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Abstract Background Silkie is a traditional Chinese chicken breed characterized by its unique combination of specialized morphological traits. While previous studies have focused on the genetic basis of these traits, the overall genomic characteristics of the Silkie breed remain largely unexplored. In this study, we employed whole genome resequencing data to examine the genetic diversity, selective signals and demographic history of the Silkie breed through comparative analyses with seven other Chinese indigenous breeds (IDGBs), a commercial breed, and the wild ancestor Red Jungle Fowl. Results In total, 20.8 million high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms and 86 large structural variations were obtained. We discovered that Silkie exhibits a relatively high level of inbreeding and is genetically distinct from other IDGBs. Furthermore, our analysis indicated that Silkie has experienced a stronger historical population bottleneck and has a smaller effective population size compared with other IDGBs. We identified 45 putatively selected genes that are enriched in the melanogenesis pathway, which probably is related to the feather color. Among these genes, LMBR1 and PDSS2 have been previously associated with the extra toe and the hookless feathers, respectively. Six of the selected genes (KITLG, GSK3B, SOBP, CTBP1, ELMO2, SNRPN) are known to be associated with neurodevelopment and mental diseases in human, and are possibly related to the distinct behavior of Silkie. We further identified structural variants in Silkie and found previously reported variants linked to hyperpigmentation (END3), muff and beard (HOXB8), and Rose-comb phenotype (MNR2). Additionally, we found a 0.61 Mb inversion overlapping with the GMDS gene, which was previously linked to neurodevelopmental defects in zebrafish and humans. This may also be related to the behavior distinctiveness of Silkie. Conclusions Our study revealed that Silkie is genetically distinct and relatively highly inbred compared to other IDGB chicken populations, possibly attributed to more prolong population bottlenecks and selective breeding practice. These results enhance our understanding of how domestication and selective breeding have shaped the genome of Silkie. These findings contribute to the broader field of domestication and avian genomics, and have implications for the future conservation and breeding efforts.

The installation of pipes in tunnel construction using the external welding method requires the assistance of a pipe pusher and roller support to push the welded pipe into the tunnel. Accurate determination of pipeline push resistance and the selection of an appropriate pipe pusher model are crucial factors for successful construction. Currently, there is no effective method available for predicting push resistance, which may result in inaccurate estimation and inadequate thrust provided by the selected pipe pusher. Therefore, this study aims to establish a reliable formula for calculating push resistance through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Additionally, we investigate the rolling resistance coefficient between the pipe and roller wheel to develop a corresponding prediction formula. Finally, a test platform is set up to validate our proposed formula for estimating push resistance. The results demonstrate that there is approximately a 5% error between the calculated values and the test values, confirming that this method effectively predicts pipeline push resistance.

Central African rainforests are predicted to be disproportionately affected by future climate change. How species will cope with these changes is unclear, but rapid environmental changes will likely impose strong selection pressures. Here we examined environmental drivers of genomic variation in the central African puddle frog (Phrynobatrachus auritus) to identify areas of elevated environmentally-associated turnover. We also compared current and future climate models to pinpoint areas of high genomic vulnerability where allele frequencies will have to shift the most in order to keep pace with future climate change. Neither physical landscape barriers nor the effects of past Pleistocene refugia influenced genomic differentiation. Alternatively, geographic distance and seasonal aspects of precipitation are the most important drivers of SNP allele frequency variation. Patterns of genomic differentiation coincided with key ecological gradients across the forest-savanna ecotone, montane areas, and a coastal to interior rainfall gradient. Areas of greatest vulnerability were found in the lower Sanaga basin, the southeastern region of Cameroon, and southwest Gabon. In contrast with past conservation efforts that have focused on hotspots of species richness or endemism, our findings highlight the importance of maintaining environmentally heterogeneous landscapes to preserve genomic variation and ongoing evolutionary processes in the face of climate change.

