate events on the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of vegetation in plateau regions. Specifically, we focus on the unique phenomenon of asymmetric daytime and nighttime warming and evaluate the compounding effect of extreme precipitation with extreme temperature events. The results indicate that grassland NPP has higher overall sensitivity and Coincidence Rates (CR) to extreme precipitation events compared to extreme temperature events. Specifically, extreme drought events significantly negatively impact grassland NPP, and the sensitivity of NPP increases with the severity of extreme drought events. In lower elevations (<3200 m), grassland NPP shows a strong response to extreme precipitation events, with sensitivity decreasing with increasing elevation, especially for alpine meadows. Extreme high-temperature events contributed significantly to NPP in mid to high elevations (3000–5000 m). Compound extreme climate events amplify the average coincidence degree with NPP anomalies, with extreme precipitation events playing a major role in compound effects. The CR of compound climate events can reach above 0.6, reflected in the anomaly increase of NPP in temperate grasslands at higher elevations caused by compound events of extremely wet and extremely high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the insufficient utilization of transient power frequency current components when single-phase grounding fault occurs in high-voltage grounding system, a ground fault routing method based on improved sparrow search algorithm optimized variational modal decomposition (ISSA-VMD) and multi-scale fuzzy entropy (MFE) is proposed. First, the elite opposition-based learning strategy (EOBLS) is used to improve the population diversity of the SSA and adopt the improved SSA to optimize VMD's parameters. From the experimental data, we can know the optimized variational mode decomposition can accurately distinguish the power frequency components of each feeder transient zero-sequence current. Second, calculate the MFE value of the power frequency component of the zero-sequence current of each feeder and select the multi-scale fuzzy entropy partial mean (PMMFE) as the line selection criterion, and then, the fault line is selected. MATLAB/Simulink simulation experimental results and the experimental results of a real experimental field for a 10-kV distribution network show that this proposed method can select the right line under most mistake conditions, with high reliability and strong robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Altitude hypoxia and limited socioeconomic conditions may result in distinctive features of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has not been used at altitude. We examined characteristics of HIE and early outcomes of TH in 3 centers at two high altitudes, 2 at 2,261 m and 1 at 3,650 m. Methods: The incidence of HIE at NICUs was noted. TH was conducted when personnel and devices were available in 2019~2020. Standard inclusion criteria were used, with the addition of admission age >6 hours and mild HIE. Demographic and clinical data included gestational age, gender, weight, Apgar score, ethnics, age on admission, age at TH and clinical degree of HIE. EEG was monitored for 96 hours during hypothermia and rewarming. MRI was performed before discharge. Results: There was significant difference in ethnics, HIE degree, age at TH across 3 centers. The overall NICU incidence of HIE was 4.0%. Among 566 HIE patients, 114 (20.1%) received TH. 63 (55.3%) patients had moderate/severe HIE. Age at TH >6 hours occurred in 34 (29.8%) patients. EEG discharges showed seizures in 7~11% of patients, whereas spikes/sharp waves in 94~100%, delta brushes in 50~100%. After TH, MRI showed moderate to severe brain injury in 77% of patients, and correlated with center, demographic and clinical variables (Ps≤0.0003). Mortality was 5% during hospitalization and 11% after discharge until 1 year. Conclusions: At altitude, the incidence of HIE was high and brain injury was severe. TH was limited and often late >6 hours. EEG showed distinct patterns attributable to altitude hypoxia. TH was relatively safe. Trial registration: The study was registered on February 23, 2019 in Chinese Clinical Trial Register (ChiCTR1900021481). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broodiness, a maternal behavior, is accompanied by the atresia of follicles and the serious degradation of poultry reproductive performance. The comparison of follicles between brooding and laying hens is usually an ideal model for exploring the regulation mechanism of follicle atresia. In this study, we selected three brooding hens and three laying hens to collect their follicles for whole transcriptome sequencing. The results demonstrated different expression patterns between the follicles of brooding hens and laying hens. In the top 10 differentially expressed genes with the highest expression, MMP10 was relatively low expressed in the follicles of brooding hens, but other nine genes were relatively highly expressed, including LRR1, RACK1, SPECC1L, ABHD2, COL6A3, RPS17, ATRN, BIRC6, PGAM1 and SPECC1L. While miR-21-3p, miR-146a-5p, miR-142-5p and miR-1b-3p were highly expressed in the follicles of brooding hen, miR-106-5p, miR-451, miR-183, miR-7, miR-2188-5p and miR-182-5p were lowly expressed in brooding hen. In addition, we identified 124 lncRNAs specifically expressed in the follicles of brooding hens and 147 lncRNAs specifically expressed in the follicles of laying hens. Our results may provide a theoretical basis for further exploration of the molecular mechanism of broodiness in broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kidney bean is an important cash crop whose growth and yield are severely affected by brown spot disease. Traditional target detection models cannot effectively screen out key features, resulting in model overfitting and weak generalization ability. In this study, a Bi-Directional Feature Pyramid Network (BiFPN) and Squeeze and Excitation (SE) module were added to a YOLOv5 model to improve the multi-scale feature fusion and key feature extraction abilities of the improved model. The results show that the BiFPN and SE modules show higher heat in the target location region and pay less attention to irrelevant environmental information in the non-target region. The detection Precision, Recall, and mean average Precision (mAP@0.5) of the improved YOLOv5 model are 94.7%, 88.2%, and 92.5%, respectively, which are 4.9% higher in Precision, 