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We propose a stitching method of multiple remote-sensing images based on infinite homography and global seam finding to reduce edge stretching and seam errors and improve the spatiotemporal efficiency. First, by assuming that the scene is far away from the camera, we construct and use an infinite homography instead of mesh-based warping to improve the speed and robustness of stitching. Due to the fact that the aircraft always flies horizontally, we add the horizontal flight prior into the camera parameter optimization to solve the edge stretching problem. Second, we globally find the optimal seam between multiple images and convert the global seam finding into a multi-label assignment to obtain a smaller seam error. In the iteration of alpha expansion, by dynamically adjusting the weight of the pixel to the terminal, the pixels are induced to be assigned to the label with more allocated pixels, which reduces the number of input images participating in image blending. Finally, comparative experiments with other methods prove that our method has less alignment error and edge stretching. Furthermore, our method is more robust, occupies less memory and runs faster, which makes our method more effective and practical in multiple image stitching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In estuary areas, meteorological conditions have become unstable under the continuous effects of climate change, and the ecological backgrounds of such areas have strongly been influenced by anthropic activities. Consequently, the water quality of these areas is obviously affected. In this research, we identified periods of fluctuation of the general meteorological conditions in the Yangtze River Estuary using a wavelet analysis. Additionally, we performed a spatiotemporal evaluation of the water quality in the fluctuating period by using remote sensing modeling. Then, we explored how the fluctuating meteorological factors affect the distribution of total suspended solids (TSS) and chlorophyll-a (Chla) concentration. (1) The results show that from 2000 to 2015, temperature did not present significant fluctuations, while wind speed (WS) and precipitation (PR) presented the same fluctuation period from January 2012 to December 2012. (2) Based on the measured water sample data associated with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery, we developed a water quality algorithm and depicted the TSS and Chla concentrations within the WS and PR fluctuating period. (3) We found that the TSS concentration decreased with distance from the shore, while the Chla concentration showed an initially decreasing trend followed by an increasing trend; moreover, these two water quality parameters presented different inter-annual variations. Then, we discussed the correlation between the changes in the TSS and Chla concentrations and the WS and PR variables. The contribution of this research is reflected in two aspects: 1. variations in water quality parameters over a wide range of water bodies can be evaluated based on MODIS data; 2. data from different time periods showed that the fluctuations of meteorological elements had different impacts on water bodies based on the distance from the shore. The results provide new insights for the management of estuary water environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By virtue of their complete spin polarization at the Fermi level, two-dimensional (2D) magnetic half-metallic materials are emerging as one of the latest wonder building blocks for spintronic applications. Using first-principles calculations, we explored how vacancy defects affect the electronic structure and magnetic properties of CrSI semiconductor monolayer. Our results indicate that the magnetic semiconductor monolayer becomes metallic with the presence of single Cr vacancies, V Cr , or paired vacancies made up of Cr and nearby S atoms, V Cr-S , while by introducing V S , V I , V Cr-I and V S-I vacancies, the monolayer becomes a half-metallic ferromagnet with Curie temperature T C above room temperature. Compared with the pristine case that exhibits an intrinsic in-plane magnetic anisotropy with an easy axis along the [100] direction, the six types of vacancies considered in this study either enhance the in-plane anisotropy or switch it to out-of-plane. Our work implies that vacancy engineering could be a viable approach for achieving both half-metallicity and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in structurally similar magnetic semiconductor monolayers as well as in relevant designer van der Waals heterostructures for 2D spintronic applications. • Pristine CrSI monolayer is a 2D magnetic semiconductor with a total magnetic moment M tot of 3.000 μ B per unit cell. • Pristine CrSI monolayer has Curie temperature well above room temperature. • We predict vacancy-induced half-metallicity in magnetic CrSI semiconductor monolayer. • The six types of vacancies considered can either enhance the in-plane anisotropy or switch it to out-of-plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Deep root traits are important in rice (Oryza sativa L.) because of their implications for better ability to reach water and nutrients from deep soil. Analysis of gene expression and alternative splicing (AS) will help speed gene identification and understand the role of AS in deep rooting. Methods: Rice varieties displaying extreme ratio of deep rooting (RDR) were