The Luciolinae genus Emeia Fu, Ballantyne & Lambkin, 2012 is reviewed. Phylogenetic relationships based on cox1 DNA barcoding sequences from 42 fireflies and 2 outgroup species are reconstructed. The dataset included three main Lampyridae subfamilies: Luciolinae, Photurinae and Lampyrinae, and Emeia was recovered within Luciolinae. A new species, Emeia pulchra Zhu & Zhen sp. nov., is described from the wetland of Lishui, Zhejiang, China. Emeia pulchra is sister species to E. pseudosauteri from Sichuan, which is supported by morphological characters and a phylogeny based on DNA barcoding sequences. The two species are separated geographically as shown on the distribution map. A key to species of Emeia using males is provided.

The genus Quercus (oaks) has diversified into over 450 species which often play dominant roles in the ecosystems in which they occur. Here the authors present a genome and methylome for a California endemic oak, Quercus lobata, and describe features relevant to its evolutionary success.

Summary: Apocynaceae plants produce toxic cardenolides to defend against their herbivores. Cardenolides could inhibit the α subunit of Na+⁄K+-ATPase (ATPα), which plays critical roles in biological processes such as muscle contraction, neural function, and osmoregulation. Numerous herbivores that specialized on cardenolides-producing milkweeds carry parallel molecular changes in ATPα that confer resistance. We found that Pacific Ducetia (Ducetia japonica), an omnivorous katydid, could feed on cardenolides-rich oleander leaves. ATPα in D. japonica has undergone parallel molecular changes just like milkweed specialists. These changes evolved at the common ancestors of the leaf katydids before the diversification of Apocynaceae and may prime species in this lineage to feed on cardenolides-rich food. In summary, we reported the first case of cardenolide resistance in katydid, with convergent molecular evolution in ATPα, also an unusual case of cardenolides resistance in nonspecialist species that evolved earlier than the currently known cardenolide-producing plants.

Abstract Preserving biodiversity under rapidly changing climate conditions is challenging. One approach for estimating impacts and their magnitude is to model current relationships between genomic and environmental data and then to forecast those relationships under future climate scenarios. In this way, understanding future genomic and environmental relationships can help guide management decisions, such as where to establish new protected areas where populations might be buffered from high temperatures or major changes in rainfall. However, climate warming is only one of many anthropogenic threats one must consider in rapidly developing parts of the world. In Central Africa, deforestation, mining, and infrastructure development are accelerating population declines of rainforest species. Here we investigate multiple anthropogenic threats in a Central African rainforest songbird, the little greenbul (Andropadus virens). We examine current climate and genomic variation in order to explore the association between genome and environment under future climate conditions. Specifically, we estimate Genomic Vulnerability, defined as the mismatch between current and predicted future genomic variation based on genotype–environment relationships modeled across contemporary populations. We do so while considering other anthropogenic impacts. We find that coastal and central Cameroon populations will require the greatest shifts in adaptive genomic variation, because both climate and land use in these areas are predicted to change dramatically. In contrast, in the more northern forest–savanna ecotones, genomic shifts required to keep pace with climate will be more moderate, and other anthropogenic impacts are expected to be comparatively low in magnitude. While an analysis of diverse taxa will be necessary for making comprehensive conservation decisions, the species‐specific results presented illustrate how evolutionary genomics and other anthropogenic threats may be mapped and used to inform mitigation efforts. To this end, we present an integrated conceptual model demonstrating how the approach for a single species can be expanded to many taxonomically diverse species.

Family’s academic cognition influences the family’s academic concept, rearing fashion, and academic participation. It is no longer solely associated to kid’s bodily and intellectual development; however, additionally associated to household concord and social progress. With the development of the times, the complicated traits of training proceed to pose new challenges to parents. Exploring the composition and operation mechanism of family training decision-making cognition is envisioned to stop up the key to promote parents’ orderly coaching participation and home university cooperation. However, the associated lookup of usual cognitive mannequin has terrible steadiness and prediction charge in focus results. This paper constructs a cognitive model of family training decision-making principally based totally on neural network. Through the assessment of relevant data, they have an effect of the cognitive model of family coaching decision-making mainly based totally on neural neighborhood evaluated from the accuracy, root suggest rectangular error RMSE, and AUC curve. The experimental effects exhibit that the prediction accuracy of the cognitive mannequin of household training decision-making primarily based on neural community is 15% greater than that of the standard model, and the cognitive balance of the mannequin is 8.2%. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness, feasibility, and practicability of the mannequin in realistic teaching.

