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Abstract Dimorphopterus japonicus is a kind of pest which seriously harms sorghum and millet. In this study, we sequenced the mitochondrial whole genome of D. japonicus (Hidaka, 1959), and characterized and analyzed the mitogenome. The D. japonicus genome length is 15,473 bp, and it exhibits a typical high A + T content (77.6%). The mitogenomic structure of D. japonicus is highly conservative and there are no gene rearrangements. The evolutionary rates of the PCGs are in the order of atp8 > nad3 > nad6 > nad2 > nad5 > atp6 > nad4 > nad4L > cox2 > nad1 > cytb > cox3 > cox1. By using the Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods, we inferred the phylogenetic relationships within Lygaeoidea and estimated their divergence times based on concatenated mitogenome genes. The stable clades of (Oxycarenidae + Piesmatidae), (Malcidae + Colobathristidae), (Meschiidae + Berytidae), and (Blissidae+(Cymidae + Ninidae)) were consistently recovered in all analyses. Estimated divergence times revealed that the divergence time of the Lygaeoidea was 99.4 Ma (95% HPD: 83.4-124.8 Ma), and most lygaeoid families diverged during the early Cretaceous to late Paleogene. Berytidae is the latest differentiation in the lygaeoid families, and the genus Dimorphopterus was differentiated in 45.9 Ma (95% HPD: 39.8–47.7 Ma). This study is of great significance for reconstructing the phylogeny of Lygaeoidea and providing insights into its evolutionary history.

Objective: To observe the effects of low carbohydrate and high protein diet (LC-HP) and high oil and high sugar diet on blood lipid, immune index and intestinal flora in mice. Use of high protein gluten as the main ingredient to make bread as the diet of mice. Methods: Healthy Kunming mice were randomly divided into low-carbon and high-protein group (group A, CHO 11.41%, Pr 39.18%), control group (group B, CHO 47.4%, Pr 9.6%), high-oil group (group C, CHO 51.4%, Pr 8.5%) and high-sugar group (group D, CHO 60.6%, Pr 7.3%). Each group consisted of 10 animals, 50 parts male and 50 parts female, for a 28 d experimental period. The mice were weighed every 7 days, and the organ coefficient was determined at the end of the experiment. The serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (high density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to detect the changes of flora in mouse fecal samples. Results: The weight growth rate of mice in group A was significantly lower than that in groups C and D (P

Cotton is an important natural fiber crop worldwide which plays a vital role in our daily life. High yield is a constant goal of cotton breeding, and lint percentage (LP) is one of the important components of cotton fiber yield. A stable QTL controlling LP, qLPA01.1, was identified on chromosome A01 from Gossypium hirsutum introgressed lines with G. tomentosum chromosome segments in a previous study. To fine-map qLPA01.1, an F2 population with 986 individuals was established by crossing G. hirsutum cultivar CCRI35 with the chromosome segment substitution line HT_390. A high-resolution genetic map including 47 loci and spanning 56.98 cM was constructed in the QTL region, and qLPA01.1 was ultimately mapped into an interval corresponding to an ~80 kb genome region of chromosome A01 in the reference genome, which contained six annotated genes. Transcriptome data and sequence analysis revealed that S-acyltransferase protein 24 (GoPAT24) might be the target gene of qLPA01.1. This result provides the basis for cotton fiber yield improvement via marker-assisted selection (MAS) and further studies on the mechanism of cotton fiber development.

Abstract Background Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare but life-threatening skin lesion triggered by hypersensitive drug reaction. They are characterized by extensive epidermal necrosis and skin exfoliation. Fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus (FT1DM) is featured by a rapid-onset of hyperglycemia with ketoacidosis due to severely destroyed β-cell function. Fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus as a sequela of SJS/TEN has rarely been reported. Case presentation We present a 73-year-old female patient who developed SJS/TEN skin allergic reaction after taking carbamazepine and phenytoin for 35 days. Then, hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis occurred 20 days after discontinuation of antiepileptic drugs. A very low serum C-peptide level (8.79 pmol/l) and a near-normal glycosylated hemoglobin level met the diagnostic criteria for fulminant T1DM. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and insulin were promptly administered, and the patient recovered finally. Conclusions This rare case indicates that monitoring blood glucose is necessary in SJS/TEN drug reaction, and comprehensive therapy with rehydration, insulin, antibiotics, and IVIG may improve the prognosis.

Abstract Background MOTS-c is known as mitochondrial open reading frame (ORF) of the twelve S c, produced by a small ORF-encoded peptides (SEPs) in mitochondrial 12S rRNA region. There is growing evidence that MOTS-c has a strong relationship with the expression of inflammation- and metabolism-associated genes and metabolic homeostasis, and even offering some protection against insulin resistance (IR). However, studies have reported inconsistent correlations between different population characteristics and MOTS-c levels. This meta-analysis aims to elucidate MOTS-c levels in physiological and pathological states, and its correlation with metabolic features in various physiological states. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize the evidence of changes in blood MOTS-c concentration, and any association between MOTS-c and population characteristic. The Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, WANGFANG and VIP databases were searched from inception to April 2023. The statistical analysis was summarized using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CIs). Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation and generate forest plots through a random-effects model. Additional analyses as sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to identify the origins of heterogeneity. Publication bias was retrieved by means of a funnel-plot analysis and Egger’s test. All related statistical analyses were performed using Revman 5.3 and Stata 15 statistical software. Result There are 6 case–control studies and 1 cross-sectional study (11 groups) including 602 participants in our current meta-analysis. Overall analysis results showed plasma MOTS-c concentration in diabetes and obesity patients was significantly reduced (SMD = − 0.37; 95% CI− 0.53 to − 0.20; P 28 kg/ m2) was statistically significant after overweight people (BMI = 24–28 kg/ m2) were excluded (SMD = 0.51; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.81; P

Abstract Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is one of the major risk factors of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying pathological cardiac hypertrophy remain largely unknown. Here, we identified the first evidence that TNFAIP3 interacting protein 3 (TNIP3) was a negative regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. We observed a significant upregulation of TNIP3 in mouse hearts subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery and in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes stimulated by phenylephrine (PE). In Tnip3-deficient mice, cardiac hypertrophy was aggravated after TAC surgery. Conversely, cardiac-specific Tnip3 transgenic (TG) mice showed a notable reversal of the same phenotype. Accordingly, TNIP3 alleviated PE-induced cardiomyocyte enlargement in vitro. Mechanistically, RNA-sequencing and interactome analysis were combined to identify the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) as a potential target to clarify the molecular mechanism of TNIP3 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Via immunoprecipitation and Glutathione S-transferase assay, we found that TNIP3 could interact with STAT1 directly and suppress its degradation by suppressing K48-type ubiquitination in response to hypertrophic stimulation. Remarkably, preservation effect of TNIP3 on cardiac hypertrophy was blocked by STAT1 inhibitor Fludaradbine or STAT1 knockdown. Our study found that TNIP3 serves as a novel suppressor of pathological cardiac hypertrophy by promoting STAT1 stability, which suggests that TNIP3 could be a promising therapeutic target of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.

ObjectiveEstrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ) is a metabolic regulator with no identified physiological ligands. This study investigates whether calcium is an ERRγ ligand that mediates the effects of glucagon and whether cadmium, which mimics the effects of calcium, disrupts metabolism through ERRγ.MethodHepG2, MCF-7, and HEK293T transfected with ERRγ were treated with glucagon, calcium, cadmium, ERRγ agonist, or ERRγ inhibitor. Cells were then collected for in vitro assays including real-time qPCR, Western blot, ChIP, immunofluorescence, mutational analysis, or gene set enrichment analysis. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study mutation sites.ResultsIn HepG2 cells, treatment with glucagon, calcium, or cadmium re-localized ERRγ to the cell nucleus, recruited ERRγ to estrogen-related response elements, induced the expression of ERRγ-regulated genes, and increased extracellular glucose that was blocked by an ERRγ antagonist. In MCF-7 cells and HEK293T cells transfected with ERRγ, similar treatments induced the expression of metabolic genes. Mutational analysis identified S303, T429, and E452 in the ligand-binding domain as potential interaction sites. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that calcium induced changes in ERRγ similar to ERRγ agonist.ConclusionThe results suggest that calcium is a potential ligand of ERRγ that mediates the effects of glucagon and cadmium disrupts metabolism through ERRγ.

Abstract Artificial intelligence applications in extreme environments place high demands on hardware robustness, power consumption, and speed. Recently, diffractive neural networks have demonstrated superb advantages in high-throughput light-speed reasoning. However, the robustness and lifetime of existing diffractive neural networks cannot be guaranteed, severely limiting their compactness and long-term inference accuracy. Here, we have developed a millimeter-scale and robust bilayer-integrated diffractive neural network chip with virtually unlimited lifetime for optical inference. The two diffractive layers with binary phase modulation were engraved on both sides of a quartz wafer. Optical inference of handwritten digital recognition was demonstrated. The results showed that the chip achieved 82% recognition accuracy for ten types of digits. Moreover, the chip demonstrated high-performance stability at high temperatures. The room-temperature lifetime was estimated to be 1.84×1023 trillion years. Our chip satisfies the requirements for diffractive neural network hardware with high robustness, making it suitable for use in extreme environments.

In order to clarify the basic properties of Golden Crown Bean starch, the Golden Crown Bean seed residues after extraction of salt soluble protein were used as raw materials, of which the starch was obtained by water extraction. The morphology of starch particles was observed, and the composition, particle size, physicochemical properties and in vitro anti-digestibility of the starch were determined. The results showed that the content of amylose and amylopectin in the starch of Golden Crown bean seeds was 47.39% and 52.07%, respectively. The morphology of the starch particles was similar to that of pea starch, with an oval or spherical shape. The surface of the particles was smooth and complete, with a particle size of 75.10 μm. The peak viscosity (212.20 RVU) and attenuation value (68.50 RVU) of Golden Crown Bean starch were lower, but the retrogradation value (96.80 RVU) was higher than that of corn starch; the starting temperature (T0), peak temperature (Tp) of starch gelatinization in Golden Crown Beans were significantly higher than those of pea starch (P

Energy management (EM) is a critical strategy that spans the production and consumption of electricity, enhancing the stability of the electricity network. Smart grid technology significantly improves the electrical system's energy efficiency (EE), facilitating a transformation from a conventional power grid (PG) to a smart PG. This paper presents a key strategy for modeling the EE of the smart grid tailored to domestic demand, establishing smart coordination between domestic demand, energy production, and storage to reduce energy waste and costs. Our model integrates various energy sources, including renewable energy (RE), photovoltaic (PV) systems, wind power, and an energy storage system (ESS), interconnected with the PG. The model's structure ensures the coordinated flow of electricity in a residential house through an optimal control method (OCM). To develop a robust closed-loop control model, we employ Demand Response (DR) schemes within the Real-Time Electricity Pricing (RTEP) framework. We construct a dynamic model of the ESS to compute the System Performance Index (SPI), corresponding to energy costs. To enhance our model, we introduce a Dynamic Distributed Energy Storage Strategy (DDESS). Additionally, we introduce a novel optimization algorithm inspired by the behavioral patterns of wild mice, called the Wild Mice Colony (WMC). By analyzing the targeted and advantageous behaviors of wild mice in colonies, we propose that these behaviors can serve as a model for addressing complex, uncertain problems. This strategy is highly advantageous, capable of reducing total energy consumption (EC) from the main grid by over 100 % of the load demand, optimizing the energy system, and ensuring synchronization. The performance of DDESS optimizes energy flow (EF) during the repayment plan, leading to minimized EC costs from the PG.

In this study, we formulate a reaction-diffusion Zika model which incorporates vector-bias, environmental transmission and spatial heterogeneity. The main question of this paper is the analysis of the threshold dynamics. For this purpose, we establish the mosquito reproduction number $ R_{1} $ and basic reproduction number $ R_{0} $. Then, we analyze the dynamical behaviors in terms of $ R_{1} $ and $ R_{0} $. Numerically, we find that the ignorance of the vector-bias effect will underestimate the infection risk of the Zika disease, ignorance of the spatial heterogeneity effect will overestimate the infection risk, and the environmental transmission is indispensable.

The aim of this study is to clarify the role of physical activity level and physical function on cognitive function of the elderly. A nested case–control investigation from a middle-aged and elderly cognitive health cohort was conducted. 103 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients were selected for the purpose of the study and matched 1:1 according to age and sex. Handgrip strength, gait speed and 5-time chair stand test were used to evaluate physical function. The physical activity scale for the elderly (PASE) was used to assess physical activity level. The Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) was used to quickly screen the mild cognitive impairment of the subjects. Body composition was estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The total score of MoCA and the scores of different cognitive domains in two groups were different, handgrip strength was lower in the MCI group. Multivariate logistic regression model results showed that handgrip strength decreased could increase the risk of MCI(OR = 3.008, 95%CI: 1.421,6.369), higher PASE score was correlated with lower risk of MCI (OR = 0.402, 95%CI: 0.168,0.966). After combining body composition indices, handgrip strength and PASE score remained significantly associated with the occurrence of MCI, and there is an interaction. Logistic regression models were used for receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, all models demonstrate a good level of predictive performance for MCI. Physical activity level and physical function are associated with mild cognitive impairment. Higher physical activity level, normal handgrip strength are correlated with lower risk of MCI.

