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The perennial alpine herb Ranunculus membranaceus (Ranunculaceae) has significant medicinal value. The complete chloroplast genome of R. membranaceus was sequenced by high-throughput Illumina sequencing Platform Illumina NovaSeq 6000. The circular genome is 156,028 bp in size, including two inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,361 bp, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85,491 bp, and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 19,815 bp. A total of 128 genes were annotated, namely 84 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 36 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Two phylogenetic trees of 18 species of the tribe Ranunculeae species were constructed with Meconopsis punicea as the outgroup based on the whole chloroplast genomes and the concatenated sequence of PCGs, respectively. Phylogeny showed that R. membranaceus was closely related to R. yunnanensis. These data enrich knowledge of Ranunculaceae genetics and will contribute to further studies of R. membranaceus in molecular breeding, genetic transformation, species identification, genetic engineering and phylogenetic research.

Mimosa diplotricha (Fabaceae) and Mimosa diplotricha var. inermis are invasive taxa introduced in the Chinese mainland in the 19th century. M. diplotricha has been listed in the list of highly invasive species in China, which has seriously endangered the growth and reproduction of local species. As a poisonous plant, M. diplotricha var. inermis, a variant of M. diplotricha, will also endanger the safety of animals. We report the complete chloroplast genome sequence of M. diplotricha and M. diplotricha var. inermis. The chloroplast genome of M. diplotricha is 164,450 bp long and the chloroplast genome of M. diplotricha var. inermis is 164,445 bp long. Both M. diplotricha and M. diplotricha var. inermis contain a large single-copy region (LSC) of 89,807 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,728 bp. The overall GC content of the two species is both 37.45%. A total of 84 genes were annotated in the two species, namely 54 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and one rRNA gene. The phylogenetic tree based on the chloroplast genome of 22 related species showed that Mimosa diplotricha var. inermis is most closely related to M. diplotricha, while the latter clade is sister to Mimosa pudica, Parkia javanica, Faidherbia albida, and Acacia puncticulata. Our data provide a theoretical basis for the molecular identification, genetic relationships, and invasion risk monitoring of M. diplotricha and M. diplotricha var. inermis.

Predicting stress–strain curves is key to facilitate the design of polymer materials and their products with tailored mechanical response. However, due to their structural complexity, polymeric solids generally feature complex stress–strain curves, which renders it challenging to model their stress–strain behaviors. Here, using the categorized knowledge of stress–strain curves, a “Classification-Embedded Dual Neural Network (CDNN)” framework is introduced to accurately predict the mechanical evolution of polymeric solids, by taking the example of injection-molded isotactic polypropylene. Upon built, the dual model is a parallel coupling of a “curve type classifier” and a “curve feature predictor” that predict, respectively, the stress–strain curve categories and their feature points that dictate the extent of similarity between two arbitrary curves in the same category, regardless of the curve complexity. Importantly, with the aid of curve-categorized knowledge, the CDNN strategy offers an update-to-date best balance in model accuracy (20% curve error in maximum) and simplicity (300 neurons in total), which greatly enhances the model’s extrapolability and interpretability and, in turn, mitigates the demanding data requirement (27 samplings from a 4D space, that is, a material design space consisting of 4 design dimensions to tune the structure). Overall, this work establishes a simple, robust methodology in predicting polymeric solids’ stress–strain curves and is potentially generic to a variety of materials.

