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Tillage and slope will influence soil surface roughness that changes during rainfall events. This study tests this effect under controlled conditions quantified by geostatistical and fractal indices. When four commonly adopted tillage practices, namely, artificial backhoe (AB), artificial digging (AD), contour tillage (CT), and linear slope (CK), were prepared on soil surfaces at 2 × 1 × 0.5 m soil pans at 5°, 10°, or 20° slope gradients, artificial rainfall with an intensity of 60 or 90 mm h−1 was applied to it. Measurements of the difference in elevation points of the surface profiles were taken before rainfall and after rainfall events for sheet erosion. Tillage practices had a relationship with fractal indices that the surface treated with CT exhibited the biggest fractal dimension D value, followed by the surfaces AD, AB, and CK. Surfaces under a stronger rainfall tended to have a greater D value. Tillage treatments affected anisotropy differently and the surface CT had the strongest effect on anisotropy, followed by the surfaces AD, AB, and CK. A steeper surface would have less effect on anisotropy. Since the surface CT had the strongest effect on spatial variability or the weakest spatial autocorrelation, it had the smallest effect on runoff and sediment yield. Therefore, tillage CT could make a better tillage practice of conserving water and soil. Simultaneously, changes in semivariogram and fractal parameters for surface roughness were examined and evaluated. Fractal parameter – crossover length l – is more sensitive than fractal dimension D to rainfall action to describe vertical differences in soil surface roughness evolution.

Comprehensive Summary: Sensing the chirality of molecules is of great importance to fields such as enantioselective synthesis, pharmaceutical industry, and biomedicine. Plasmonic nanoparticles are ideal candidates for molecular sensing due to their inherent plasmonic properties that significantly enhance their sensitivity to surrounding molecules. Developing plasmonic nanoparticle‐molecule complexes for chirality sensing has drawn enormous attention in recent years due to their intriguing properties and potential applications. Thus, in this review, we believe it is timely to circumnavigate the rational design of plasmonic nanoparticle‐molecule complexes and widen the scope of their emerging applications in chirality sensing. First, we present different fundamental mechanisms for plasmon‐based chirality that are built on the system of plasmonic nanoparticle‐molecule complexes. Second, we review the typical applications of plasmonic nanoparticle‐molecule complexes in chirality sensing. Third, we discuss the emerging biomedical applications that the plasmon‐based chirality has attracted enormous interest. Finally, we provide an outlook on the challenges and opportunities in the field of plasmonic approaches for chirality sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Increasing the fertility of sheep remains one of the crucial issues of modern sheep breeding. Recently, the microtubule associated serine/threonine kinase family member 4 (MAST4) gene has been proposed to have an impact on sheep prolificacy traits. Moreover, the MAST4 gene is known for its role in both male and female reproduction. However, it has not been previously linked to sheep fertility traits. Therefore, the focus of our research was to determine whether this gene affects litter size traits in sheep. To address this problem, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) methodology (n = 1507) in 26 different sheep breeds worldwide and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotyping of the MAST4 gene polymorphisms were conducted in (n = 566) Australian white (AUW) sheep. The findings indicated that the detected polymorphisms within this gene were presented in all 26 breeds, except for P5-del-24 bp, which was presented in 24 out of 26 breeds. Notably, all InDel loci were found to be associated with sheep traits (p < 0.05) in AUW sheep, making them effective molecular marker loci for sheep breeding. The economic efficiency of sheep breeding can be improved by enhancing sheep productivity. A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) unveiled the potential impact of the MAST4 gene on prolificacy traits in Australian White sheep (AUW)). Herein, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data from 26 different sheep breeds worldwide (n = 1507), including diverse meat, wool, milk, or dual-purpose sheep breed types from China, Europe, and Africa, were used. Moreover, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotyping of the MAST4 gene polymorphisms in (n = 566) Australian white sheep (AUW) was performed. The 3 identified polymorphisms were not homogeneously distributed across the 26 examined sheep breeds. Findings revealed prevalent polymorphisms (P3-ins-29 bp and P6-del-21 bp) with varying frequencies (0.02 to 0.97) across 26 breeds, while P5-del-24 bp was presented in 24 out of 26 breeds. Interestingly, the frequency of the P3-ins-29 bp variant was markedly higher in Chinese meat or dual-purpose sheep breeds, while the other two variants also showed moderate frequencies in meat breeds. Notably, association analysis indicated that all InDels were associated with AUW sheep litter size (p < 0.05). These results suggest that these InDels within the MAST4 gene could be useful in marker-assisted selection in sheep breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]