Abstract Melatonin plays important roles in multiple stress responses; however, the downstream signaling pathway and molecular mechanism remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the transcriptional regulation of melatonin-induced salt stress tolerance in Phaseolus vulgaris L. and identify the key downstream transcription factors of melatonin through transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. The melatonin-induced transcriptional network of hormones, transcription factors, and functional genes was established under both control and stress conditions. Among these, eight candidate transcription factors were identified via gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, one gene related to transmembrane transport of salts (Phvul.004G177300). These genes may play a role in maintaining the cell structure and excreting sodium ions outside the cell or transporting them to the vacuoles for storage. Melatonin regulates the Phvul.009G210332 gene and metabolites C05642 (N-acetyl-N-2-formyl-5-methoxycanurine), C05643 (6-hydroxymelatonin), C05660 (5-methoxyindoleacetic acid) involved in tryptophan metabolism. The metabolites C05642 and C05643 were identified as decomposition products of tryptophan, indicating that exogenous melatonin entered the P. vulgaris tissue and was metabolized. Melatonin promotes the synthesis and metabolism of tryptophan, which is crucial to plant metabolism, growth, maintenance, and repair.

In order to improve the processing and utilization value of the Northeast snap beans products by clarifying the saponin content, sites and influencing factors, this study extracted saponins from the seeds and pods of seven kinds of Northeast snap beans, including Golden Crown, Green Crown, and Sheng Crown within 10~40 d after blooming using ultrasonic-assisted methods. 0.4%~1.2% sodium chloride solution was used to conduct germination treatment under salt stress on the saponin content of Golden Crown and Mantangcai seed. Finally, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was used to identify the saponin species in the seeds of Golden Crown. The results showed that saponin existed mainly in the seeds, and the saponin content increased firstly but then decreased with the increase of growth time. The peak period of saponin content varied with the bean varieties. Compared with the other six varieties of snap beans, the saponin content in the full hall was the highest, with the highest saponin content of Mantangcai whole pods of 23.62±0.14 mg/g at 35 d. The change of saponin content was closely related to the sprouting time of bean seeds and bean varieties. Salt stress treatment could significantly increase the saponin content of Mantangcai seeds from (7.08±0.15) mg/g to (10.15±0.55) mg/g. The UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis showed that there were seven saponins in the crude saponins of the Golden Crown bean, including saikosaponin F, adzuki saponin II and astragaloside IV. This study provides data support for the in-depth development of soybean saponins in Northeast China.

This study investigated the correlations between mechanical properties and mineralogy of granite using the digital image processing (DIP) and discrete element method (DEM). The results showed that the X-ray diffraction (XRD)-based DIP method effectively analyzed the mineral composition contents and spatial distributions of granite. During the particle flow code (PFC2D) model calibration phase, the numerical simulation exhibited that the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) value, elastic modulus (E), and failure pattern of the granite specimen in the UCS test were comparable to the experiment. By establishing 351 sets of numerical models and exploring the impacts of mineral composition on the mechanical properties of granite, it indicated that there was no negative correlation between quartz and feldspar for UCS, tensile strength (σt), and E. In contrast, mica had a significant negative correlation for UCS, σt, and E. The presence of quartz increased the brittleness of granite, whereas the presence of mica and feldspar increased its ductility in UCS and direct tensile strength (DTS) tests. Varying contents of major mineral compositions in granite showed minor influence on the number of cracks in both UCS and DTS tests.

The geochemical characteristics of a 2.1 m BBW25 core, collected from the Beibu Gulf, have been investigated in terms of the major and trace elements, organic matter, and CaCO3 and AMS 14C dating by XRF, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and more. We have found through previous research that there are issues with unclear delineation of sedimentary evolution environments and inexact responses between chemical weathering intensity and major paleoclimate events in the Beibu Gulf. The AMS 14C dating results indicate that the sedimentary age at the bottom was 19.24 ky b.p. CaCO3, δ13C, C/N, and Sr/Ba indexes show a sedimentary environment change from terrestrial to marine environments and a “jump” of ~4000 years in continent–ocean changes. The evolution of the sedimentary environment of Beibu Gulf was divided into three environments and five sub-environments. The changes in chemical weathering intensity indicators recorded by the CIX and the Fe/Al ratio respond well to the East Asian monsoon cycle, the meltwater events, and the alternation of cold and warm events. This study explains the chemical weathering intensity and sedimentary environment in the BBW25 core by geochemical characteristics and further reveals the paleoenvironmental characteristics and possible driving mechanisms over the past ~20,000 years.

Abstract Cold temperatures can be detrimental to crop survival and productivity. Breeding progress can be improved by understanding the molecular basis of low temperature tolerance. We investigated the key routes and critical metabolites related to low temperature resistance in cold-tolerant and -sensitive common bean cultivars 120 and 093, respectively. Many potential genes and metabolites implicated in major metabolic pathways during the chilling stress response were identified through transcriptomics and metabolomics research. Under chilling stress, the expression of many genes involved in lipid, amino acid, and flavonoid metabolism, as well as metabolite accumulation increased in the two bean types. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was lower in 120 than in 093. Regarding amino acid metabolism, 120 had a higher concentration of acidic amino acids than 093, whereas 093 had a higher concentration of basic amino acids. Methionine accumulation was clearly higher in 120 than in 093. In addition, 120 had a higher concentration of many types of flavonoids than 093. Flavonoids, methionine and malondialdehyde could be used as biomarkers of plant chilling injury. Transcriptome analysis of hormone metabolism revealed considerably greater, expression of abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA), and jasmonic acid (JA) in 093 than in 120 during chilling stress, indicating that hormone regulation modes in 093 and 120 were different. Thus, chilling stress tolerance is different between 093 and 120 possibly due to transcriptional and metabolic regulation.

The problem of poor real-time capability, a large number of traversals and the long operation time of the MUSIC algorithm bring great difficulties to the application of DOA estimation. For the above problems, this paper fuses MUSIC algorithm and genetic algorithm and proposes an improved genetic MUSIC algorithm (GA-MUSIC). Also, improvement strategies are proposed for the three operators of selection, crossover, and variation of the genetic algorithm. The GA-MUSIC was simulated for DOA estimation to verify the effectiveness of this algorithm. The research shows that the GA-MUSIC proposed in this paper has the best operational performance at different precisions and SNRs. This algorithm can effectively reduce the iterative computation of the algorithm with better real-time performance, and the search success rate is above 95% while ensuring accuracy. Furthermore, this paper corroborates that the proposed improved genetic MUSIC algorithm can achieve better performance in single signals and incoherent multi-signal sources. It can be seen that the algorithm in this paper can effectively solve the problems of low success rates of DOA estimation searches and poor real-time performance and has a significant reference value for practical engineering applications.