grown in nutrient solutions. RNA-seq analysis was conducted using StringTie, SUPPA, and 3D RNA-seq pipeline. Functional validation of AS was performed by transgenic overexpression of OsPIN1. Results: The reference-based transcriptome assembly transcripts represented an overall portrait of AS in rice roots. A percentage (76.91%) of assembled genes contained at least one predicted intron. Principal component analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms from RNA-seq indicated that genetic differentiation generated abundant genetic diversity during adaptive domestication of high RDR varieties. Totals obtained were: 4392 differentially expressed genes, 3053 differentially alternatively spliced genes, 5508 differential transcript usage transcripts, and 1068 differential AS event transcripts. Functional categories of these genes and AS regulation transcripts were involved in DNA metabolic processes, stress responses and cell part. Transgenic overexpression of OsPIN1 containing retained intron events improved RDR in rice. Conclusions: AS increased the complexity of gene expression for environmental adaptation while the gene expression level did not change significantly. Our findings provide new perspectives for enhancing drought avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resource and environmental challenges faced by rice production call for resource-saving and environment-friendly rice varieties. Water-saving and drought-resistance rice (WDR) is a new type of cultivated rice combining both high yield potential and acceptable grain quality as a current lowland paddy rice, as well as water-saving and drought resistance as a traditional upland rice. The lowland and upland rice are two ecotypes adapted to contrasting soil water status, originating mainly because of their differentiated drought resistance. Upland rice, domesticated in a water–limited environment and experiencing a bidirectional selection process, has better drought resistance and especially better drought avoidance. Though the potential tradeoff between drought resistance and productivity is very common in rice, the bidirectional selection could overcome this tradeoff and accumulate recombination genotypes. It is very important to choose elite parents on the basis of studies on the great genetic diversity of rice yield and drought resistance among the rice germplasm resources and adapt the bidirectional selection strategies to especially integrate drought avoidance, drought tolerance, high water use efficiency, and productivity in WDR breeding. The breeding history and genomic studies indicated that lowland paddy rice and upland rice hybridization breeding with suitable selection in different environments is an effective approach to improving complex traits such as yield potential and drought resistance. Meanwhile, molecular technology shows higher efficiency on value-added breeding such as transferring and pyramiding pest- and disease-resistant genes, which helps WDR obtain other green characters. Twenty-two WDR varieties were registered and distributed to farmers in recent years and could be planted in both irrigated and rainfed ecosystems, thus showing promising application prospects. The major crop management technology of WDR in lowland paddy fields with water-saving cultivation and in rainfed fields by dry seeding with aerobic cultivation were also discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In terms of molecular structures, benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT) derivatives qualify as the best-performing organic semiconductors for hole transport, but it exhibits poor luminescence properties. For instance, a classical molecule of 2,7-Dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) only shows photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of 5.0% in chlorobenzene. Herein, we present three kinds of organic semiconductors based on phenyl-BTBT molecule core, namely, 2,7-diphenyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (DPh-BTBT), 2,7-bis(4-ethylphenyl) benzothieno[3,2-b][1] benzothiophene (DBEP-BTBT), and 2,7-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (DBOP-BTBT). Notably, blue fluorescence with relatively high PLQYs of 27%, 36%, and 48% in chlorobenzene was shown. Due to the surface defects and grain boundaries in the thin films, the PLQYs decrease to 3.4% for DPh-BTBT and 7.4% for DBOP-BTBT , respectively. Nevertheless, the DBEP-BTBT film still exhibits an absolute PLQY as high as 12%, which is a rare and precious characteristic in BTBT derivatives. Meanwhile, the differences in photophysical characteristics, crystal structures, and charge transport properties of the three BTBT derivatives were systematically studied. Similar to DPh-BTBT and DBOP-BTBT , the DBEP-BTBT crystals display typical layered herringbone packing structure with multi- and strong intermolecular interactions, which are conductive to form a two-dimensional charge transport network in layered thin films for high mobility. The mobility of DBEP-BTBT in polycrystalline thin film transistors is up to 3.22 cm2V−1s−1 in ambient air, which is close to DPh-BTBT (3.64 cm2V−1s−1) and much higher than that of DBOP-BTBT (0.5 cm2V−1s−1). Moreover, the calculations show that the intermolecular transfer integrals of HOMOs are almost isotropic for six nearest neighbour contacts in DBEP-BTBT and DPh-BTBT crystals, implying their possibility of isotropic hole transport property in single crystals. The