0.5% higher in Recall, and 25.6% higher in the mean average Precision compared to the original YOLOv5 model. Compared with the YOLOv5-SE, YOLOv5-BiFPN, FasterR-CNN, and EfficientDet models, detection Precision improved by 1.8%, 3.0%, 9.4%, and 9.5%, respectively. Moreover, the rate of missed and wrong detection in the improved YOLOv5 model is only 8.16%. Therefore, the YOLOv5-SE-BiFPN model can more effectively detect the brown spot area of kidney beans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is critical for ecosystem functions and services, and have been studied across a wide range of ecosystems. An intriguing and challenging question emerging from these studies is how precipitation fluctuations, especially extreme precipitation, affect the temporal stability of ANPP in alpine meadow. We investigated the changes in plant community composition and aboveground biomass in an alpine meadow over six consecutive years under five precipitation treatments (increase of 50%, natural precipitation, decreases of 30%, 50% and 90%) in order to reveal the response of ANPP stability to the precipitation change, especially extreme precipitation, and the relevant driving mechanisms. The alpha diversity of plant species did not differ significantly among the treatments. ANPP was resistant to changes in precipitation between 354 and 1336 mm (precipitation interval of 50% decrease in precipitation in the driest year and 50% increase in precipitation in the wettest year during the experiment), suggesting that normal interannual fluctuations in precipitation and recent changes in regional precipitation might not significantly influence ANPP stability. However, extreme precipitation treatment (90% decrease), significantly reduced ANPP, species asynchrony and ANPP stability. A path model indicated that ANPP stability was directly affected by population stability, species asynchrony and grass stability. While the effect of species diversity on ANPP stability depends on the extents to which it positively affects species asynchrony and negatively affects population stability. In addition, the dominant species stability did not directly affect ANPP stability, while indirectly affected ANPP stability by changing the asynchrony of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface water bodies exhibit dynamic characteristics, undergoing variations in size, shape, and flow patterns over time due to numerous natural and human factors. The monitoring of spatial-temporal changes in surface water bodies is crucial for the sustainable development and efficient utilization of water resources. In this study, Landsat series images on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, along with the HydroLAKES and China Reservoir datasets, were utilized to establish an extraction process for surface water bodies from 1986 to 2021 in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). The study aims to investigate the dynamics of surface water bodies and the driving factors within the YRB. The findings reveal an overall expansion tendency of surface water bodies in the YRB between 1986 and 2021. In the YRB, the total area of surface water bodies, natural lakes, and artificial reservoirs increased by 2983.8 km2 (40.4%), 281.1 km2 (11.5%), and 1017.6 km2 (101.7%), respectively. A total of 102 natural lakes expanded, while 23 shrank. Regarding artificial reservoirs, 204 expanded, and 77 shrank. The factors that contributed most to the increase in the surface water bodies were increasing precipitation and reservoir construction, whose contribution rates could reach 47% and 32.6%, respectively. Additionally, the rising temperatures melted permafrost, ice, and snow, positively correlating with water expansion in the upper reaches of the YRB, particularly natural lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The β-glucan in oat grain plays an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is of great significance to realize the rapid measurement of β-glucan content in oat grain for the rational use of β-glucan. In this study, hyperspectral monitoring models of oat grain β-glucan content were constructed, and the effects of transformation algorithm, sensitive band screening algorithm, and modeling algorithm on the accuracy of the model were studied. The results showed that logarithm(Lg) and standardized normal variables(SNV) transformation can change the value of original spectral reflectance, while first-order differentiation(FD) and second-order differentiation(SD) transformation can also change the changing trend of original spectral reflectance. multivariate scattering correction(MSC), SNV, FD, and SD transformation can improve the correlation between spectral reflectance and oat grain β-glucan content to varying degrees. When using full band spectrum to construct the model, the performance of linear modeling algorithm was better than that of nonlinear modeling algorithm. Compared with uninformative variable elimination(UVE) algorithm, successive projections algorithm(SPA) had better band screening effect. Combining all the modeling results, it was found that MSC and SNV transformation algorithms had good results. Among them, the model based on SNV transformation spectrum and SPA-multiple linear regression(SPA-MLR) reached the highest accuracy, which can realize the hyperspectral monitoring of oat grain β-glucan content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to high water content and homogeneous texture, conventional hydrogels hardly reach satisfactory mechanical performance. Tensile‐resistant groups and structural heterogeneity are employed to fabricate tough hydrogels. However, those techniques significantly increase the complexity and cost of material synthesis, and have only limited applicability. Here, it is shown that ultra‐tough hydrogels can be obtained via a unique hierarchical architecture composed of chemically coupled self‐assembly units. The associative energy dissipation among them may be rationally engineered to yield libraries of tough gels with self‐healing capability. Tunable tensile strength, fracture strain, and toughness of up to 19.6 MPa, 20 000%, and 135.7 MJ cm⁻3 are achieved, all of which exceed the best known records. The results demonstrate a universal strategy to prepare desired ultra‐tough hydrogels in predictable and controllable manners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of the patterns of drought and flood alternation in adjacent months is essential for enabling climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding short‐cycle drought–flood abrupt alteration (s‐DFAA) and its responses to multiple environmental factors at various timescales. This is because of the inadequate formula construction of the existing short‐cycle drought–flood abrupt alteration index (SDFAI), such as the inability to introduce drought standards. To accurately capture the s‐DFAA's characteristics in the Qinling‐Daba Mountains (Qinba Mountains), we proposed a revised SDFAI (R‐SDFAI), which incorporates the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and allows for the customization of drought standards. Next, we used wavelet transform coherence and multiple wavelet coherence to investigate the timescale relationships between s‐DFAA events and their influence factors such as relative humidity, sunshine duration, temperature, evaporation, Arctic Oscillation (AO), Niño3.4 SSTA Index (Niño3.4), Total Sunspot Number Index (TSNI) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation Index (PDO). Our results showed that the R‐SDFAI outperformed traditional SDFAI in capturing s‐DFAA events and characterizing their severity. Furthermore, s‐DFAA events identified by R‐SDFAI at different levels (i.e., mild, moderate, severe, extreme and total) displayed insignificant downward trends. Spatially, there were more s‐DFAA events in the east than the west. Wavelet analysis indicated that meteorological factors and teleconnections significantly impact s‐DFAA events at large timescales, though their driving mechanisms differed substantially. Among meteorological factors, single relative humidity and its related combinations exhibited relatively high percent area of significant coherence (PASC, ranging from 17.47 to 29.46). Each teleconnection and its combinations are irreplaceable, with PASC values always increasing with the number of variables. The PASC ranges from 8.3 to 10.29 for one factor, 12.38 to 18.65 for two factors, 24.02 to 30.58 for three factors and 40.88 for four factors, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of the patterns of drought and flood alternation in adjacent months is essential for enabling climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding short‐cycle drought–flood abrupt alteration (s‐DFAA) and its responses to multiple environmental factors at various timescales. This is because of the inadequate formula construction of the existing short‐cycle drought–flood abrupt alteration index (SDFAI), such as the inability to introduce drought standards. To accurately capture the s‐DFAA's characteristics in the Qinling‐Daba Mountains (Qinba Mountains), we proposed a revised SDFAI (R‐SDFAI), which incorporates the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and allows for the customization of drought standards. Next, we used wavelet transform coherence and multiple wavelet coherence to investigate the timescale relationships between s‐DFAA events and their influence factors such as relative humidity, sunshine duration, temperature, evaporation, Arctic Oscillation (AO), Niño3.4 SSTA Index (Niño3.4), Total Sunspot Number Index (TSNI) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation Index (PDO). Our results showed that the R‐SDFAI outperformed traditional SDFAI in capturing s‐DFAA events and characterizing their severity. Furthermore, s‐DFAA events identified by R‐SDFAI at different levels (i.e., mild, moderate, severe, extreme and total) displayed insignificant downward trends. Spatially, there were more s‐DFAA events in the east than the west. Wavelet analysis indicated that meteorological factors and teleconnections significantly impact s‐DFAA events at large timescales, though their driving mechanisms differed substantially. Among meteorological factors, single relative humidity and its related combinations exhibited relatively high percent area of significant coherence (PASC, ranging from 17.47 to 29.46). Each teleconnection and its combinations are irreplaceable, with PASC values always increasing with the number of variables. The PASC ranges from 8.3 to 10.29 for one factor, 12.38 to 18.65 for two factors, 24.02 to 30.58 for three factors and 40.88 for four factors, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Whether the coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic is associated with a long‐term negative impact on acute stroke care remains uncertain. This study aims to compare the timing of key aspects of stroke codes between patients before and after the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at an academic hospital in Shanghai, China and included all adult patients with acute ischemic stroke hospitalized via the emergency department (ED) stroke pathway during the 24 months since the COVID‐19 outbreak (COVID‐19: January 1, 2020–December 31, 2021). The comparison cohort included patients with ED stroke pathway visits and hospitalizations during the same period (pre‐COVID‐19: January 1, 2018–December 31, 2019). We compared critical time points of prehospital and intrahospital acute stroke care between patients during the COVID‐19 era and patients during the pre‐COVID‐19 era using t test, χ2, and Mann–Whitney U test where appropriate. Results: A total of 1194 acute ischemic stroke cases were enrolled, including 606 patients in COVID‐19 and 588 patients in pre‐COVID‐19. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, the median onset‐to‐hospital time was about 108 min longer compared with the same period of pre‐COVID‐19 (300 vs 192 min, p = 0.01). Accordingly, the median onset‐to‐needle time was 169 min in COVID‐19 and 113 min in pre‐COVID‐19 (p = 0.0001), and the proportion of patients with onset‐to‐hospital time within 4.5 h was lower (292/606 [48.2%] vs 328/558 [58.8%], p = 0.0003) during the pandemic period. Furthermore, the median door‐to‐inpatient admission and door‐to‐inpatient rehabilitation times increased from 28 to 37 h and from 3 to 4 days (p = 0.014 and 0.0001). Conclusions: During the 24 months of COVID‐19, a prolongation of stroke onset to hospital arrival and to intravenous rt‐PA administration times were noted. Meanwhile, acute stroke patients needed to stay in the ED for a longer time before hospitalization. Educational system support and process optimization should be pursued in order to acquire timely delivery of stroke care during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starch is one of the key factors for the texture of Chinese steamed bread (CSB). In this study, the molecular structures and physicochemical properties of starches from 11 wheat varieties