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Simple Summary: This review examines the remarkable adaptations of high-altitude indigenous animals to hypoxic environments. It discusses the physiological and biochemical strategies employed by these animals to enhance O2 uptake and delivery, as well as to increase the efficiency of O2 utilization. Key adaptations in the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems, including increased lung volume, efficiency of blood–O2 exchange, and remodeling of pulmonary vasculature, are highlighted. Additionally, the review explores adaptations in O2-consuming tissues, focusing on enhanced mitochondrial function and altered metabolic pathways. The role of genetic factors, particularly the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway, is emphasized, showcasing the convergence of evolution across different species. The manuscript concludes by emphasizing the importance of further research integrating various omics approaches and studying multiple tissues and organs to fully understand the complex mechanisms of high-altitude adaptation. Adaptation is one of the fundamental characteristics of life activities; humans and animals inhabiting high altitudes are well adapted to hypobaric hypoxic environments, and studies on the mechanisms of this adaptation emerged a hundred years ago. Based on these studies, this paper reviews the adaptive changes in hypoxia-sensitive tissues and organs, as well as at the molecular genetic level, such as pulmonary, cardiovascular, O2-consuming tissues, and the hemoglobin and HIF pathway, that occur in animals in response to the challenge of hypobaric hypoxia. High-altitude hypoxia adaptation may be due to the coordinated action of genetic variants in multiple genes and, as a result, adaptive changes in multiple tissues and organs at the physiological and biochemical levels. Unraveling their mechanisms of action can provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of multiple diseases caused by chronic hypoxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking a four-stage transonic compressor as the research object, the Lagrange particle tracking method was used to simulate the multiphase flow by considering the particle fragmentation, collision and evaporation models, and the influence of different inlet conditions (raindrop diameter, velocity, temperature and flow rate) on the compressor's performance and stable working range was studied. The results show that inlet rain absorption can weaken the clearance leakage vortex make the shock wave move downstream, thus increasing the inlet flow rate, resulting in a decrease in stability margin and the highest efficiency point moving in the direction of flow increase. With the decrease in raindrop diameter, the pressure ratio and wet compression efficiency increase, and the stability margin decreases. With the increase in inlet raindrop velocity, the degree of pneumatic breakage increases and the raindrop diameter becomes smaller, which leads to the decrease in pressure ratio and efficiency. The influence of the mass flow rate of imported raindrops on the stable working range is significant. When the mass flow rate of imported raindrops accounts for 5% of the design flow, the stable working range can be reduced by more than half. Rain absorption increases the reaction force of the compressor and increases the load of the rotor blade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While considerable progress has been made in understanding the complex relationships between gut microbiomes and their hosts, especially in mammals and humans, the functions of these microbial communities in avian species remain largely unexplored. This gap in knowledge is particularly notable, given the critical roles gut microbiomes are known to play in facilitating crucial physiological functions, such as digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune system development. Corvidae birds are omnivorous and widely distributed across various habitats, exhibiting strong adaptability and often displaying the traits of accompanying humans. However, to date, information on species composition, sequenced genomes, and functional characteristics of crow gut microbes is lacking. Herein, we constructed the first relatively comprehensive crows gut microbial gene catalog (2.74 million genes) and 195 high-quality and medium-quality metagenome-assembled genomes using 53 metagenomic samples from five typical crow species (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, Corvus dauuricus, Corvus frugilegus, Corvus macrorhynchos, and Corvus corax) on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. The species composition of gut microbiota at the phylum and genus levels was revealed for these five crow species. Simultaneously, numerous types of prevalent pathogenic bacteria were identified, indicating the potential of these crows to transmit diseases within the local community. At the functional level, we annotated a total of 356 KEGG functional pathways, six CAZyme categories, and 3607 virulence factor genes in the gut microbiomes of the crows. The gut microbiota of five distinct crow species underwent a comparative analysis, which uncovered significant differences in their composition, diversity, and functional structures. Over 36% of MAGs showed no overlap with existing databases, suggesting they might represent new species. Consequently, these findings enriched the dataset of microbial genomes associated with crows' digestive systems. Overall, this study offers crucial baseline information regarding the gut microbial gene catalog and genomes in crows, potentially aiding microbiome-based research, as well as an evaluation of the health risks to humans from the bacterial pathogens transmitted by wild birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disc stack centrifuge belongs to one kind of sedimentation centrifuge, widely used in the environmental protection, pharmacy, and chemical industries, etc. The flow process inside the disc stack centrifuge seriously affects the separation efficiency. However, the flow process inside the disc stack centrifuge and its influence on the separation efficiency have not yet been detailed. We plan to study the flow process of oil and water phases inside the disc stack centrifuge and to explore the process of fragmentation and accumulation of water droplets. In this study, the Mixture-PBM (Population Balance Model) model is used to numerically simulate the two-phase flow of oil and water in the disc stack centrifuge and compare it with the tests. The research found that with the increase in rotational speed, the separation efficiency rises in both the test and numerical simulation results, and the difference between the test and simulation results is below 1%. The effect of ribs on the flow is considered, and the results show that the hysteresis of the liquid flow in the disc stack centrifuge is significantly reduced after considering the ribs, and the numerical simulation results can reach 98% of the theoretical results. Fluid entering the separation channel from the neutral pore creates a vortex, and as the dimensionless number λ increases, the degree of deviation of the fluid's trajectory from the generatrix increases. The circumferential and radial velocities in the separation channel appear large in the center and small near the wall. The water content in the rising channel gradually decreases, and 90% of the water finishes settling in the distributor. The processing volume of the separation channel in each layer shows a small bottom layer, a large top layer, and a uniform law in the middle. The coalescence of water droplets occurs mainly in the separation channel, as found by analyzing the laws of the internal flow of the disc stack centrifuge, which provides the basis for improving the structure of the disc stack centrifuge, increasing the separation efficiency and reducing the floor space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]