Based on the EAST equilibrium, the effects of boron (B) and neon (Ne) injected at different locations on the target heat load, and the distributions of B and Ne particles were investigated by transport code SOLPS-ITER. It was found that the B injection was more sensitive to the injection location for heat flux control than impurity Ne. The high electron and ion densities near the inner target in the discharge with impurity B injected from over X -point (R 1) led to plasma detachment only at the inner target, and the localized B ions in the cases with injection from outer target location (R 2) and upstream location (R 3) led to far-SOL detachment at the outer target, but not at the inner target. In contrast, for Ne, the spatial distributions of Ne ions and electrons were found to be similar in all the cases at the three injection locations, and the detached plasma was achieved at the inner target and the electron temperature was reduced at the outer target. For locations R 2 and R 3, impurity B showed a more pronounced effect on the heat flux at the far-SOL of the outer target. Further analysis indicated that Ne atoms came mainly from the recycling sources, whereas B atoms came mainly from injection, and that their distinct atomic distributions resulted from the difference in the ionization threshold and ionization mean free path. In addition, the radiation proportion of B in the divertor region was larger than that of Ne when the total radiation power was similar, which suggests that B has less influence on the core region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective Methods Results Conclusion Although percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) under C‐arm guidance is an effective treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF), obtaining high‐definition images in patients with OVCF and spinal deformities can be challenging or insufficient using traditional C‐arm guidance, prompting our institution to adopt the O‐arm navigation system—which offers comprehensive 3D imaging and precise navigation—and this study compares its safety and efficacy with conventional C‐arm‐assisted PKP.This was a retrospective study. From February 2019 to February 2022, we enrolled 28 patients with OVCF (44 vertebrae) with spinal deformity treated with O‐arm navigation‐assisted PKP and 30 patients with OVCF (42 vertebrae) with spinal deformity treated with C‐arm‐guided PKP. We recorded puncture times, single‐segment operation time, number of cases with bone cement leakage, and length of stay. The visual analog scales (VASs), Oswestry disability indexes (ODIs), recovery of Cobbs angle, and vertebral height were used to assess treatment effect before the operation, on the first day postoperation, the first month postoperation, and at the final follow‐up. The chi‐squared test was utilized for comparing discrete variables, an independent samples t‐test was used for continuous variables, and Pearson's chi‐squared test and Fisher's exact test were applied for categorical data.Demographic features were comparable between the groups. The O‐arm navigation group showed a significant reduction in puncture adjustment per vertebrae, single‐segment operation time, and the rate of trocar needle malposition compared to the C‐arm guidance group. The rate of cement leakage was decreased in the O‐arm‐guided PKP group, and other complications did not differ between the two groups. Intragroup comparisons revealed significant improvements in VAS scores and ODI on the first day, first month, and final follow‐up after the operation (p < 0.05). The VAS score was significantly lower in the O‐arm navigation‐assisted PKP group than in the C‐arm‐guided PKP group on the first day postoperatively (p = 0.049). However, no significant differences in VAS scores were observed between the groups at the first month postoperatively or at the final follow‐up. In each follow‐up period, there was no significant difference in ODI, Cobb angle, and the percent of anterior vertebral height (AVH %) between the groups.O‐arm navigation‐assisted PKP demonstrates better clinical safety and efficacy than C‐arm‐guided PKP, marking it as a minimally invasive, safe, and effective procedure for treating patients with OVCF with spinal deformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invasion of alien woody species may have broad ecological, economic, and health impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity under climate change. Previous studies showed that disrupting the biodiversity conservation mechanisms in protected areas can seriously threaten natural ecosystems and the protection of rare and endangered species in such protected areas. However, there is currently no standard for evaluating the invasion risk of woody plants under climate change when establishing national parks in China. Therefore, we used a species distribution model to evaluate the invasion risk of 250 invasive alien woody species in potential national park sites in Xinjiang under climate change. The results indicated that the probability of forest invasion in the potential Altai Kanas National Park was determined to be significantly higher than that of the average level in Xinjiang nature reserves, both under current and future climate conditions. At the same time, the probability of invasive woody species invading coniferous forests, broad‐leaved forests, and grassland ecosystems is higher in the Altai Kanas and Tianshan potential national parks. We found that Acer negundo, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Amorpha fruticose in potential parks in Xinjiang have higher invasion potential and thus require heightened vigilance to stop their spread. This study contributes to the monitoring and management of national parks and provides an actionable foundation for protecting ecosystem functions and minimizing the potential risk of invasive alien species under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is increasing due to the global rise in cardiovascular disease patients. However, conventional ABPM methods are discontinuous and can disrupt daily activities and sleep patterns. Photoplethysmography (PPG) is gaining attention from researchers due to its simplicity, portability, affordability, and ease of signal acquisition. This paper critically examines the advancements achieved in the technology of PPG-guided noninvasive blood pressure (BP) monitoring and explores future opportunities. We have performed a literature search using the Web of Science and PubMed search engines, from January 2018 to October 2023, for PPG signal quality assessment (SQA), cuffless BP estimation using single PPG, and associations between circadian rhythm and BP. Based on this foundation, we first examine the impact of PPG signal quality on blood pressure estimation results while focusing on methods for assessing PPG signal quality. Subsequently, the methods documented for estimating cuff-free BP from PPG signals are summarized. Furthermore, the study examines how individual differences affect the accuracy of BP estimation, incorporating the factors that influence arterial blood pressure (ABP) and elucidating the impact of circadian rhythm on blood pressure. Finally, there will be a summary of the study's findings and suggestions for future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat transfer and stability of methane hydrate in reservoirs have a direct impact on the drilling and production efficiency of hydrate resources, especially in complex stress environments caused by formation subsidence. In this study, we investigated the thermal transport and structural stability of methane hydrate under triaxial compression using molecular dynamics simulations. The results suggest that the thermal conductivity of methane hydrate increases with increasing compression strain. Two phonon transport mechanisms were identified as factors enhancing thermal conductivity. At low compressive strains, a low-frequency phonon transport channel was established due to the overlap of phonon vibration peaks between methane and water molecules. At high compressive strains, the filling of larger phonon bandgaps facilitated the opening of more phonon transport channels. Additionally, we found that a strain of −0.04 is a watershed point, where methane hydrate transitions from stable to unstable. Furthermore, a strain of −0.06 marks the threshold at which the diffusion capacities of methane and water molecules are at their peaks. At a higher strain of −0.08, the increased volume compression reduces the available space, limiting the diffusion ability of water and methane molecules within the hydrate. The synergistic effect of the strong diffusion ability and high probability of collision between atoms increases the thermal conductivity of hydrates during the unstable period compared to the stable period. Our findings offer valuable theoretical insights into the thermal conductivity and stability of methane hydrates in reservoir stress environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional composition of plant communities (FCPC) makes a significant contribution to ecosystem properties, functions, and services. Here, we used 18 plant functional traits from the sPlot database v2.1 and the global forest management type dataset to explore the links between forest management and the FCPC. We used the post hoc Tukey test to explore the differences in the community-weighted mean (CWM) and community-weighted variance (CWV) among different forest management types [i.e., intact forests, managed forests with natural regeneration, planted forests, plantation forests (with up to a 15-year rotation), and agroforestry]. We found that different forest management types can result in significant variability in plant communities’ functional composition. Plantation forests could result in significantly higher CWM and CWV compared to intact forests, and significant differences could occur between natural and managed forests with natural regeneration. Furthermore, the relationship between forest management practices and the FCPC depends on ecozone type changes. There were significant differences between natural and plantation forests for CWM and CWV in temperate forests. Our study provides an effective reference for applying plant functional traits to regulate and optimize the functions and services of forest ecosystems.

Agricultural soil as a potential source of input of heavy metals into the lacustrine sediments of Chaohu Lake via soil erosion and weathering has not been well documented. In the present study, rice soil samples along two main tributaries of Chaohu Lake were collected to determine 30 metal elements which were compared with the data on the elements in surface sediments of Chaohu Lake to explore the impacts of soil erosion on the accumulation in the sediments. The results showed that the concentrations of most elements were less than their soil background values of Anhui Province, but Se, Sb, Sn, As, and Ba were greater than the corresponding background values. Furthermore, these elements except for Sc in the soils appeared a low variability in spatial distribution. More than 90% of agricultural soils were not expected with significant contamination by the residual elements based upon the consideration of pollution level index (PLI) combining probabilistic density function. Compared with the residual elements in the surface sediments of Chaohu Lake, most elements (Ti, Mn, Zr, Sr, Zn, Ga, Hf, U, Se, Sn, Nb, Th, V, Cd) appeared depletion in agricultural soils but enrichment in sediments. Specially for Cd, it was not detectable in all soils samples, but it existed at an extreme average content in the lacustrine sediments. These results possibly implied that elements in agricultural soils in Chaohu Lake were depleted because of soil erosion and weathering during long-term agricultural practice, resulting in enrichment in sediments of the lake. The depletion of elements in soils was predominately due to the fact that these metals existed in the soil with a large mobile fraction. While As, Th and Se moderately accumulated in the soils due to their insusceptibility of transport potentials. Because Sr and U are easier to be leached from soils than Rb and Th, respectively, a greater ratio of Rb/Sr and a lower value of U/Th was found in soil samples than in sediments. Therefore, our study implied agricultural soils could play an important role in the input of heavy metals into sediments via soil erosion and weathering.