with amylose content (AC) of 1.75%–28.79% were investigated. Northern style CSB was made using these wheat varieties to explore the structure–property–quality relationship of starches. AC was negatively correlated with the pasting and gelatinization properties. The relative crystallinity (RC) had a negative correlation with AC but a positive correlation with gelatinization. The molecular structure results from the fluorophore‐assisted capillary electrophoresis spectrophotometer indicated that the length of short amylopectin chains (βAp,i) was positively correlated with hot paste and cool paste viscosities. The amount of medium amylopectin chains (hAp,iii) was positively correlated with peak and breakdown viscosities but negatively correlated with setback viscosity. The hAp,iii had positive correlations with gelatinization temperatures and RC. The amount of long amylopectin chains (hAp,v) had a positive correlation with peak temperature. For the CSB texture, βAp,i had negative correlations with hardness and chewiness, whereas had a positive correlation with resilience. The hAp,iii was negatively correlated with springiness and resilience. The hAp,v was negatively associated with resilience. Practical Application: Starch has a vital role in wheat flour products. Clarifying the structure–property–quality relationship of starches will help illuminate the role of starch molecular structure in CSB production and provide valuable information for the control of CSB quality. It also provides a significant reference for wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the breakage of the rotary shaft of the traction motor of the locomotive, in order to ensure the reliability and safety of the equipment, this paper studies the magnetic field containing rich information in the space around the rotary shaft, so that the crack defect can be detected and the crack size can be judged in time. In order to study the influence of defect geometric parameters (width, depth and hidden depth) on the spatial magnetic field distribution around the defect in the process of eddy current testing of metal shafts, based on the principle of eddy current testing, a metal rotary shaft detection model with different defect parameters was established by COMSOL software for simulation. The horizontal magnetic induction intensity, vertical magnetic induction intensity and their respective phases are used to analyze the magnetic field distribution around the defect under different parameters. The results show that the magnetic field related parameters can qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the crack width, qualitatively evaluate the relative size of the crack depth, and qualitatively judge whether there are hidden cracks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil bacterial and fungal communities play different roles in maintaining the ecosystem structure and functions. However, these differences, which are related to soil depths, remain unclear and are the subject of this study. We selected six sample plots (20 m × 50 m) in a natural Picea crassifolia forest in an alpine meadow to determine the vertical patterns (0~10 cm, 10~20 cm, 20~30 cm, and 30~50 cm) of soil bacterial and fungal communities, and to predict their potential functions. The phyla Verrucomicrobia, Acidobacteria, and Proteobacteria dominated the soil bacteria, with more than 50% of the relative abundance, while the fungi Basidiomycota and Ascomycota dominated the soil fungi. The potential functions of bacteria, including metabolism and transcription, increased with soil depth, and corresponded to specific bacterial taxa. The functional guilds of fungi, including endophytes, arbuscular mycorrhiza, and ectomycorrhiza, did not change with soil depth. The structural equation modeling analysis revealed that soil organic carbon (SOC) and pH were the key drivers shaping the soil bacterial communities and potential functions in the 0–50 cm soil layer. SOC was also a key driver of soil fungal α diversity. The sample plot, namely, its geographic locations, was another key driver shaping soil fungal β diversity and potential functions, but soil depth was not. Our results differentiate the importance of SOC and geographic location in shaping soil bacterial and fungal communities, respectively, and indicate that examining soil microbial composition and corresponding functions concomitantly is important for the maintenance and management of forest ecosystem functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aboveground dry biomass (AGDB) of winter wheat can reflect the growth and development of winter wheat. The rapid monitoring of AGDB by using hyperspectral technology is of great significance for obtaining the growth and development status of winter wheat in real time and promoting yield increase. This study analyzed the changes of AGDB based on a winter wheat irrigation experiment. At the same time, the AGDB and canopy hyperspectral reflectance of winter wheat were obtained. The effect of spectral preprocessing algorithms such as reciprocal logarithm (Lg), multiple scattering correction (MSC), standardized normal variate (SNV), first derivative (FD), and second derivative (SD); sample division methods such as the concentration gradient method (CG), the Kennard–Stone method (KS), and the sample subset partition based on the joint X–Y distances method (SPXY); sample division ratios such as 1:1 (Ratio1), 3:2 (Ratio2), 2:1 (Ratio3), 5:2 (Ratio4), and 3:1 (Ratio5); dimension reduction algorithms such as uninformative variable elimination (UVE); and modeling algorithms such as partial least-squares regression (PLSR), stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), artificial neural network (ANN), and support vector machine (SVM) on the hyperspectral monitoring model of winter wheat AGDB was studied. The results showed that irrigation can improve the AGDB and canopy spectral reflectance of winter wheat. The spectral preprocessing algorithm can change the original spectral curve and improve the correlation between the original spectrum and the AGDB of winter wheat and screen out the bands of 1400 nm, 1479 nm, 1083 nm, 741 nm, 797 nm, and 486 nm, which have a high correlation with AGDB. The calibration sets and validation sets divided by different sample division methods and sample division ratios have different data-distribution characteristics. The UVE method can obviously eliminate some bands in the full-spectrum band. SVM is the best modeling algorithm. According to the universality of