To determine the electromagnetic (EM) fields of different three-dimensional (3D) controlled-source electromagnetic methods (CSEMs) using the same parameters of the forward solution, by explicitly considering the commonalities, we present a general 3D forward modeling solver for CSEMs with multitype sources and operating environments. The commonality of the solver is reflected in two aspects. First, the solver is based on a frequency-domain (FD) vector Helmholtz equation for determining the scattered electric field. The different types of sources are imposed on the right-hand term of the equation, expressed as background Green’s function. Second, sources of any CSEM can be composed of electric dipole (ED) or magnetic dipole (MD) superposition. Thus, the focus of the 3D forward modeling of CSEMs is reduced to determining the EM fields of ED or MD sources for the background medium. The quasi-minimal residual (QMR) method is used to solve the large sparse complex linear system. Once the FD EM fields have been calculated, the time-domain (TD) response can be obtained using the cosine/sine transformation. The numerical results show that the relative error is less than 5% between the 3D numerical and analytical solutions, which verifies the accuracy of the solver. We further study the difference between the real (bent) and theoretical (straight) wires. We suggest that the shape of the source must be considered for TD and FD CSEMs with a wire source during data processing and inversion. The last example investigated the characteristics of FD EM fields from a finite-length wire and TD EM fields from a rectangular fixed loop on the same conductive tilted disk model buried in resistive sediments. According to the numerical results, we recommend FD CSEMs with a wire source for detecting deep anomalies.

Species of genus Aelia are important pests of wheat crops in arid areas. In this study, the mitogenomes of A. sibirica and A. fieberi were sequenced using high-throughput sequencing technology. The mitochondrial genome characteristics of both Aelia species were compared and analyzed, and the phylogenetic relationships of Pentatomidae were constructed based on protein-coding genes. In addition, the taxonomic status of the genus Aelia was confirmed. The results showed that the total length of the mitogenome sequences of A. sibirica and A. fieberi were 15,372 bp and 15,450 bp, respectively, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a control region. By comparing the mitochondrial genome structure, base composition, codon usage, RNA secondary structure, and other characteristics, it was found that the mitochondrial genome characteristics of the two species were similar. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Phyllocephalinae and Asopinae both formed monophyletic groups, but the relationship between Podopinae and Pentatominae was not resolved. Within the subfamily Pentatominae, (Nezarini + Antestiini), (Aeliini + Carpocorini), and (Strachiini + Pentatoma) formed stable clades. Aelia sibirica and A. fieberi were found to be a stable sibling pair, and the clade was closely related to Dolycoris baccarum.

To explore the influence of human activities on natural resources and the correlation between these two characteristics, taking the region around Poyang Lake in China as the research area. Utilizing data from 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2020, including remote sensing, gross domestic product (GDP), and population density data, the human activity intensity (HAI) and resource carrying capacity (RCC) were calculated using relevant models. Analyzing the dynamic change characteristics, the temporal and spatial correlations, and the interaction between the two aspects, bivariate spatial autocorrelation and other methods were used. The results show that: (1) from 2010 to 2020, there was a significant increasing trend in the HAI, while the RCC remained at a generally stable level. (2) In both the temporal and spatial dimensions, there was a certain positive correlation between the HAI and RCC. Their interaction, however, is primarily based on the intrinsic resources and human activity factors within each region, with limited observable factor flow between regions. (3) Regions with the medium level of HAI have greater development potential. The results are expected to enrich the research on human activities and natural resources in the region around Poyang Lake in China and provide a reference for relevant planning.

A partially coherent off-axis double vortex beam (PCOADVB) composed of two off-axis vortices is theoretically presented. The analytical equations of a PCOADVB in oceanic turbulence are presented, and the intensity profiles and the number of coherence vortices of the PCOADVBs are investigated based on the derived expressions. The numerical results show that the intensity profiles of PCOADVBs are determined by the initial topological charges M1 and M2 and the positions of the off-axis vortices (x1d,y1d) and (x2d,y2d). The intensity profiles of PCOADVBs will lose the off-axis ring intensity profile and acquire a Gaussian-like profile as z increases, and stronger oceanic turbulence and a smaller σ can help the PCOADVB evolve into a spot with a Gaussian-like profile faster on propagation. The number of coherence vortices of a PCOADVB in oceanic turbulence will increase on propagation. The PCOADVB may have potential applications in underwater laser sensing and wireless communications.

Abstract Based on the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of existing surface flattening algorithms, this paper proposes a free‐form surface flattening algorithm that minimizes geometric deformation by combining the advantages of the geometric flattening method and the mechanical energy flattening method to address the problems of many iterations, large changes in convergence, and weak visualization of deformation. The point cloud surface is meshed using the triangular slice search method, and the 3D surface mesh is wrapped around the surface using geometric mapping relationships. The initial correction and deformation analysis of the ring flatten graphic are carried out according to the average flattening error, and a global geometric deformation energy model is established to obtain the energy‐minimizing unfolding conditions and optimize the initial flattening graph by iterative optimization. The verification of the algorithm shows that the algorithm is general, has good robustness, high flattening accuracy, and visualizes the flattening deformation. The method is suitable for some design occasions of machining, such as the flattening calculation of automobile outer cladding parts and sheet metal parts. It is especially suitable for the flattening calculation of ring‐like parts, and is a good guide for the design calculation and stamping process of sheet‐metal‐like parts.

BackgroundBreast cancer is a common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Chemotherapy plays an indispensable role in the conventional treatment of breast cancer, bringing some physical burdens and discomfort on cancer patients. Consequently, more and more patients turn to seeking the help of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), mainly traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Xiaoyao san (XYS), a classical formula, has been shown to improve symptoms of breast cancer. An increasing number of researches suggest that compared to chemotherapy alone, Chinese herbal medicine combined with chemotherapy could increase effectiveness and reduce toxicity caused by chemotherapy. Emerging experimental research continuously demonstrated some of the components in XYS could stop breast cancer tumor cells from growing. However, the efficacy and safety of modified XYS combined with chemotherapy remain to be determined. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the comparative effectiveness and safety of modified XYS combined with chemotherapy in-depth, thus providing clinicians and policymakers with evidence-based guidance and new treatment options.ObjectiveTo comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of modified XYS in conjunction with chemotherapy in treating breast cancer by conducting a meta-analysis.Methods8 databases were systemically searched until April 3, 2022, including Web of Science PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), and Chinese Biological Medical Database (CBM). Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing modified XYS in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone were included. For the evaluation of methodological quality, Cochrane Collaboration was considered. Software Review Manager (version 5.4) was used for data analysis. Software STATA (version 15.0) was employed for sensitivity analysis and publication bias.ResultsAltogether, 17 RCTs involving 1207 patients were investigated in the current review. The findings revealed that modified XYS combined with chemotherapy could lead to beneficial improvements compared to chemotherapy alone. More specifically, the combined therapy could enhance the short-term efficacy in the treatment of solid tumors (OR: 1.74; 95% CI 1.27 to 2.39; P = 0.0006; I2 = 0%); improve QOL (quality of life) (OR: 3.75; 95% CI 2.58 to 5.44; P < 0.00001; I2 = 0%); reduce clinical symptoms (OR: 3.69; 95% CI 1.43 to 9.49; P = 0.007; I2 = 53%); ease depression (MD: -12.96; 95% CI -16.09 to -9.83; P < 0.00001; I2 = 0%); increase leukocytes (OR: 0.32; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.50; P < 0.00001; I2 = 0%) and platelets (OR: 0.37; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.67; P = 0.001; I2 = 0%); reduce nausea and vomiting (OR: 0.26; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.44; P < 0. 00001; I2 = 0%); mitigate cardiotoxicity (OR: 0.16; 95% CI 0.07 to 0.36; P