The GaoFen-7 (GF-7) satellite, which was launched on November 3, 2019, is China's first civilian submeter stereo mapping satellite. The satellite is equipped with the first laser altimeter officially in China for earth observation. Except for the laser altimeter, the GF-7 spaceborne laser altimeter system also includes two laser footprint cameras and a laser optical axis surveillance camera. The laser altimeter system is designed and used to assist improving the elevation accuracy without ground control points of the two line-array stereo mapping cameras. This article details the design of the GF-7 spaceborne laser altimeter system, its ranging performance in the laboratory, and its data processing method. The type of data products is also released. These data will play a vital role in the application of geography, glaciology, forestry, and other industries.

Author(s): Yang Yang [1]; Ting-Ting Liu [2]; Dong-Mei Li [3]; Xue-Ling Ren [1]; Zheng Luo [1]; Xue-Li Chen [1]; Ying-Zhen Du (corresponding author) [4]; Yan-Shuang Cheng (corresponding author) [5] Chronic [...], OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to systematically evaluate and perform a meta-analysis on the adherence to high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) humidified oxygen therapy and its influencing factors in elderly patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Relevant literature on HFNC and COPD was retrieved from PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. Cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, and cohort studies were included. Screening and quality assessment were conducted using Endnote X9 software. Quality scores were assigned using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the AHRQ assessment tool. Basic information, sample size, and adherence-related factors were extracted, and heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 321 articles were initially identified, with 8 English articles involving 325 patients included after screening. Quality assessment yielded five high-quality articles (score > 8), two medium-quality articles (score = 7), and one low-quality article (score = 6). Meta-analysis results showed a COPD patient HFNC adherence rate of 32.7%. Negative factors included the number of acute exacerbations (odds ratio [OR] =2.17), adverse reactions (OR = 4.13), regular follow-up (OR = 9.45), educational level (OR = 5.38), and concurrent medications (OR = 4.71). Positive factors included age < 70 years (OR = 0.45), duration of use (OR = 0.30), inhalation technique (OR = 0.31), treatment satisfaction (OR = 0.35), and adverse reactions (OR = 0.15). Funnel plot and Egger's test results indicated minimal publication bias. CONCLUSION: Adherence to HFNC in elderly COPD patients is relatively low, influenced by negative factors such as the number of acute exacerbations, adverse reactions, regular follow-up, educational level, and concurrent medications. Positive factors include age < 70 years, duration of use, inhalation technique, treatment satisfaction, and adverse reactions. Keywords: Adherence, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, elderly patients, high-flow nasal cannula humidified oxygen therapy, meta-analysis

Pyrenestes finches have a bill size polymorphism thought to be maintained by disruptive selection. Here, the authors identify a single candidate region, including insulin-like growth factor 1, differentiating small and large bill size morphs and a wider region differentiating the mega-billed morph.

Abstract The Gao Fen 7 (GF‐7) satellite is China's first submeter, high‐resolution Earth observation and remote sensing satellite for natural resource monitoring, land surveying, and other industrial applications in China. The GF‐7 laser altimeter system is the successor of the ZiYuan3‐02 (ZY3‐02 satellite) laser altimeter. The key objective of the GF‐7 laser altimetry system is to provide high‐precision ground elevation control points that assist in optical imaging to achieve 1:10000 mapping in China. This paper introduces the GF‐7 laser altimeter system payload specifications, mission objectives, in‐orbit calibration plan, data products, and service policy. In the future, the GF‐7 laser altimeter system will also serve multidisciplinary and professional applications through its precise elevation measurement capabilities. In addition, it will play a vital role in Earth observation, climate change monitoring, and environmental protection.