data, the better sample division method, sample division ratio, and modeling algorithm are SPXY, Ratio4, and SVM, respectively. Combined with the original spectrum and by using UVE to screen bands, a model with stable performance and high accuracy can be obtained. According to the particularity of data, the best model in this study is FD-CG-Ratio4-Full-SVM, for which the R2c, RMSEc, R2v, RMSEv, and RPD are 0.9487, 0.1663 kg·m−2, 0.7335, 0.3600 kg·m−2, and 1.9226, respectively, which can realize hyperspectral monitoring of winter wheat AGDB. This study can provide a reference for the rational irrigation of winter wheat in the field and provide a theoretical basis for monitoring the AGDB of winter wheat by using hyperspectral remote sensing technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tartary buckwheat is a common functional food. Its grains are rich in flavonoids and phenols. The rapid measurement of flavonoids and phenols in buckwheat grains is of great significance in promoting the development of the buckwheat industry. This study, based on multiple scattering correction (MSC), standardized normal variate (SNV), reciprocal logarithm (Lg), first-order derivative (FD), second-order derivative (SD), and fractional-order derivative (FOD) preprocessing spectra, constructed hyperspectral monitoring models of total flavonoids content and total phenols content in tartary buckwheat grains. The results showed that SNV, Lg, FD, SD, and FOD preprocessing had different effects on the original spectral reflectance and that FOD can also reflect the change process from the original spectrum to the integer-order derivative spectrum. Compared with the original spectrum, MSC, SNV, Lg, FD, and SD transformation spectra can improve the correlation between spectral data and total flavonoids and total phenols in varying degrees, while the correlation between FOD spectra of different orders and total flavonoids and total phenols in grains was different. The monitoring models of total flavonoids and total phenols in grains based on MSC, SNV, Lg, FD, and SD transformation spectra achieved the best accuracy under SD and FD transformation, respectively. Therefore, this study further constructed monitoring models of total flavonoids and total phenols content in grains based on the FOD spectrum and achieved the best accuracy under 1.6 and 0.6 order derivative preprocessing, respectively. The R2c, RMSEc, R2v, RMSEv, and RPD were 0.8731, 0.1332, 0.8384, 0.1448, and 2.4475 for the total flavonoids model, and 0.8296, 0.2025, 0.6535, 0.1740, and 1.6713 for the total phenols model. The model can realize the rapid measurement of total flavonoids content and total phenols content in tartary buckwheat grains, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are conventionally coherent and incoherent types of random lasers, which are characteristic of broadband and randomly distributed narrow‐band lasing spectrum, respectively. No fixed phase relationship has ever been observed between the lasing modes in such lasers. However, herein a new form of random lasers in patterned organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite MAPbBr3 is discovered, where multiple simultaneously lasing modes are stably locked in phase so that lasing lines are achieved with equal spectral separations. This is the first observation of phase locking between random lasers, which is established by the cascaded molecular absorption‐emission or cascaded excitation‐injection processes between random laser modes. The fixed phase relationship is determined by the ultrafast relaxation of the excited molecules to the lower edge of the excitation band, correlating directly the absorption/excitation and emission/injection processes and producing a fixed phase shift. Thus, the bandwidth and separation of the lasing lines are dependent on the relaxation lifetime of the excited molecules and the number of cascading cycles. Such cascading dynamics has a timescale faster than 300 fs. These characteristics innovate the physics and explore new applications of both the MAPbBr3 material and the random lasers. Such a strong phase‐locking mechanism suggests new mode‐locking schemes for ultrafast lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture controls the exchange of energy between the land surface and the atmosphere and significantly affects plant growth and productivity. Hyperspectral (350–2500 nm) monitoring of soil moisture content (SMC) could provide a theoretical basis for the real‐time estimation of spatial and temporal variations in soil moisture. During this study, we have developed SMC prediction models in different soil moisture ranges by using the combination of spectral preprocessing methods and optimized spectral indices. Results indicated that first‐order derivative (FD) preprocessing method can highlight the effective information of the spectra and improve the correlation between spectral reflectance and SMC. The spectral reflectance exhibited a strong correlation with SMC near 1400, 1700, 1900, and 2200 nm. The FD‐NDSI‐W0‐model had the best SMC prediction and applicability (R2 = 0.977, root mean square error = 3.413%, relative percent deviation = 6.171) to predict SMCs. Overall, pretreatment methods, combined with the two‐band random combination to optimize the spectral index to build a prediction model of SMC, could be applied for accurate monitoring of SMC. Core Ideas: The spectral features were enhanced using preprocessing methods.The characteristic bands of soil moisture content are clarified.The spectral indices were optimized using a two‐band random combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combined chemotherapy plays an increasingly important and practical role in the clinical treatment of malignant tumor. In this study, paclitaxel (PTX) and curcumin (Cur) are simultaneously encapsulated into nanogels (termed as NG-PC) in situ by microemulsion photopolymerization at 532 nm for synergistically suppressing breast tumors. NG-PC with a size of 180 nm and a low polydispersity index (PDI < 0.2) presents a controlled and cumulative release of PTX and Cur within 90 h. Moreover, NG-PC displays a remarkable killing effect against 4T1 and MCF-7 cells. In vivo antitumor evaluation on 4T1 tumor-bearing mice demonstrates that NG-PC has significantly higher ability to inhibit tumor growth, inducing necrosis, apoptosis and suppression of proliferation than that of a single drug. Our research provides a facile method to prepare a nano-drug delivery platform with excellent drug co-loading