For high-resolution remote sensing image retrieval tasks, single-scale features cannot fully express the complexity of the image information. Due to the large volume of remote sensing images, retrieval requires extensive memory and time. Hence, the problem of how to organically fuse multi-scale features and enhance retrieval efficiency is yet to be resolved. We propose an end-to-end deep hash remote sensing image retrieval model (PVTA_MSF) by fusing multi-scale features based on the Pyramid Vision Transformer network (PVTv2). We construct the multi-scale feature fusion module (MSF) by using a global attention mechanism and a multi-head self-attention mechanism to reduce background interference and enhance the representation capability of image features. Deformable convolution is introduced to address the challenge posed by varying target orientations. Moreover, an intra-class similarity (ICS) loss is proposed to enhance the discriminative capability of the hash feature by minimizing the distance among images of the same category. The experimental results show that, compared with other state-of-the-art methods, the proposed hash feature could yield an excellent representation of remote sensing images and improve remote sensing image retrieval accuracy. The proposed hash feature can gain an increase of 4.2% and 1.6% in terms of mAP on the UC Merced and NWPU-RESISC45 datasets, respectively, in comparison with other methods.

Diabetes and dementia are becoming the major problems in elderly people. This study evaluated the relationships of dietary inflammatory index (DII), systemic immune inflammation index (SII) and system inflammation response index (SIRI) with diabetes as well as MCI, and explored the different synergistic effects of DII, SII and SIRI on blood glucose and cognition based on diabetes status. 1050 eligible participants from Beijing were included. Cognitive function was evaluated by neuropsychological tests. Food frequency questionnaire was used to calculate energy-adjusted DII scores. Blood samples were applied to obtain fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and calculate SII, SIRI. The dietary intake between different diabetes status had no differences, while the consumption of Mg, niacin and thiamin were significantly lower in diabetes patients with MCI than others. Lower levels of DII, SIRI and SII might increase the risk of diabetes, MCI and co-morbidity of diabetes with MCI. Higher FPG enhanced the synergistic effects of DII and SII on MCI, as well as DII and SIRI. The lower levels of DII, SIRI and SII were significantly correlated with higher MoCA scores and lower FPG in diabetes patients. The relationships between inflammatory and cognition or FPG were significantly diminished or even disappeared in non-diabetes population. In conclusion, lower levels of DII, SIRI and SII might play protective roles in reducing the risks of diabetes and/or MCI. The synergistic effects of low dietary and blood inflammation on cognitive protection and FPG control were more sensitive in elderly people with diabetes.

BackgroundTicks act as important vectors of infectious agents, and several emerging tick-borne viruses have recently been identified to be associated with human diseases in northeastern China. However, little is known about the tick virome in northeastern China.MethodsTicks collected from April 2020 to July 2021 were pooled for metagenomic analysis to investigate the virome diversity in northeastern China.ResultsIn total, 22 RNA viruses were identified, including four each in the Nairoviridae and Phenuiviridae families, three each in the Flaviviridae, Rhabdoviridae, and Solemoviridae families, two in the Chuviridae family, and one each in the Partitiviridae, Tombusviridae families and an unclassified virus. Of these, eight viruses were of novel species, belonging to the Nairoviridae (Ji'an nairovirus and Yichun nairovirus), Phenuiviridae (Mudanjiang phlebovirus), Rhabdoviridae (Tahe rhabdovirus 1-3), Chuviridae (Yichun mivirus), and Tombusviridae (Yichun tombus-like virus) families, and five members were established human pathogens, including Alongshan virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Songling virus, Beiji nairovirus, and Nuomin virus. I. persulcatus ticks had significant higher number of viral species than H. japonica, H. concinna, and D. silvarum ticks. Significant differences in tick viromes were observed among Daxing'an, Xiaoxing'an and Changbai mountains.ConclusionsThese findings showed an extensive diversity of RNA viruses in ticks in northeastern China, revealing potential public health threats from the emerging tick-borne viruses. Further studies are needed to explain the natural circulation and pathogenicity of these viruses.

Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are widely used in research studies on phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history. Here, we sequenced and analyzed the mitogenome of the scentless plant bug Myrmus lateralis Hsiao, 1964 (Heteroptera, Rhopalidae). The complete 17,309 bp genome encoded 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a control region. The mitogenome revealed a high A+T content (75.8%), a positive AT-skew (0.092), and a negative GC-skew (–0.165). All 13 PCGs were found to start with ATN codons, except for cox1, in which TTG was the start codon. The Ka/Ks ratios of 13 PCGs were all lower than 1, indicating that purifying selection evolved in these genes. All tRNAs could be folded into the typical cloverleaf secondary structure, except for trnS1 and trnV, which lack dihydrouridine arms. Phylogenetic trees were constructed and analyzed based on the PCG+rRNA from 38 mitogenomes, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods, showed that M. lateralis and Chorosoma macilentum Stål, 1858 grouped together in the tribe Chorosomatini. In addition, Coreoidea and Pyrrhocoroidea were sister groups among the superfamilies of Trichophora, and Rhopalidae was a sister group to Alydidae + Coreidae.

A new beam array called radial phased-locked Laguerre-Gaussian correlated Schell-model (LGCSM) beam array is presented, the beamlet of this beam array is partially coherent beam with Laguerre Gaussian-Schell model correlation. The propagation expression of a radial phased-locked LGCSM beam array in free space is derived. It is aimed to give the effect of beam parameters on evolutions of beam array composed by LGCSM beam. The radial phased-locked LGCSM beam array has unique properties on propagation, the intensity of such beam array will evolve from a beam array composed of Gauss beams into a beam array formed of LGCSM beams. Furthermore, the intensity evolutions of such beam array are modulated by coherence length and beam order of beamlets. The obtained results are important in areas such as light field shaping, and free space optical communication.

Scale insects (Coccoidea) are morphologically specialized members of the order Hemiptera, with 56 families recognized to date. However, the phylogenetic relationships within and among families are poorly resolved. In this study, to further characterize the phylogenetic relationships among scale insects, an ultraconserved element (UCE) probe set was designed specifically for Coccoidea based on three low-coverage whole genome sequences along with three publicly available genomes. An in silico test including eight additional genomes was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the probe set. Most scale insect lineages were recovered by the phylogenetic analysis. This study recovered the monophyly of neococcoids. The newly developed UCE probe set has the potential to reshape and improve our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within and among families of scale insects at the genome level.