benzothieno [3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (BTBT) derivatives have the potential to simultaneously achieve high charge mobility and luminescence property. [Display omitted] • DPh-BTBT, DBEP-BTBT, and DBOP-BTBT possess fluorescence characteristics. • DBEP-BTBT based OLEDs exhibit a EQE max of 1.76% with CIE coordinates of (0.144, 0141). • DBEP-BTBT based OFETs show hole mobility up to 3.22 cm2V−1s−1 in ambient air. • The transfer integral calculations reveal isotropic charge transfer of DBEP-BTBT crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-use efficiency ( WUE ) at the whole-plant level plays as an important role as an indicator of both the water-use strategy of the plant, and the ecophysiological processes linking the carbon and water cycles. However, the variation in the annual pattern of WUE , the interannual trends, and the regulating factors of WUE in rubber plantations remain poorly understood. Here, we used a four-year (2013–2016) continuous biometric survey along with sap flow data recorded at a monthly resolution to examine the annual and interannual dynamics of WUE and the relationships of WUE with environmental and biological factors in rubber ( Hevea brasiliensis ) plantations in Southwest China. The results showed that (1) there was no definitive pattern in WUE between April and December, but the peak WUE values generally occurred around August; (2) the multi-year mean WUE was 2.34 ± 0.19 g C·kg −1 H 2 O, and a negative correlation of WUE to photosynthetically active radiation was found at the interannual scale ( r  = −0.962, P  < 0.05); and (3) a moderate, significant and parabolic relationship of WUE with air temperature ( R 2  = 0.40), net radiation ( R 2  = 0.37) and growth rate of the diameter at breast height ( R 2  = 0.35) was observed at the monthly scale during the growing season ( P  < 0.001). These findings indicate that WUE might be regulated by factors affecting the carbon sequestration rather than water consumption, and it will provide a deeper understanding of the ecohydrological and coupled processes between the carbon and water cycles of rubber plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of fog on rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) was quantified for 3 years. • Visibility, sap flux density and crop water productivity (WP c) were studied. • Under the fog days, rubber trees were physiologically less active. • Carbon assimilation and evapotranspiration were suppressed but WP c enhanced by fog. • Dry seasonal fog can reduce water demand and alleviate drought stress. The rapid conversion of tropical rainforests into monoculture plantations of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) in Southeast Asia (SEA) necessitates understanding of rubber tree physiology under local climatic conditions. Frequent fog immersion in the montane regions of SEA may affect the water and carbon budgets of the rubber trees and the plantation ecosystems. We studied the effect of fog on various plant physiological parameters in a mature rubber plantation in southwest China over 3 years. During the study period, an average of 141 fog events occurred every year, and the majority occurred during the dry season, when the temperature was relatively low. In addition to the low temperature, fog events were also associated with low vapor pressure deficit, atmospheric water potential, relative humidity and frequent wet-canopy conditions. We divided the dry season into cool dry (November-February) and hot dry (March-April) seasons and classified days into foggy (FG) and non-foggy (non-FG) days. During the FG days of the cool dry season, the physiological activities of the rubber trees were suppressed where carbon assimilation and evapotranspiration showed reductions of 4% and 15%, respectively, compared to the cool dry non-FG days. Importantly, the unequal declines in carbon assimilation and evapotranspiration led to enhanced crop water productivity (WP c) on cool dry FG days but insignificant WP c values were found between FG and non-FG days of the hot dry season. Our results suggest that, by regulating plant physiology, fog events during the cool dry season significantly reduce water demand and alleviate water stress for the trees through improved WP c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In situ 15NO 3 −-N labeling experiment for microbial processes of N 2 O production. • Only 0.027% of 15 NO 3 −-N was lost as N 2 O. • Of the total N 2 O production, 3.1% was from 15N-labeled NO 3 −. • 48.6% of the total N 2 O was from the added NH 4 + and the simulated native N. • H + AN, D and Co-D contributed 97.6%, 1.6% and 0.9% of total N 2 O, respectively. Tropical forests are important contributors for N 2 O emissions from soil to the atmosphere; however, the microbial processes responsible for soil N 2 O production in tropical forest soils remain unclear. In this study, we employed a 40-day-long in situ 15NO 3 − labeling experiment to determine the microbial processes that are responsible for N 2 O production in an undisturbed tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna, southwest China. We observed that during the experiment, most of the 15N-labeled NO 3 − were immobilized and only 0.027% was emitted as N 2 O. Of the total N 2 O production, 3.1% was from the added 15N-labeled NO 3 −, 48.6% was from the added NH 4 + and native N. Within the first 27 h, nitrification (heterotrophic and autotrophic nitrification) was the