ability and synergistic antitumor effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Rapid and accurate estimation of soil organic carbon (SOC) based on near-infrared spectroscopy can assist sustainable agricultural developments in the future. Methods: In this study, based on the acquisition of soil spectra and SOC in field plot trials and farmland regional trials, the raw spectral data were processed by multi-class mathematical transformation to study the relationship between the raw spectra and their pre-processed spectra and SOC. Additionally, a near-infrared spectroscopy model has been constructed for the estimation of SOC based on multiple statistical regression (partial least squares, PLS; Support vector machine, SVM; successive projection algorithm-multiple linear regression, SPA-MLR) to resolve the optimal spectral pretreatment and modeling method suitable for SOC determination by Vis–NIR spectroscopy. Results: The results revealed that the soil NIR spectra were negatively correlated with SOC, which suggested that the spectral reflectance decreased gradually with the increasing SOC content. A comparative analysis of the correlation between the original and pre-treatment spectra and SOC further revealed that except for the Savitzky-Golay smoothing treatment (T1), different spectral pretreatments significantly improved the correlation between soil spectra and SOC, and the maximum correlation coefficient could reach up to 0.8. Among the three types of multiple regression models based on different pretreatment conditions, the support vector machine and model of soil organic carbon based on Savitzky-Golay smoothing + first derivative (T7) achieved better estimation results (R2c = 0.9212, RMSEc = 1.4058, RPDc = 4.3403; R2v = 0.7556, RMSEv = 2.4589, RPDv = 2.0186). Conclusions: Our findings provided some theoretical reference and practical application of the near-infrared spectroscopy-based estimation of organic carbon in agricultural soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin-walled structures have been widely used in various parts of vehicle subsystems because of their high-efficiency impact energy absorption and lightweight characteristics. However, the impact deformation mode of conventional thin-walled structures is unstable and the energy absorption efficiency is low. Therefore, a series of novel bionic conch structures (BCS) are proposed to find a more excellent crashworthiness design in this study. First, the finite element simulation model of BCS verified by experiments is established. Then, the energy absorption characteristics of bionic conch structures, and conventional single-cell and multi-cell tubes under axial loading are compared by employing finite element simulation. The results show that the thin-walled structures inspired by conchs have a higher energy absorption efficiency than the other two structures with the same mass. In addition, the influence of main design parameters (wall thickness, inner and outer ring diameter, and the number of inner and outer panels) on the crashworthiness of BCS is studied through parameter design and factor significance analysis. Finally, the optimal geometric configuration is found by combining the approximation model and multi-objective particle swarm optimization, and the crashworthiness of BCS is further optimized. The bionic crashworthiness design and optimization framework proposed in this study can also provide a reference for other engineering protective structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

W–Cu composites are commonly subjected to coupled multiple fields in service, which imposes high requirements on their overall performance. In this study, the ultrafine-grained W–Cu composite was fabricated using the combination of electroless plating and spark plasma sintering. The wear resistance and high-temperature compressive properties of the ultrafine-grained W–Cu composite were investigated and compared with those of the commercial coarse-grained counterpart. Moreover, the underlying strengthening and wear mechanisms were also discussed. Here we show that the ultrafine-grained W–Cu composite exhibits superior integrated mechanical performance, making it a potential alternative to commercial W–Cu composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microactuators that convert external stimuli such as heat, light, current, and magnetic field into mechanical motion are essential components in microelectro‐mechanical systems. To date, microactuators have been fabricated mainly using conventional microfabrication technologies and inorganic thin films, but although such technologies facilitate the mass production of microdevices, they are expensive and lack flexibility when either preparing only a few devices or facing special needs. Laser‐direct‐writing is an effective complement to microfabrication, but is seldom used in the construction of inorganic microactuators. In this work, a laser‐direct‐writing technique on the freestanding vanadium dioxide (VO2) film for fabricating microactuators with arbitrary shapes is developed. The precision of the laser direct writing attained 2 µm under ultralow pulse energy of 52 pJ. The pulse energy is two orders of magnitude lower than that needed for patterning VO2 film and other semiconductor materials on substrates. The overall performance of the resulting VO2 microactuators is comparable with that of those fabricated by conventional microfabrication technologies, but the fabricating efficiency and flexibility are increased. Such a fabrication strategy can also be used to fabricate other smart microdevices, such as strain sensors and photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry/wet conditions are one of the key constituents of climate change. The understanding of dry/wet variability is vital for production and water resources management. In this research, the temporal variations of 12‐month timescale standardized precipitation evapotranspiration (SPEI) over 2021–2100 under the SSP1‐2.6, SSP2‐4.5, SSP3‐7.0 and SSP5‐8.5 scenarios in seven subregions and China's mainland were investigated over the baseline period of 1961–2000. The run theory was used to project the variations of dry/wet frequency, duration and severity at different levels during 1961–2000, 2021–2060 and 2061–2100 based on the estimated SPEI. The results showed that dry tendency would occur in northwest China. The linear trend for SSP1‐2.6, SSP2‐4.5, SSP3‐7.0 and SSP5‐8.5 were −0.056, −0.031, 0.009 and −0.072 per decade, respectively. While