Filtering from airborne LiDAR datasets in urban area is one important process during the building of digital and smart cities. However, the existing filters encounter poor filtering performance and heavy computational burden when processing large-scale and complicated urban environments. To tackle this issue, a self-adaptive filtering method based on object primitive global energy minimization is proposed in this paper. In this paper, mode points were first acquired for generating the mode graph. The mode points were the cluster centers of the LiDAR data obtained in a mean shift algorithm. The graph constructed with mode points was named “mode graph” in this paper. By defining the energy function based on the mode graph, the filtering process is transformed to iterative global energy minimization. In each iteration, the graph cuts technique was adopted to achieve global energy minimization. Meanwhile, the probability of each point belonging to the ground was updated, which would lead to a new refined ground surface using the points whose probabilities were greater than 0.5. This process was iterated until two successive fitted ground surfaces were determined to be close enough. Four urban samples with different urban environments were adopted for verifying the effectiveness of the filter developed in this paper. Experimental results indicate that the developed filter obtained the best filtering performance. Both the total error and the Kappa coefficient are superior to those of the other three classical filtering methods.

Precipitable water vapor (PWV) is an important meteorological factor for predicting extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, which can be obtained from zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) by using a conversion. A time difference of ZTD arrival (TDOZA) model was proposed to monitor the movement of tropical cyclones, and the fifth-generation reanalysis dataset of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasting (ERA5)-derived ZTD (ERA5-ZTD) was used to estimate the movement of tropical cyclones based on the model. The global navigation satellite system-derived ZTD and radiosonde data-derived PWV (RS-PWV) were used to test the accuracy of the ERA5-ZTD and analyze the correlation between ZTD and PWV, respectively. The statistics showed that the mean Bias, RMS and STD of the ERA5-ZTD were 6.4 mm, 17.1 mm and 16.5 mm, respectively, and the mean correlation coefficient of the ERA5-ZTD and RS-PWV was 0.951, which indicates that the ZTD can be used to predict weather events instead of PWV. Then, spatiao-temporal characteristics of ZTD during the four tropical cyclone (i.e., Merbok, ROKE, Neast and Hato) periods in 2017 were analyzed, and the result showed that the moving directions of ZTD and the tropical cyclones were consistent. Thus, the ZTD time series over the ERA5 grids around the tropical cyclones’ paths were used to estimate the velocity of the tropical cyclones based on the TDOZA model, when the tropical cyclones are approaching or leaving. Compared with the result from the China Meteorological Administration, the mean absolute and relative deviations of the TDOZA model-derived velocity were 2.55 km/h and 10.0%, respectively. These results suggest that ZTD can be used as a new supplementary meteorological parameter for monitoring tropical cyclone events.

Naturally colored cotton fiber is environment-friendly but has monotonous color and poor fiber quality. Identification of green fiber or fuzz genes would aid in investigating the biosynthesis of green pigments in cotton fibers. In this study, we established a mapping population and found that the Lgf trait (white lint and green fuzz) from Gossypium hirsutum race latifolium is controlled by an incompletely dominant gene. The Lgf locus was mapped to a 71-kb interval on chromosome 21 containing seven genes, including a transcription factor with similarity to Arabidopsis MYB9. Harboring 13 SNPs and a 4-bp insertion/deletion in its promoter, GhMYB9 was highly up-regulated in the critical period for green pigment development in fuzz. Virus-induced gene silencing of GhMYB9 in a green-fuzz accession of G. hirsutum race latifolium TX-41 conferred white or light green fuzz. These results suggest that GhMYB9 is an important contributor to green pigments in cotton fiber and shed light on the regulatory mechanism controlling green pigmentation.

The descriptions of a radially phased-locked Hermite–Gaussian correlated beam array are introduced, the equation of this beam array in oceanic turbulence is derived, and the intensity profiles of this beam array are shown and analyzed. The results imply that the evolutions of the sub-beam of this beam array in free space are the same as the Hermite–Gaussian correlated beam, while the intensity of this beam array can be adjusted by controlling the initial beam radius R and the coherence length. The intensity profiles of this beam array in free space have multiple spots during propagation, while the same beam array in oceanic turbulence can become a beam spot due to the influences of R and oceanic turbulence. The beam array with smaller coherence length in oceanic turbulence retains the splitting properties better during propagation.

Abstract Ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a life-threatening disease. The activation of mitophagy was previously identified to play an important role in IRI. Maternally expressed 3 (MEG3) can promote cerebral IRI and hepatic IRI. The present study was designed to study the role of MEG3 in renal IRI. Renal IRI mice models were established, and HK-2 cells were used to construct the in vitro models of IRI. Hematoxylin–eosin staining assay was applied to reveal IRI-triggered tubular injury. MitoTracker Green FM staining and an ALP kit were employed for detection of mitophagy. TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling assay was used to reveal cell apoptosis. The results showed that renal cortex of IRI mice contained higher expression of MEG3 than that of sham mice. MEG3 expression was also elevated in HK-2 cells following IRI, suggesting that MEG3 might participate in the development of IRI. Moreover, downregulation of MEG3 inhibited the apoptosis of HK-2 cells after IRI. Mitophagy was activated by IRI, and the inhibition of MEG3 can restore mitophagy activity in IRI-treated HK-2 cells. Mechanistically, we found that MEG3 can bind with miR-145-5p in IRI-treated cells. In addition, rhotekin (RTKN) was verified to serve as a target of miR-145-5p. MEG3 upregulated RTKN expression by binding with miR-145-5p. Further, MEG3 activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by upregulation of RTKN. The downstream effector of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, c-MYC, served as the transcription factor to activate MEG3. In conclusion, the positive feedback loop of MEG3/miR-145-5p/RTKN/Wnt/β-catenin/c-MYC promotes renal IRI by activating mitophagy and inducing apoptosis, which might offer a new insight into the therapeutic methods for renal IRI in the future.

Subway subsidence and the consequent geological hazards have become one of the major concerns especially in China's large cities. Large spatial-scale and temporally continuous measurements of surface deformation due to subway subsidence is the basis of the intelligent management for urban transit, as well as the guarantee for the early warning of geological disasters. In this paper, we used persistent scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PS InSAR) measurements to study and characterize the deformation process resulted from subway-induced subsidence in the construction and operation periods of Suzhou subway using 24-scene high-resolution TerraSAR data (from December 2009 to April 2015) and 19-scene low-resolution Sentinel-1A SAR data (from May 2017 to February 2020). Our results indicate spatially different subsidence rates at different segments along the Suzhou subway lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. TerraSAR data indicate the maximum subsidence rate of -13 mm/yr, while Sentinel-1A data demonstrate the maximum subsidence rate of -20 mm/yr. The decadal-scale subway subsidence deformation is generally characterized by its multistage dynamic processes. The significant subway subsidence is mainly distributed around interchange hubs at the intersection area of railway lines. The Peck function model is used to fit the subway subsidence displacement profiles, which reveals the normal distribution characteristics of the subway surface subsidence. Based on our timeseries analysis in different time periods, the logistic cycle function is used to invert the subway subsidence timing, which reveals four first-order stages during subway subsidence: slow acceleration period, fast acceleration period, decay period and steady-state period.

Snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is low in fat and high in nutrients; however, it also contains toxigenic factors such as phytohemagglutinin (PHA), which is poisonous to humans. Here, we aimed to determine the distribution of PHA in natural populations of snap bean by analyzing a candidate gene (PHA-E) related to PHA content. Functional genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were then scanned to identify SNPs related to PHA content. A total of 150 snap bean varieties were examined. PHA content and PHA-E expression levels were determined 10, 14, 18, 22, 26 and 30 days after anthesis. Then, association analyses were carried out to identify causal SNPs in PHA-E via genotyping and association tests. PHA-E expression was positively-correlated with PHA content. Among 59 detected SNPs, the ratio of synonymous to nonsynonymous changes was 1:8. P190 was identified as a novel SNP associated with PHA content. The allele carrying the GG genotype at P190 was detected in 130 varieties, of which 86 had an above-average PHA content, while the allele carrying the AA genotype at P190 was detected in 20 varieties, of which 17 (85%) had a low PHA content. Analyses of the PHA content and gene expression in fresh pods of 150 snap bean cultivars revealed population-level distribution and genetic variation, providing a unique measure for screening of low-level or nontoxic cultivars and aiding future breeding of new cultivars. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13102818.2021.1985613.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a highly lethal disease and the majority of NSCLC patients are desperate for therapies that can effectively target their cancer and ultimately improve their overall survival. Docetaxel (DTX) represents the first-line of the antitumor agent that is used to treat NSCLC; however, it has poor solubility in water and unsatisfactory encapsulation efficiency. In our study, exosomes were isolated from A549 cancer cells by ultracentrifugation and then characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and Western blot (WB). The particle size changes of EXO and EXO-DTX were measured daily for seven days to test the stability. DTX was selected payload by electroporation (EXO-DTX). For the in vitro evaluation, cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay and cellular uptake were evaluated in the A549 cells. Also, this study evaluated the target and therapeutic effect of DTX as an antitumor agent in vivo. As a result, EXO-DTX with a particle size of 149.5 nm were successfully prepared and the cytotoxicity of the EXO-DTX was much greater than that of DTX monomers. Exosomes significantly increased the cellular uptake in vitro evaluation and showed better targeting to tumor tissue compared to the free DTX in the mice. We also explored the potential of tumor cell-derived exosomes as a drug delivery agent to target the parent cancer. Hence, we conclude that exosomes might be used as a potential antitumor drug delivery system (DDS).

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) has long been an important fiber crop, but the narrow genetic diversity of modern G. hirsutum limits the potential for simultaneous improvement of yield and fiber quality. It is an effective approach to broaden the genetic base of G. hirsutum through introgression of novel alleles from G. barbadense with excellent fiber quality. In the present study, an interspecific chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) population was established using G. barbadense cultivar Pima S-7 as the donor parent and G. hirsutum cultivar CCRI35 as the recipient parent. A total of 105 quantitative trait loci (QTL), including 85 QTL for fiber quality and 20 QTL for lint percentage (LP), were identified based on phenotypic data collected from four environments. Among these QTL, 25 stable QTL were detected in two or more environments, including four for LP, eleven for fiber length (FL), three for fiber strength (FS), six for fiber micronaire (FM), and one for fiber elongation (FE). Eleven QTL clusters were observed on nine chromosomes, of which seven QTL clusters harbored stable QTL. Moreover, eleven major QTL for fiber quality were verified through analysis of introgressed segments of the eight superior lines with the best comprehensive phenotypes. A total of 586 putative candidate genes were identified for 25 stable QTL associated with lint percentage and fiber quality through transcriptome analysis. Furthermore, three candidate genes for FL, GH_A08G1681 (GhSCPL40), GH_A12G2328 (GhPBL19), and GH_D02G0370 (GhHSP22.7), and one candidate gene for FM, GH_D05G1346 (GhAPG), were identified through RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analysis. These results lay the foundation for understanding the molecular regulatory mechanism of fiber development and provide valuable information for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in cotton breeding.

Many image features have been proposed for image retrieval; hence, effectively fusing these features to alleviate the large variation in performance among image queries when using single image features has become a major challenge in remote sensing (RS) image retrieval. Because high-resolution remote sensing images have abundant and complex visual contents, accurately measuring the similarity between two images is another important problem. To address these challenges, we propose a novel RS image retrieval method that uses query-adaptive feature weights to fuse features and utilizes two image similarities to improve retrieval performance. First, we use the image rank similarity, which measures the similarity between two images according to their corresponding top-m image lists from a reference image collection, to calculate the similarity of each feature between a query image and each retrieved image. Then, we assign a weight to each feature to fuse these features via our query-adaptive weighting method. Finally, we take the query image and its neighborhood set selected from the retrieval dataset as the query class and utilize the image-to-query class similarity to re-rank the retrieval results. Extensive experiments are conducted on two publicly available RS image databases. Compared with the state-of-the-art methods, the proposed method can significantly enhance the retrieval precision.

Fiber quality and yield-related traits are important agronomic traits in cotton breeding. To detect the genetic basis of fiber quality and yield related traits, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population consisting of 182 lines was established from a cross between Gossypium hirsutum cultivar CCRI35 and G. hirsutum race palmeri accession TX-832. The RIL population was deeply genotyped using SLAF-seq and was phenotyped in six environments. A high-density genetic linkage map with 15,765 SNP markers and 153 SSR markers was constructed, with an average distance of 0.30 cM between adjacent markers. A total of 210 fiber quality quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and 73 yield-related QTLs were identified. Of the detected QTLs, 62 fiber quality QTLs and 10 yield-related QTLs were stable across multiple environments. Twelve and twenty QTL clusters were detected on the At and Dt subgenome, respectively. Twenty-three major QTL clusters were further validated through associated analysis and five candidate genes of four stable fiber quality QTLs were identified. This study revealed elite loci influencing fiber quality and yield and significant phenotypic selection regions during G. hirsutum domestication, and set a stage for future utilization of molecular marker assisted breeding in cotton breeding programs.

In this paper, we give the normal and abnormal Bloch states at the Brillouin zone edge to a spin–orbit (SO) coupled Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) with a high-frequency driving and confined in a periodic lattice. The generation of the spatiotemporal Bloch states and the associated the population transfer and the superflow are studied. We find that Rabi coupling strength can enhance or reduce the population transfer between two BEC components for the obtained Bloch states. In addition, we can realize the transition between superfluid state and critical balance state by adjusting system parameters, which could be helpful to the quantum transport of the SO coupled cold-atom system.