Introduction. Practicing exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in an infant’s first six months of life is recommended by the World Health Organization because of its proven effectiveness as a method to support the infant’s short- and long-term physical and cognitive development. However, many countries, including Cambodia, face contextually driven challenges in meeting this optimum standard of breastfeeding. The recent declining EBF rate in Cambodia is a concerning indicator of the impact of these challenges. Methods. We used existing data from the 2014 Cambodian Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS) to analyze 717 Cambodian mother-infant pairs. CDHS 2014 used a two-stage stratified cluster sampling approach to select samples. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess determinants of EBF, taking into account the sampling weight in the analysis. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated, and significance level was considered at p value < 0.05. Results. Our findings indicate that among mothers with infants under six months, EBF was more likely if they resided rurally (AOR=2.28; 95% CI 1.23-4.23) and if they delivered at a public hospital (AOR=2.64; 95% CI 1.28-5.47). On the other hand, mothers of middle wealth index practiced EBF less than mothers of low wealth index (AOR=0.58; 95% CI 0.34-0.99). And as expected, our analysis confirmed that the older the infants grew, the less likely they were to be exclusively breastfed than those younger than one month old (2-3 months: AOR=0.49; 95% CI 0.26-0.92; 4-5 months: AOR=0.25; 95% CI 0.15-0.43). Conclusion. The findings emphasize the need to address these determinants adequately by appropriate interventions to halt the declining trend of EBF practice. We recommend a multifaceted approach to improve EBF rates in Cambodia. Advocacy around EBF at public hospitals should continue, and private hospital staff should receive training to provide EBF counselling and support to mothers.

Osteoarthritis (OA) has traditionally been known as a “wear and tear” disease, which is mainly characterized by the degradation of articular cartilage and changes in the subchondral bone. Despite the fact that OA is often thought of as a degenerative disease, the catabolic products of the cartilage matrix often promote inflammation by activating immune cells. Current OA treatment focuses on symptomatic treatment, with a primary focus on pain management, which does not promote cartilage regeneration or attenuate joint inflammation. Since articular cartilage have no ability to regenerate, thus regeneration of the tissue is one of the key targets of modern treatments for OA. Cell-based therapies are among the new therapeutic strategies for OA. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively researched as potential therapeutic agents in cell-based therapy of OA due to their ability to differentiate into chondrocytes and their immunomodulatory properties that can facilitate cartilage repair and regeneration. In this review, we emphasized current knowledge and future perspectives on the use of MSCs by targeting their regeneration potential and immunomodulatory effects in the treatment of OA.

In this paper we propose a new wine technology where dried chrysanthemum is introduced during the process of fermentation of wine. This technology sets an example of a blend between exotic wine culture and traditional Chinese tea culture. The influence on the chemical and sensory properties of wine due to the addition of different amounts of chrysanthemum at different fermentation periods was studied. In all the wine with added chrysanthemum the content of both polyphenols and flavones obviously increased. The wine of T1 and T2 had a higher content of polyphenols and flavones than others, due to thermomaceration, whereas those in the wine of T2 were the highest, due to the technique of squeezing juice. The sensory quality of T3, without the techniques of thermomaceration and squeezing juice, was optimal, with characteristics such as a ruby color, fuller aroma, and a lighter flowery texture. Therefore, T3 was defined as the optimum of chrysanthemum adding procedures. With the increase of chrysanthemum addition, both flavones content and polyphenols content of the obtained wine first increased, and then decreased.

Objective: This study examined the disruptions to social life, financial impact, and academic concerns caused by COVID-19 experienced by first-year college students, as well as their associations with depressive symptoms over time. Participants and Methods: Five hundred and thirty freshman college students completed an online survey at baseline and 14-week follow-up. Results: We found that female students reported greater COVID-19 academic concerns than males. Black students endorsed lower COVID-19 academic concerns and Latinx students reported greater negative COVID-19 financial impact compared to other ethnic groups. First-generation college students reported greater negative COVID-19 financial impact than domestic students. COVID-19 academic concerns and negative social and financial impacts were associated with greater depressive symptoms at baseline. However, only COVID-19 academic concerns were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms over time. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the academic, social, and financial disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have negative mental health consequences that should be addressed in research and university settings.

