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Artemisia calcicola (Asteraceae, Anthemideae), a new species from karst region in Shibing county, Guizhou province, southwestern China, is described and illustrated. The species can be readily assigned to A. subg. Artemisia in having fertile disk florets and glabrous receptacles. Within this subgenus, A. calcicola is distinguished by having (2- or) 3-pinnatipartite leaves and narrowly ellipsoid involucres 0.9–1.3 mm in diameter. It resembles A. annua to some extent, but differs immediately by the plant duration, stem and leaf indumentum, and involucre shape and size. A detailed description and distribution map of this species are also provided herein.

The light-sensitive albino tea plant can produce pale-yellow shoots with high levels of amino acids which are suitable to process high-quality tea. In order to understand the mechanism of the albino phenotype formation, the changes in the physio-chemical characteristics, chloroplast ultrastructure, chlorophyll-binding proteins, and the relevant gene expression were comprehensively investigated in the leaves of the light-sensitive albino cultivar ‘Huangjinya’ (‘HJY’) during short-term shading treatment. In the content of photosynthetic pigments, the ultrastructure of the chloroplast, and parameters of the photosynthesis in the leaves of ‘HJY’ could be gradually normalized along with the extension of the shading time, resulting in the leaf color transformed from pale yellow to green. BN-PAGE and SDS-PAGE revealed that function restoration of the photosynthetic apparatus was attributed to the proper formation of the pigment-protein complexes on the thylakoid membrane that benefited from the increased levels of the LHCII subunits in the shaded leaves of ‘HJY’, indicating the low level of LHCII subunits, especially the lack of the Lhcb1 might be responsible for the albino phenotype of the ‘HJY’ under natural light condition. The deficiency of the Lhcb1 was mainly subject to the strongly suppressed expression of the Lhcb1.x which might be modulated by the chloroplast retrograde signaling pathway GUN1 (GENOMES UNCOUPLED 1)-PTM (PHD type transcription factor with transmembrane domains)-ABI4 (ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 4).

The optimal surgical procedure for minimal surgical intervention in symptomatic degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) is unknown. This article presents a method of minimally invasive decompression alone and reports the long-term outcomes and complications of patients treated with minimally invasive bilateral or unilateral laminotomy decompression performed by one surgeon.Patients with DLSS who underwent minimally invasive laminotomy decompression alone from March 2008 to October 2010 were included in the study, and 106 patients were followed up for at least 10 years. Clinical outcomes were assessed by Japanese Orthopedic Association, Oswestry Disability Index, and visual analog scale for back pain scores, and changes in walking tolerance and leg numbness were evaluated. Complications were recorded.A total of 106 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study (mean age = 64 years, range = 43-83). The Japanese Orthopedic Association, Oswestry Disability Index, and visual analog scale back pain scores of patients significantly changed between before surgery and at subsequent follow-up (P0.001). The walking tolerance and leg numbness of patients significantly improved (P0.001), and these functions were well maintained during follow-up. Complications included intraoperative dural tears (n = 5), a wound infection (n = 1), deep vein thrombosis (n = 1), and nerve root lesions on the asymptomatic side (n = 2), all of which recovered within 3 months.Minimally invasive laminotomy decompression is an effective procedure and achieves beneficial long-term clinical results for DLSS.

The semitauonic $$ {B}_c^{-}\to J/\psi {\tau}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\tau } $$ B c − → J / ψ τ − ν ¯ τ decay provides an ideal and clean mode to scrutinize possible new physics effects in $$ b\to c{\tau}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\tau } $$ b → c τ − ν ¯ τ transitions as indicated by the current data on R(D(*)) anomalies. In this work, we use the spin density matrix method to obtain the maximum information on the underlying physics of $$ {B}_c^{-}\to J/\psi {\tau}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\tau } $$ B c − → J / ψ τ − ν ¯ τ decay with both polarized τ lepton and J/ψ meson. Their subsequent decays, with J/ψ → μ+μ− as well as τ− → π−ντ, τ− → ρ−ντ and $$ {\tau}^{-}\to {\ell}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\ell }{\nu}_{\tau } $$ τ − → ℓ − ν ¯ ℓ ν τ , are exploited to extract the energy and angular distributions of the charged final-state particles in the processes. Starting with the most general effective Hamiltonian relevant for the $$ b\to c{\tau}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\tau } $$ b → c τ − ν ¯ τ transitions, including all possible Lorentz structures of the dimension-six operators with both left- and right-handed neutrinos, we first derive the five-fold differential decay rate in terms of the visible final-state kinematics. From this distribution, we then construct in total 34 normalized observables, among which nine refer to the CP-violating triple product asymmetries that vanish within the Standard Model. We also construct five new observables based on the combinations of these normalized observables that can only be attributed to the right-handed neutrinos. On the other hand, considering the low statistics of the fully differential distribution, we introduce some integrated observables with only one kinematic variable left, which are more promising to be measured due to the largely increased statistics. The sensitivities of all these observables to the different new physics scenarios are investigated in detail. Finally, assuming an ideal circumstance, we give an estimate of the statistical uncertainties of the nine CP-conserving observables at LHCb and found that τ− → π−ντ has the highest analyzing power among the three τ decay channels.