wet tendency would occur in the other regions over 2021–2100. The mild, moderate and severe dry/wet duration and severity over 2021–2060 and 2061–2100 would gradually decrease. Except for northwest China and Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau, the extreme drought duration and severity would increase in the other subregions, while the extreme wet duration and severity would increase in most regions of China. The drought frequency in north China would range from 0 to 14 times and be smaller than the other regions over 2021–2060 and 2060–2100. However, the wet frequency in south China would be larger than that in the other regions. The dry/wet frequency duration and severity for the SSP5‐8.5 scenario would be the largest among the four scenarios. The projected dry/wet conditions can provide useful information for future water resources management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of human activity (denoted by population), economic, and social development (denoted by gross domestic product–GDP) on extremely wet/dry (or drought) events are important for humans to tackle extreme hazards. This research aims to investigate the variations in maximum values (SPEI_MAX) and minimum values (SPEI_MIN) of a 12 month standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI12-month) for the selected 525 sites at different socioeconomic development levels (SDLs) (classified by population and GDP) in China between 2000–2018, and to analyze the impacts of increased population/GDP/SDLs on extremely wet/dry events. The linear correlations between SPEI12-month/SPEI_MAX/SPEI_MIN and population/GDP were conducted for all the sites. The relationship between linear slopes of population (PopuLS)/GDP(GDPLS) and SPEI_MAX (SPEI_MAXLS)/SPEI_MIN (SPEI_MINLS) were further studied. The results show that the extremely wet events denoted by SPEI_MAX become worse and the extreme drought events denoted by SPEI_MIN tend to be milder over time. The years 2016 and 2011 were extremely wet and extremely dry in China. There were general increasing trends in SPEI_MAX and decreasing trends in SPEI_MIN as the SDL increased from 1 to 6. This gradual, continuous increase/decrease potentially affected levels 5 and 6. Moreover, extremely wet events were more severe in developed big municipal cities of higher SDLs and extreme drought events were more severe for lower SDLs. This research can supply references for policy makers to prevent extreme disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Rice starch was hydrophobised by octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) and then modified by roast dry heating at 180°C for 40 min (RDH‐40) to improve its digestibility. The oil‐in‐water Pickering emulsions stabilised by double‐modified starch particles were fabricated. The emulsion stability under different formulation parameters was investigated. Results showed that the suitable parameters for fabrication of Pickering emulsion were RDH‐40 concentration of 4.0 wt.%, oil volume ratio of 50% and pH of the system was 7.0. The addition of NaCl and sucrose (0–200 mmol/L) slightly reduced the emulsion stability. Microstructure results revealed that the starch particles and a few gelatinized starch macromolecules distributed around the oil droplets, making the emulsion more stable. Compared with the emulsions stabilised by Tween 20 and OSA starch, the Pickering emulsion stabilised by 4.0% RDH‐40 starch showed the highest loading and embedding rates for curcumin at 25 and 40°C. The emulsion stabilised by RDH‐40 had a faster free fatty acid release rate and higher curcumin bioaccessibility than that stabilised by OSA starch during in vitro digestion. This study helps to develop new starch‐based Pickering emulsions for the delivery of oil‐soluble bioactive substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: As a potential selenium‐enriched crop, it is of great significance to study the selenium application of Tartary buckwheat. Therefore, to study the effects of selenium application concentration, variety, selenium application period and method on the grain selenium content and yield of Tartary buckwheat, an orthogonal experimental design was used to carry out field experiments in the Jinzhong and Northwest Shanxi ecological regions at the same time. Heifeng 1 and Jinqiao 2 were applied at the branching stage and flowering stage in the Jinzhong, and Heifeng 1 and Jinqiao 6 were applied at the early flowering stage and peak flowering stage in the Northwest Shanxi with different concentrations of sodium selenite (0, 1.37, 2.74, 5.48, 8.22, 12.33, 18.495, 27.7425 g hm−2) by foliar spraying and soil application. RESULTS: The results showed that the selenium content in Tartary buckwheat grains was positively correlated with the selenium application concentration and increased with increasing selenium application concentration, while the yield of Tartary buckwheat first increased and then decreased with the selenium application concentration. The grain selenium content and yield of Tartary buckwheat were affected by the selenium application concentration, variety and application method. CONCLUSION: The most effective selenium biofortification program was spraying 2.32 g hm−2 sodium selenite on the leaves of Heifeng 1 at the early flowering stage in the Jinzhong. In the Northwest Shanxi, spraying 11.01 g hm−2 sodium selenite on the leaves of Jinqiao 6 at the flowering stage was the most effective selenium biofortification program. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that the feather growth rate of chicks is determined by two alleles located on the sex chromosome Z; however, in chicken production, feathering is usually not consistently controlled by the sex chromosome. To identify whether the feathering rate is related to autosomal inheritance, whole-genome resequencing was performed in eight chickens with slow- and fast-feathering rate. A total of 54,984 autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, including 393 and 376 exonic SNPs in slow-feathering and fast-feathering chickens, respectively. Mutated genes were mainly involved in response to stimuli and growth and reproduction processes. Mutated genes related to slow-feathering rate were mainly involved in wingless-type MMTV integration site signaling pathway and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, whereas mutated genes associated with fast-feathering rate were primarily enriched in autophagy, calcium signaling pathway, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, and