In this work, we construct a novel weighted reproducing kernel space and give the expression of reproducing kernel function skillfully. Based on the orthogonal basis established in the reproducing kernel space, an efficient algorithm is provided to solve the nonlinear multi-point boundary value problem on the half-line. Uniformly convergence of the approximate solution and convergence estimation of our algorithm are studied. Numerical results show our method has high accuracy and efficiency.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of obesity on the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) by assessing the levels and diagnostic efficacy of biomarkers. Methods: A total of 254 patients were divided into obese group (n=59) and non-obese group (n=195) according to BMI. Each group was further divided into the PJI group and the AF group. Data on CRP, ESR, fibrinogen, D-dimer, CRP-albumin ratio (CAR), CRP-lymphocyte ratio (CLR), and CRP-monocyte ratio (CMR) were collected from all patients. ROC curve was performed to evaluate the diagnostic values of these biomarkers. Results: The levels of biomarkers were significantly higher in PJI patients compared to the AF patients in both the obese and non-obese groups (P < 0.001), but the levels of biomarkers were similar between the obese and non-obese groups. In the obese group, CRP exhibited the highest diagnostic value (AUC=0.982). In the non-obese group, CAR demonstrated the highest diagnostic value (AUC =0.935). Subgroup analysis showed no significant differences in biomarker levels (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Obesity did not affect biomarker levels in patients with PJI. But for obese patients, the diagnostic thresholds for CRP and ESR are higher, and clinical diagnosis should be careful to avoid false positives. CRP and CAR were identified as the most effective biomarkers for diagnosing PJI in the obese and non-obese groups, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although multicultural counseling competencies and social justice are emerging cornerstones of psychological assessment and interventions, there are few structured clinical tools to help clinicians develop these competencies. Understanding clients' cultural contexts and lived experiences with privilege and oppression is necessary to contextualize their psychological functioning and conceptualize their cases through a holistic and culturally sensitive approach. The Wright–Constantine Structured Cultural Interview (WCSCI) is a semistructured interview that helps clinicians better identify and understand a client's experiences with their cultural identities. Using thematic analysis methodology, this study explored the impact of the WCSCI on trainee clinicians' multicultural and social justice competencies throughout assessment and therapy processes. Fourteen trainee clinicians were interviewed using a semistructured interview guide about their experience using the WCSCI and its impact on their multicultural counseling competencies. Analysis of transcripts was conducted using a thematic analysis approach. Participants reported that the WCSCI helped in developing their multicultural counseling competencies, specifically in (a) promoting self-awareness and reflection about their own identities, (b) understanding nuances in the client's worldview, (c) fine-tuning case conceptualization using this information, (d) strengthening the therapeutic relationship, and (e) tailoring psychological interventions and recommendations. The WCSCI is a clinical tool that can facilitate meaningful integration of clients' cultural identities in assessment and therapy processes. In the future, training programs may use the WCSCI with trainees to teach and evaluate multicultural competencies and multicultural case conceptualization skills. Public Significance Statement: While calls for improving multicultural competence training in health service psychology programs have been made for decades, few concrete and specific tools have been developed to accomplish this goal. The Wright–Constantine Structured Cultural Interview offers a potential for training programs to improve students' cultural self-reflection practices, as well as to collect cultural-contextual data about clients to help them better understand their functioning from a culturally humble perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tissue culture is one of the most important methods for propagating orchids. Notably, many orchid seedlings exhibit autonomous flowering during the cultivation process. To explore the underlying mechanism, Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl., an orchid that spontaneously forms in vitro flowers, was analyzed in this study. Methods: Bud samples at the early, middle, and fully open stages were collected for transcriptome sequencing, followed by differential expression, trend, enrichment and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analyses. Results: Differential gene expression analysis identified 2364, 4137, and 6522 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the early vs. middle, middle vs. open, and early vs. open comparisons, respectively. These DEGs were significantly enriched in various metabolic and biosynthetic pathways, particularly in ko01100 (metabolic pathways). PPI network analysis further identified hub genes, including MCM3, MCM4, and MCM7, which are associated with DNA replication, and CURL3, which is linked to plant hormone signal transduction pathways. Conclusion: Our findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms driving in vitro flowering in A. roxburghii, highlighting the importance of metabolic and biosynthetic process signaling in this unique developmental transition. These results provide valuable resources for future studies on orchid propagation and floral development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]