predominant microbial process of N 2 O production, accounting for 97.6% of total soil N 2 O emissions, whereas denitrification and co-denitrification resulted in only 1.6% and 0.9% emissions, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that nitrification, rather than denitrification, is the predominant microbial process of N 2 O production in situ in the study area in the tropical forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The secure operation of electric power transmission lines is essential for the economy and society. However, external factors such as plastic film and kites can cause damage to the lines, potentially leading to power outages. Traditional detection methods are inefficient, and the accuracy of automated systems is limited in complex background environments., Methods: This paper introduces a Weighted Spatial Attention (WSA) network model to address the low accuracy in identifying extraneous materials within electrical transmission infrastructure due to background texture occlusion. Initially, in the model preprocessing stage, color space conversion, image enhancement, and improved Large Selective Kernel Network (LSKNet) technology are utilized to enhance the model's proficiency in detecting foreign objects in intricate surroundings. Subsequently, in the feature extraction stage, the model adopts the dynamic sparse BiLevel Spatial Attention Module (BSAM) structure proposed in this paper to accurately capture and identify the characteristic information of foreign objects in power lines. In the feature pyramid stage, by replacing the feature pyramid network structure and allocating reasonable weights to the Bidirectional Feature Pyramid Network (BiFPN), the feature fusion results are optimized, ensuring that the semantic information of foreign objects in the power line output by the network is effectively identified and processed., Results: The experimental outcomes reveal that the test recognition accuracy of the proposed WSA model on the PL (power line) dataset has improved by three percentage points compared to that of the YOLOv8 model, reaching 97.6%. This enhancement demonstrates the WSA model's superior capability in detecting foreign objects on power lines, even in complex environmental backgrounds., Discussion: The integration of advanced image preprocessing techniques, the dynamic sparse BSAM structure, and the BiFPN has proven effective in improving detection accuracy and has the potential to transform the approach to monitoring and maintaining power transmission infrastructure., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Tian, Yin, Song, Hauwa, Zhang, Gao and Zhou.)

Parallax processing and structure preservation have long been important and challenging tasks in image stitching. In this paper, an image stitching method based on sliding camera to eliminate perspective deformation and asymmetric optical flow to solve parallax is proposed. By maintaining the viewpoint of two input images in the mosaic non-overlapping area and creating a virtual camera by interpolation in the overlapping area, the viewpoint is gradually transformed from one to another so as to complete the smooth transition of the two image viewpoints and reduce perspective deformation. Two coarsely aligned warped images are generated with the help of a global projection plane. After that, the optical flow propagation and gradient descent method are used to quickly calculate the bidirectional asymmetric optical flow between the two warped images, and the optical-flow-based method is used to further align the two warped images to reduce parallax. In the image blending, the softmax function and registration error are used to adjust the width of the blending area, further eliminating ghosting and reducing parallax. Finally, by comparing our method with APAP, AANAP, SPHP, SPW, TFT, and REW, it has been proven that our method can not only effectively solve perspective deformation, but also gives more natural transitions between images. At the same time, our method can robustly reduce local misalignment in various scenarios, with higher structural similarity index. A scoring method combining subjective and objective evaluations of perspective deformation, local alignment and runtime is defined and used to rate all methods, where our method ranks first.

Objective: Our goal is to examine the correlation between gut microbiota and the cooccurrence of schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes., Methods: We conducted a study on the intestinal microbiota of 4 distinct groups: simple schizophrenia group (SC), schizophrenia with type 2 diabetes group (TS), type 2 diabetes group (T2DM), and normal population control group (HC), comprising a total of 35 subjects., Results: The bacteria phyla Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Verrucobacteria were consistently present across all 4 groups. Significantly higher intestinal microbiota richness was observed in the T2DM compared to the other group, and the intestinal microbiota richness in TS significantly lower than that of the SC., Conclusion: Our study suggests that the presence of type 2 diabetes in individuals with schizophrenia may affect the composition of their gut microbiota. We hypothesize that the concurrent existence of both diseases could potentially lead to alterations in the structure of gut microbiota, potentially influencing treatment effectiveness and outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (2024 authors.)