Focal adhesion processes. Importantly, two SNPs, involved in feather development, were found in the exonic regions of Wnt signaling genes. These results shed new light on the relationship between genetic mutation and feather growth rate from the perspective of autosomal inheritance and may have economic significance in chicken breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to realize the rapid and non-destructive determination of soil urease activity, so as to provide guidance for soil nitrogen transformation in time. Methods: In this study, five gradient experiments of water regulation were set up under the conditions of multiple cropping of winter wheat and summer soybean. The data of soil urease activity and hyperspectral reflectance were collected. We explored the influence of water regulation on soil urease activity. And based on a variety of spectral transformation algorithms and modeling algorithms, hyperspectral monitoring models of soil urease activity were constructed. Results: Soil urease activity increased first and then decreased with the aggravation of drought stress. FD, CR, MSC, and SNV transformation can improve the correlation between spectral reflectance and soil urease activity. The accuracy of the models constructed by PLSR and SMLR was high. In the nonlinear algorithm, SPA-ANN based on SNV had the highest accuracy. Among all the models, the PLSR model based on FD had the highest accuracy, with R2v of 0.8564, RMSEv of 0.4013, and RPD of 2.5667. This study can provide technical support for the rapid determination of soil urease activity and provide a theoretical basis for further rational management of farmland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Soil carbon sequestration is of great significance to achieve carbon neutralization at an early date. Aims: The present study was conducted in order to explore the interactive effects of conservation tillage on soil organic carbon (SOC) and aggregate stability, and to understand the response of soil organic carbon to aggregate structure and distribution characteristics. Methods: Undisturbed soil from varying depths was collected from the conservation tillage demonstration base under differential tillage practices (NT, no‐tillage mulch; DT, deep‐tillage mulch; CT, conventional‐tillage mulch). SOC and stable‐aggregates of different particle sizes, their number, and structures were analyzed and the relationship between the stability of soil aggregates and SOC was presented. Results: The SOC content was the highest under CT treatment (1.67 g kg–1) and the lowest under NT treatment (1.31 g kg–1). In surface soil, the number of macroaggregates (>0.25 mm, M) under NT treatment was the largest (89.1%), the mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) of water stability and mechanical aggregates were the highest, and the fractal dimension (D) was the lowest. This indicated that the NT treatment could maintain the aggregate structure of surface soil well. In the short term, DT and CT could increase SOC content, while NT could decrease SOC content. There was a significant correlation between SOC content and MWD (R2 = 0.40), GMD (R2 = 0.38), and D (R2 = 0.44). The more stable the aggregate structure, the higher the soil fixation and maintenance of SOC. Conclusions: SOC content and aggregate stability have a synergistic effect, and NT can promote the formation of soil aggregates, improve their stability, and balance the distribution of carbon in soil aggregates with different particle sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Right ventricular (RV) function is one of the critical factors affecting the prognosis of fetuses with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Our study objectives included assessment of cardiac function and comprehensive measurement of cardiac microstructure. We retrospectively studied 42 fetuses diagnosed as HLHS by echocardiography. Myocardial deformation of the right ventricular wall was calculated automatically in offline software. Postmortem cardiac imaging for three control fetal hearts and four HLHS specimens was performed by a 9.4T DTI scanner. Myocardial deformation parameters of the RV (including strain, strain rate, and velocity) were significantly lower in HLHS fetuses (all p < 0.01). FA values increased (0.18 ± 0.01 vs. 0.21 ± 0.02; p < 0.01) in HLHS fetuses, but MD reduced (1.3 ± 0.15 vs. 0.88 ± 0.13; p < 0.001). The HLHS fetuses' RV lateral base wall (−7.31 ± 51.91 vs. −6.85 ± 31.34; p = 0.25), middle wall (1.71 ± 50.92 vs. −9.38 ± 28.18; p < 0.001), and apical wall (−6.19 ± 46.61 vs. −11.16 ± 29.86, p < 0.001) had HA gradient ascent but HA gradient descent in the anteroseptal wall (p < 0.001) and inferoseptal wall (p < 0.001). RV basal lateral wall HA degrees were correlated with RVGLS (R2 = 0.97, p = 0.02). MD values were positively correlated with RVGLS (R2 = 0.93, p = 0.04). Our study found morphological and functional changes of the RV in HLHS fetuses, and cardiac function was related to the orientation patterns of myocardial fibers. It may provide insight into understanding the underlying mechanisms of impaired RV performance in HLHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: With the increase in people's consumption of processed oat products, the production of selenium (Se)-enriched oat has become a possibility to supplement the human body with Se. Therefore, the effects of various factors on the Se-enriched ability and yield of different oat varieties were comprehensively studied. (2) Methods: cv."Pinyan 5" and cv."Bayou 18" were applied at the stem-elongation stage and heading stage in the Jinzhong (JZ), and cv."Bayou 1" and cv."Jinyan 18" were applied at the heading stage and flowering stage in the northwestern Shanxi (JXB) with different doses of Na2SeO3 (0, 5.48, 10.96, 21.92, 43.84, 65.76, 98.64, 0, 5.48, 10.96, 21.92, 43.84, 65.76, 98.64, 147.96 g hm−2) by soil application and foliar spraying. (3) Results: The grain Se content and yield of oat were affected by the variety, Se application dose, stage and method of Se supplementation. Additionally, the Se content in oat grain was positively correlated with the Se application dose while the yield of oat first increased and then decreased with the Se application dose. (4) Conclusions: In the JZ and JXB, 21.92 g hm−2 and 43.84 g hm−2 Se was sprayed on the leaves of cv."Bayou 18" and cv."Bayou 1" at the heading stage, respectively, was the most effective Se biofortification program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]