Search

Aim: Estuarine vegetation routinely experiences natural tidal fluctuations and is highly vulnerable to extreme events such as heavy rainfall, leading to changes in plant population structure and adaptability. Genetic and epigenetic modifications are widely considered to be mechanisms of phenotypic variation, triggered in plants responding to extreme changing environments. However, understanding on correlations among genetic, epigenetic, and phenotypic variation of wild plant populations is still limited. Location: China. Methods: In this study, populations of the typical wetland clonal species Phragmites australis were selected from four estuaries along various latitudes in China. Genetic and epigenetic diversity and phenotypic variation of these populations were analysed. Results: Phenotypic variation of P. australis populations was the highest at Yellow River Estuary and the lowest at Min River Estuary. Across all estuaries, Genetic and epigenetic diversity was strongly linear‐correlated. Genetic diversity had significant correlations with variation in reproductive traits, whereas epigenetic diversity had significant correlations with variation in growth traits. Climatic factors of mean annual temperature and precipitation, as well as soil nitrogen and phosphorus, were negatively correlated with variation in genetic diversity, epigenetic diversity, and variation in reproductive traits of P. australis populations along latitudes. Variation in growth traits was negatively correlated with soil salinity, reflecting the limiting effect of salinity on plant growth. Main Conclusion: Our findings found that genetic and epigenetic variations may play different roles in phenotypic variation of P. australis populations along latitudes, the variation becomes greater when the climatic and edaphic conditions deteriorate. The findings shed new light on the adaptation and evolution of wetland plant populations along a large latitudinal scale, and may contribute to the revegetation of estuary wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of image quality and morphological characteristics of primary underglaze brown decorative pattern extraction, this paper proposes a method of primary underglaze brown decorative pattern extraction based on the coupling of single scale gamma correction and gray sharpening. The single-scale gamma correction is combined with the gray sharpening method. The single-scale gamma correction improves the contrast and brightness of the image by nonlinear transformation, but may lead to the loss of image detail. Gray sharpening can enhance the high frequency component and improve the clarity of the image, but it will introduce noise. Combining these two technologies can compensate for their shortcomings. The experimental results show that this method can improve the efficiency of last element underglaze brown decorative pattern extraction by enhancing the image retention detail and reducing the influence of noise. The experimental results showed that F1Score, Miou(%), Recall, Precision and Accuracy(%) were 0.92745, 0.82253, 0.97942, 0.92458 and 0.92745, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-efficiency electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is among the promising approaches for future low-cost hydrogen production. The cost and effectiveness challenges of electrocatalysts have significantly limited the development of electrochemical HER. Metal–organic framework (MOF) derivatives with tunable conformations and remarkable activity have shown unique capabilities in electrocatalytic hydrogen precipitation. Herein, we report a simple method for the synthesis of MOF-derived MoO2/NC with decorated Pt nanostructures. Thus, the synthesized MoO2/NC/Pt-20 nanostructures with a rod-like structure exhibit better pH-universal HER performance with overpotentials of 32, 53, and 70 mV in alkaline, acidic, and neutral conditions (10 mA·cm–2), respectively. Also, the electrocatalysts show low cell voltages of 1.58, 1.59, and 1.70 V at 10 mA·cm–2 for overall water splitting in alkaline, acidic, and neutral conditions, respectively. This research has opened further thought for the rationale for the design of electrocatalysts with stable HER and overall water-splitting performance at all-pH values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterized by long spans, low aspect ratios, and intricate construction sequences, super-large cross-section tunnels present substantial construction risks. Therefore, the selection of the optimal excavation method and construction sequence is crucial for ensuring the safety of tunnel construction and minimizing project costs. This paper takes a super large transverse-section highway tunnel as a case study, employing field monitoring data combined with ABAQUS software to analyze the stress and deformation of surrounding rock and support structures under different excavation methods. The findings reveal that the deformation of surrounding rock and support structures excavated by the Double-Side Drift Method is smaller than those caused by the three-benching seven-step method and the CRD excavation method. Nevertheless, the significant stresses of surrounding rock and support structures are released by the Double-Side Drift Method, leading to potential stress concentrations. Thus, it is necessary to ensure the rapid completion of early support and quick sealing of the tunnel. Furthermore, the sixth process achieves smaller deformation (including arch displacement and surface settlement) of the tunnel, a shorter construction period, and lower economic costs when compared to other construction processes. Consequently, it can obviously be concluded that both the Double-Side Drift Method and the sixth construction process stand out as the most appropriate choices for excavating super large cross-section tunnels. The insights obtained from this study provide theoretical guidance for the design and construction of similar tunnel projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The zoning excavation method is fully employed to control the deformation of foundation pits constructed in urban soft soil areas. However, the similarities and differences in forces and deformations between foundation pits excavated by the zonal method and those excavated by the conventional method still need to be further explored. In this study, the deformation was monitored and analyzed by taking the zonal excavation of a foundation pit of the 'New World' project in Hangzhou City as the research object. The measured results showed that the pre-built diaphragm wall for the first excavated foundation pit restricted the deformation of the first excavated diaphragm wall. The presence of extensive construction and unloading activities also changed the deformation pattern of the soil. Further, finite element simulations were carried out. The simulation results revealed that excavating the foundation pit first caused displacements in the pre-built diaphragm wall. The displacements transmitted by non-adjacent pits through the pre-built diaphragm wall were small and were concentrated at the junction of the two sub-pits. Adjacent foundation pits caused large displacements of the pre-built diaphragm wall with similar displacement patterns. The results of the study can provide effective guidance for foundation pit excavation in soft soil areas in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phthalates are common endocrine disruptors. The placental barrier can be crossed by phthalates and may have a negative impact on the health of the fetus. However, the association between prenatal exposure to phthalates and birth size is still debatable. Here, we performed this meta-analysis to assess the relationship between prenatal phthalates exposure and birth size. Eighteen studies were finally included by searching PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Ovid, and Web of Science databases and standardized regression coefficients and standard errors were used to pool effect size. Our results showed that prenatal exposure to MMP (=-0.04, 95%CI: −0.08, −0.01) and MEP (=-0.01, 95%CI: −0.01, −0.002) was significantly associated with birth weight. However, no significant associations were identified for phthalate exposure with birth length, head circumference and chest circumference. Because the limiting of studies, more high-quality case–control studies or cohort studies are urgently needed to draw the best conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]