Background: Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the retromolar trigone (primary SCC RMT) is an uncommon malignant tumor. There is still much to learn about its clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. In order to better understand the clinicopathological features and predictive survival aspects of primary SCC RMT, this study examined data from the SEER database from 2000 to 2020. Furthermore, in order to forecast the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with primary SCC RMT, we created nomograms., Method: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was used to retrieve the information on individuals with primary SCC RMT who received a diagnosis between 2000 and 2020. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the Cox proportional risk regression model. Using R software, prognostic nomograms were created to forecast the OS and CSS likelihood. The nomograms' prediction abilities were evaluated using the consistency index (C-index), calibration curve, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve., Result: A total of 1717 patients with primary SCC RMT were included, they were randomly assigned to the primary and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio using R software. Multivariate Cox regression revealed that age, marital status, regional nodes positive, Summary stage, TNM stage, T stage, N stage, surgery were independent prognostic factors of OS, and age, marital status, regional nodes positive, tumor sizes, Summary stage, N stage, surgery were independent prognostic factors of CSS in the primary cohort. The C-index of the nomogram OS was 0.705 (95 % CI: 0.685-0.725) and the C-index of CSS was 0.734 (95 % CI:0.714-0.754) in the primary cohort. In validation cohort, the C-index of the nomogram OS and CSS were 0.730 (95 % CI: 0.710-0.750) and 0.723 (95 % CI: 0.684-0.762), respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and CSS rates in the primary cohort and validation cohort were approximately in line with the nomogram estimations, in accordance to the calibration curves., Conclusion: We conducted an analysis using the SEER database to investigate the features, survival outcomes, and prognostic parameters of patients with primary SCC RMT. And we developed two prognostic nomograms that can be used by clinicians to forecast the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival and cancer-specific survival of patients with primary SCC RMT., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The availability of an ever-expanding portfolio of 2D materials with rich internal degrees of freedom (spin, excitonic, valley, sublattice, and layer pseudospin) together with the unique ability to tailor heterostructures made layer by layer in a precisely chosen stacking sequence and relative crystallographic alignments, offers an unprecedented platform for realizing materials by design. However, the breadth of multi-dimensional parameter space and massive data sets involved is emblematic of complex, resource-intensive experimentation, which not only challenges the current state of the art but also renders exhaustive sampling untenable. To this end, machine learning, a very powerful data-driven approach and subset of artificial intelligence, is a potential game-changer, enabling a cheaper - yet more efficient - alternative to traditional computational strategies. It is also a new paradigm for autonomous experimentation for accelerated discovery and machine-assisted design of functional 2D materials and heterostructures. Here, the study reviews the recent progress and challenges of such endeavors, and highlight various emerging opportunities in this frontier research area., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

This study aims to isolate microbial strains for producing mono-rhamnolipids with high proportion. Oily sludge is rich in petroleum and contains diverse biosurfactant-producing strains. A biosurfactant-producing strain LP20 was isolated from oily sludge, identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry results indicated that biosurfactants produced from LP20 were rhamnolipids, mainly containing Rha-C8-C10, Rha-C10-C10, Rha-Rha-C8-C10, Rha-Rha-C10-C10, Rha-C10-C12:1, and Rha-C10-C12. Interestingly, more mono-rhamnolipids were produced by strain LP20 with a relative abundance of 64.5%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa LP20 optimally produced rhamnolipids at a pH of 7.0 and a salinity of 0.1% using glycerol and nitrate. The culture medium for rhamnolipids by strain LP20 was optimized by response surface methodology. LP20 produced rhamnolipids up to 6.9 g L-1, increased by 116%. Rhamnolipids produced from LP20 decreased the water surface tension to 28.1 mN m-1 with a critical micelle concentration of 60 mg L-1. The produced rhamnolipids emulsified many hydrocarbons with EI24 values higher than 56% and showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Cladosporium sp. with inhibition rates 48.5% and 17.9%, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa LP20 produced more proportion of mono-rhamnolipids, and the LP20 rhamnolipids exhibited favorable activities and promising potential in microbial-enhanced oil recovery, bioremediation, and agricultural biocontrol., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Applied Microbiology International.)