The semitauonic B c − → J / ψ τ − ν ¯ τ $$ {B}_c^{-}\to J/\psi {\tau}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\tau } $$ decay provides an ideal and clean mode to scrutinize possible new physics effects in b → c τ − ν ¯ τ $$ b\to c{\tau}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\tau } $$ transitions as indicated by the current data on R(D (*)) anomalies. In this work, we use the spin density matrix method to obtain the maximum information on the underlying physics of B c − → J / ψ τ − ν ¯ τ $$ {B}_c^{-}\to J/\psi {\tau}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\tau } $$ decay with both polarized τ lepton and J/ψ meson. Their subsequent decays, with J/ψ → μ + μ − as well as τ − → π − ν τ , τ − → ρ − ν τ and τ − → ℓ − ν ¯ ℓ ν τ $$ {\tau}^{-}\to {\ell}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\ell }{\nu}_{\tau } $$ , are exploited to extract the energy and angular distributions of the charged final-state particles in the processes. Starting with the most general effective Hamiltonian relevant for the b → c τ − ν ¯ τ $$ b\to c{\tau}^{-}{\overline{\nu}}_{\tau } $$ transitions, including all possible Lorentz structures of the dimension-six operators with both left- and right-handed neutrinos, we first derive the five-fold differential decay rate in terms of the visible final-state kinematics. From this distribution, we then construct in total 34 normalized observables, among which nine refer to the CP-violating triple product asymmetries that vanish within the Standard Model. We also construct five new observables based on the combinations of these normalized observables that can only be attributed to the right-handed neutrinos. On the other hand, considering the low statistics of the fully differential distribution, we introduce some integrated observables with only one kinematic variable left, which are more promising to be measured due to the largely increased statistics. The sensitivities of all these observables to the different new physics scenarios are investigated in detail. Finally, assuming an ideal circumstance, we give an estimate of the statistical uncertainties of the nine CP-conserving observables at LHCb and found that τ − → π − ν τ has the highest analyzing power among the three τ decay channels.

Defense against ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure is essential for survival, especially in high-elevation species. Although some specific genes involved in UV response have been reported, the full view of UV defense mechanisms remains largely unexplored. Herein, we used integrated approaches to analyze UV responses in the highest-elevation frog, Nanorana parkeri . We show less damage and more efficient antioxidant activity in skin of this frog than those of its lower-elevation relatives after UV exposure. We also reveal genes related to UV defense and a corresponding temporal expression pattern in N. parkeri . Genomic and metabolomic analysis along with large-scale transcriptomic profiling revealed a time-dependent coordinated defense mechanism in N. parkeri . We also identified several microRNAs that play important regulatory roles, especially in decreasing the expression levels of cell cycle genes. Moreover, multiple defense genes (i.e., TYR for melanogenesis) exhibit positive selection with function-enhancing substitutions. Thus, both expression shifts and gene mutations contribute to UV adaptation in N. parkeri . Our work demonstrates a genetic framework for evolution of UV defense in a natural environment.

Updated measurements from the LHCb and SH0ES collaborations have respectively strengthened the deviations of the ratio in rare semi-leptonic -meson decays and the present-day Hubble parameter in the Universe, implying tantalizing hints of new physics beyond the standard model. In this paper, we consider a simple flavor-specific two-Higgs-doublet model, where long-standing anomalies can be addressed by a one-flavor right-handed neutrino. An intriguing prediction resulting from the parameter space for the resolution under flavor- and collider-physics constraints points toward a shift in the effective neutrino number, , as a favored way to ease the tension. Depending on whether the neutrino is of the Dirac or Majorana type, we show that the resulting shift is for the former case and for the latter case. While the Dirac case is disfavored by the CMB polarization measurements, the Majorana solution is consistent with recent studies using a combined dataset from various sources. Consequently, such a simple flavor-specific two-Higgs-doublet model provides a link between anomalies and tension, which in turn can be readily verified or disproved by upcoming measurements.

Choledocholithiasis is a severe disorder that affects a significant portion of the world's population. Treatment using endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) has become widespread; however, recurrence post-EST is relatively common. The bile microbiome has a profound influence on the recurrence of choledocholithiasis in patients after EST; however, the key pathogens and their functions in the biliary tract remain unclear.To investigate the biliary microbial characteristics of patients with recurrent choledocholithiasis post-EST, using next-generation sequencing.This cohort study included 43 patients, who presented with choledocholithiasis at the Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital between May and June 2020. The patients had undergone EST or endoscopic papillary balloon dilation and were followed up for over a year. They were divided into either the stable or recurrent groups. We collected bile samples and extracted microbial DNA for analysis through next-generation sequencing. Resulting sequences were analyzed for core microbiome and statistical differences between the diagnosis groups; they were examined using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway hierarchy level using analysis of variance. Correlation between the key genera and metabolic pathways in bile, were analyzed using Pearson's correlation test.The results revealed distinct clustering of biliary microbiota in recurrent choledocholithiasis. Higher relative abundances (RAs) ofWe demonstrated differences in the bile microbiome of patients with recurrent choledocholithiasis compared to that in patients with stable disease, thereby adding to the current knowledge on its microbiologic etiology.