Propamocarb is a pesticide widely used to control cucumber downy mildew. The overuse of propamocarb has resulted in residues and phytotoxicity. However, the detoxification and metabolic process of propamocarb have not been documented well. Our previous work showed differences in the propamocarb residues among the different genotypes of cucumber and their regulation by multiple genes. Based on the already reported data on gene expression profiles under propamocarb treatment, we identified the glutathione pathway, including six different genes (Csa4M303130, Csa3M133380, Csa5M409710, Csa7M395820, Csa3M597320, and Csa1M571280), involved in propamocarb detoxification. The qPCR analysis showed that Csa1M571280 (CsGSH2) was most significantly and differentially expressed at 48 h after propamocarb spray in the cucumber varieties Y3F604 (low propamocarb residues) and M729 (high propamocarb residues). In Y3F604, CsGSH2 expression increased from 6 to 48 h after spraying propamocarb, and the expression was positively correlated with propamocarb residues, whereas M729 showed no significant difference in CsGSH2 expression. Therefore, we presumed CsGSH2 as a key gene in managing propamocarb residues. Gene functional analysis showed that propamocarb residues decreased in CsGSH2-overexpressing plants and increased in CsGSH2-antisense plants. Overexpression of CsGSH2 enhanced glutathione (GSH) accumulation and glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities, probably for propamocarb detoxification. The activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, and APX) increased to maintain a high antioxidant capacity in CsGSH2-overexpressing plants. The superoxide (O2−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased in CsGSH2-overexpressing plants, promoting the antioxidant system composed of ascorbic acid and glutathione (AsA-GSH). Thus, we conclude that CsGSH2 alleviates propamocarb residues and phytotoxicity by enhancing cucumber’s antioxidant and glutathione detoxification potential.

Abstract Background Cotton is a leading natural fiber crop. Beyond its fiber, cottonseed is a valuable source of plant protein and oil. Due to the much higher value of cotton fiber, there is less consideration of cottonseed quality despite its potential value. Though some QTL controlling cottonseed quality have been identified, few of them that warrant further study are known. Identifying stable QTL controlling seed size, oil and protein content is necessary for improvement of cottonseed quality. Results In this study, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was developed from a cross between upland cotton cultivars/lines Yumian 1 and M11. Specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology was used to construct a genetic map that covered 3353.15 cM with an average distance between consecutive markers of 0.48 cM. The seed index, together with kernel size, oil and protein content were further used to identify QTL. In total, 58 QTL associated with six traits were detected, including 13 stable QTL detected in all three environments and 11 in two environments. Conclusion A high resolution genetic map including 7033 SNP loci was constructed through specific locus amplified fragment sequencing technology. A total of 13 stable QTL associated with six cottonseed quality traits were detected. These stable QTL have the potential for fine mapping, identifying candidate genes, elaborating molecular mechanisms of cottonseed development, and application in cotton breeding programs.

Abstract Background Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is a very important cash crop known for its high quality natural fiber. Recent advances in sequencing technologies provide powerful tools with which to explore the cotton genome for single nucleotide polymorphism marker identification and high density genetic map construction toward more reliable quantitative trait locus mapping. Results In the present study, a RIL population was developed by crossing a Chinese high fiber quality cultivar (Yumian 1) and an American high fiber quality line (CA3084), with distinct genetic backgrounds. Specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology was used to discover SNPs, and a genetic map containing 6254 SNPs was constructed, covering 3141.72 cM with an average distance of 0.5 cM between markers. A total of 95 QTL were detected for fiber quality traits in three environments, explaining 5.5-24.6% of the phenotypic variance. Fifty-five QTL found in multiple environments were considered stable QTL. Nine of the stable QTL were found in all three environments. We identified 14 QTL clusters on 13 chromosomes, each containing one or more stable QTL. Conclusion A high-density genetic map of Gossypium hirsutum developed by using specific locus amplified fragment sequencing technology provides detailed mapping of fiber quality QTL, and identification of ‘stable QTL’ found in multiple environments. A marker-rich genetic map provides a foundation for fine mapping, candidate gene identification and marker-assisted selection of favorable alleles at stable QTL in breeding programs.

Objectives To develop a model of in-hospital mortality using medical record front page (MRFP) data and assess its validity in case-mix standardisation by comparison with a model developed using the complete medical record data.Design A nationally representative retrospective study.Setting Representative hospitals in China, covering 161 hospitals in modelling cohort and 156 hospitals in validation cohort.Participants Representative patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction. 8370 patients in modelling cohort and 9704 patients in validation cohort.Primary outcome measures In-hospital mortality, which was defined explicitly as death that occurred during hospitalisation, and the hospital-level risk standardised mortality rate (RSMR).Results A total of 14 variables were included in the model predicting in-hospital mortality based on MRFP data, with the area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.78 among modelling cohort and 0.79 among validation cohort. The median of absolute difference between the hospital RSMR predicted by hierarchical generalised linear models established based on MRFP data and complete medical record data, which was built as ‘reference model’, was 0.08% (10th and 90th percentiles: −1.8% and 1.6%). In the regression model comparing the RSMR between two models, the slope and intercept of the regression equation is 0.90 and 0.007 in modelling cohort, while 0.85 and 0.010 in validation cohort, which indicated that the evaluation capability from two models were very similar.Conclusions The models based on MRFP data showed good discrimination and calibration capability, as well as similar risk prediction effect in comparison with the model based on complete medical record data, which proved that MRFP data could be suitable for risk adjustment in hospital performance measurement.

Individual tree modeling for terrestrial LiDAR point clouds always involves heavy computation burden and low accuracy toward a complex tree structure. To solve these problems, this paper proposed a self-adaptive optimization individual tree modeling method. In this paper, we first proposed a joint neighboring growing method to segment wood points into object primitives. Subsequently, local object primitives were optimized to alleviate the computation burden. To build the topology relation among branches, branches were separated based on spatial connectivity analysis. And then the nodes corresponding to each object primitive were adopted to construct the graph structure of the tree. Furthermore, each object primitive was fitted as a cylinder. To revise the local abnormal cylinder, a self-adaptive optimization method based on the constructed graph structure was proposed. Finally, the constructed tree model was further optimized globally based on prior knowledge. Twenty-nine field datasets obtained from three forest sites were adopted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve satisfying individual tree modeling accuracy. The mean volume deviation of the proposed method is 1.427 m3. In the comparison with two other famous tree modeling methods, the proposed method can achieve the best individual tree modeling result no matter which accuracy indicator is selected.

Manifold mesh, a triangular network for representing 3D objects, is widely used to reconstruct accurate 3D models of objects structure. The complexity of these objects and self-occlusion, however, can cause cameras to miss some areas, creating holes in the model. The existing hole-filling methods do not have the ability to detect holes at the model boundaries, leaving overlaps between the newly generated triangles, and also lack the ability to recover missing sharp features in the hole-region. To solve these problems, LIMOFilling, a new method for filling holes in 3D manifold meshes was proposed, and recovering the sharp features. The proposed method, detects the boundary holes robustly by constructing local overlap judgments, and provides the possibility for sharp features recovery using local structure information, as well as reduces the cost of maintaining manifold meshes thus enhancing their utility. The novel method against the existing methods have been tested on different types of holes in four scenes. Experimental results demonstrate the visual effect of the proposed method and the quality of the generated meshes, relative to the existing methods. The proposed hole-detection algorithm found almost all of the holes in different scenes and qualitatively, the subsequent repairs are difficult to see with the naked eye.