Cavernous nerve injury is an important cause of erectile dysfunction (ED). Although protective nerve technology has been widely used in nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy (nsRP), the incidence of ED is still very high after surgery. The purpose of our study was to evaluate erectile function (EF) and penile length in the non-erectile state (PLNES) following scheduled phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor (PDE5i), vacuum erectile device (VED) treatment, and combination therapy after nsRP. One hundred patients with localized prostate cancer and normal EF were randomized to scheduled PDE5i group, VED treatment group, a combined treatment group, and the control group without any intervention. The International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) scores and PLNES were evaluated after 6 months and 12 months of treatment. Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP-Question 2 and SEP-Question 3) were evaluated after 12 months of treatment. Ninety-one of the 100 randomized patients completed the study. We found that the 5 mg tadalafil once a day (OaD) combined with VED can help improve IIEF-5 scores in nsRP patients after both 6 months and 12 months. VED alone or combined with tadalafil OaD can help patients maintain PLNES. VED combined with tadalafil OaD can improve the rate of successful penetration (SEP-Question 2) after 12 months. There were no significant differences in the return to target EF after 12 months among the groups. No significant correlation was noted between the variables and return to target EF (IIEF ≥ 17), and between the variables and effective shortening of the patient's penis (shortening ≥ 1 cm) after 12 months of intervention.

Considering the legacy of plant functional composition can help assess ecosystem functions and ecosystem services across different spatial scales under land cover changes. Woody plants likely respond to natural and anthropogenic perturbations due to historical events (e.g., agricultural development), thus contemporary plant functional composition may be explained by historical woodland change, a type of land cover change. We propose that historical woodland changes may have legacy effects on contemporary plant functional composition. Here, we used partial least squares regression and linear mixed model analyses to test this assumption by coupling data on community weighted means (CWM) and community weighted variance (CWV) of vegetation plots and calculating the time of woodland existence across different periods from AD 0 to 2017. We found that the legacy effects of historical land cover changes on CWM and CWV during the existence time of woodland, particularly from AD 0 to 900, were drivers of contemporary plant functional composition at large spatial scales. Furthermore, historical woodland changes can affect contemporary plant functional composition, depending on the biome type. Particularly, the CWM of plant height, seed mass, and seed length showed the strongest correlations with woodland changes from AD 1910 to 2010 in tropics with year-round rain, and the CWM of leaf traits correlated with woodland changes from AD 0 to 1700 in tropics with summer rain. Our study provides the effective evidence on the legacy of historical woodland changes and the effects on contemporary plant functional composition, which is crucial with respect to effective management of plant diversity and assessing ecosystem functions and services from local to global scales over time.

Recognizing human-object interaction (HOI) is an important research topic in computer vision. With the great success of deep learning in image classification, the HOI recognition task has also made great progress. However, the problems of instance imbalance and combinatorial explosion still remain the key challenges, which restrict the performance of HOI recognition methods. Therefore, this paper formulates HOI recognition in a few-shot scene to tackle the above problems and proposes a novel task-aware dual prototypical network (TDP-Net) to address few-shot HOI task. Specifically, it first assigns semantic-aware task representations for different tasks as their prior knowledge, subsequently generates attention weights by semantic graph attention module (SGA-Module). It effectively weights the importance on different regions of the visual features, adaptively for different task conditions, which realizes to reason for novel tasks. In addition, it designs a dual prototypes module (DP-Module) to generate both action class prototypes and object class prototypes, which classifies the verb and noun labels respectively. The complex visual relationships between actions and objects can be effectively separated by constructing class prototypes for actions and objects. Meanwhile, owing to the similarity among the related interactions, the knowledge is transferred to the new interactions by reorganizing the action and object prototypes. The experimental results show that the average accuracies of this model outperform the baseline by 3.2 percentage points and 15.7 percentage points on two exper-imental settings, which verifies its effectiveness on the few-shot HOI task.