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As a key component of the ecosystem, soil seed banks (SSBs) play a vital role in the evolution and renewal of plant communities. Although the pattern and mechanisms of influence of SSBs along the altitudinal gradient have been reported, most studies have focused on forest, grassland and alpine meadow ecosystems. The pattern and factors of SSBs across the altitudinal gradient in sedge peatlands remain largely unknown. Through vegetation surveys and seed germination experiments, we studied the changes in aboveground vegetation and SSBs in sedge peatlands at altitudes ranging from 300 m to 1300 m in the Changbai Mountains, China, and discussed the direct and indirect effects of climatic factors, soil properties and aboveground vegetation on SSBs. The results showed that the richness and density of the SSBs of sedge peatlands decreased with the altitude. Similarly, aboveground vegetation richness and density declined with altitude. A Spearman correlation analysis showed that SSB richness and density were mainly correlated with mean annual temperature, soil total phosphorus and ammonia nitrogen and the plant composition and richness of aboveground vegetation. A structural equation model analysis showed that climatic factors and aboveground vegetation directly affected seed bank richness, while soil properties indirectly affected it by directly affecting aboveground vegetation. Climatic factors, soil properties and aboveground vegetation directly affected SSB density, and soil properties indirectly affected it by directly affecting aboveground vegetation. This finding enhances our understanding of the altitude patterns of the SSBs in sedge peatlands and the response to future climate and environmental changes.

Introduction: Wetland has been exposed to tremendous stresses and hazards, leading to many potential ecological risks in the past few decades. There is an urgent need to assess the ecological risk status of the wetland, especially when examining how the intensity of socio-economic growth, policy changes, and other variables affect land use and ecological risk changes.Methods: This study models the LULC pattern in the Liaohe Estuary National Nature Wetland Reserve under various future scenarios in 2000–2040 and develops a long-term Pressure-State-Response ecological risk assessment model based on the characteristics of the northern wetland environment in China, combined with the simulated multi-scenario PLUS model.Results: As the two most distinct vegetation types in the reserve area, Phragmites australis and Suaeda glauca presented decreasing trends of 59.7 ha/year and 9.0 ha/year in the economy development scenario (EDS), higher than 57.3 ha/year, 8.2 ha/year in the natural increase scenario (NIS), and 35.4 ha/year and 5.8 ha/year in the ecological protect scenario (EPS). From the core area to the buffer area to the outer experimental area, the slope rate of vegetation deterioration rises severely. In comparison to the scenario of EDS, the area of aquiculture and oil wells can be lowered by 11.4 ha/year and 1.1 ha/year with the application of ecological protection measures. Besides, under three scenarios, mean ecological risks are all showing an increasing trend from 2000 to 2040, which is generally higher in the EDS scenario than that in the NIS and EPS scenarios. The proportion of the high and very high level of ecological risk area continually increased from 28.8% to 40.4% from 2000 to 2040, which was mainly located in the south estuary and west urban areas. In addition, among the three protected areas, the ecological risk in the core area has a lower growth rate than that in the outer buffer zone and experimental zone.Discussion: Aiming for the development of Liaohe Estuary National Park, these findings provide quantitative guidance for protecting and restoring natural resources.

In recent years, the TikTok platform has made a significant impact in the social media market worldwide, now holding a large market share in the short video service market popular with young people. Despite all this success, there is little research on how Internet users become loyal to TikTok. Hence, this study proposes a framework based on the use and gratification theory to evaluate the antecedents of adolescents’ continuous use motivations and behavior, and how they influence teenagers’ continuous use of TikTok. The survey population for this study was reached both online and offline. A total of 362 adolescent Chinese users of the TikTok platform were surveyed. The results show that self-expression, entertainment, information seeking, communication, and passing time were derived as adolescents’ motivations to use TikTok. Among these motivations, entertainment, communication, and passing time positively affect user satisfaction with TikTok. Furthermore, user satisfaction and loyalty positively affect the intention to continue using TikTok. Finally, this study advances understanding of adolescents’ use motivation of TikTok and provides new reference material for the continuous innovation of the short video format. AcknowledgmentThis study appreciated the partial financial support from Research Project of Anhui University of Science and Technology in 2023 (Project topic: Research on the construction and improvement strategy of mobile shopping experience evaluation system from the perspective of experience economy; Grant number: 2023yjrc30) and Key Research Projects of Humanities and Social Sciences in Colleges and Universities in Anhui Province (Project topic: Research on the Management Mechanism and Practical Path of Anhui Free Trade Zone; Grant number: SK2020A0199).

Large open-pit coal mines often encounter fault structures with different development scope and degree within the mining boundary. In order to optimize and determine the relevant parameters of the working slope passing through the fault in the open-pit coal mine, the change of the working slope passing through the fault mode and the length of the working line when the relative position between the working line and the fault strike is different is analyzed, the principle of coal resource recovery in the fault affected area is determined, and the influencing factors of the production stripping ratio change in the process of working slope advancing when the working line intersects the fault strike are expounded. According to the basic principle of open-pit mining, the engineering model of the strike arrangement of the intersecting faults of the working slope is established, the composition of the working line is discussed, and the calculation method of the working line length is given. The three-dimensional space rectangular coordinate system with the working line layout direction and the working side advancing direction as the axis is constructed, the section stripping volume and raw coal volume of each engineering model are calculated, and the functional relationship between the working line length, the angle between the working line and the fault strike, the working side advancing distance and the production stripping ratio is determined. The change rule of production stripping ratio is analyzed by means of control variables. The results show that the initial production stripping ratio is positively related to the length of the fault descending wall working line when the stripping working line is orthogonal to the fault strike; When the strike of the oblique fault of the working wall is advancing, the initial production stripping ratio is negatively related to the length of the working line of the fault riser and the angle between the working line and the fault strike. The smaller the angle between the working line and the fault strike, the more intense the change of the production stripping ratio. This paper presents the optimization principle of the parameters of the working slope passing through the fault in the open-pit coal mine, and puts forward the method of determining the parameters by using the computer program to judge circularly. Taking Shengli West No. 2 Coal Mine as the engineering background, the above optimization principles and determination methods are applied and studied. The results show that when the angle between the working line and the fault strike is 70 ° and the length of the initial footwall mining working line is 1700 m, the production stripping ratio of the working side is less than the economic and reasonable stripping ratio in the process of advancing in the F13 fault area, the length of the working line always meets the minimum working line length requirements for equipment operation, running and deployment, and the east side slope expansion is the minimum.

IntroductionThe investigation of cognitive function in microgravity, both short-term and long-term, remains largely descriptive. And the underlying mechanisms of the changes over time remain unclear.MethodsBehavioral tests, electrophysiological recording, and RNA sequencing were used to observe differences in behavior, synaptic plasticity, and gene expression.ResultsInitially, we measured the performance of spatial cognition exposed to long-term simulated microgravity (SM). Both working memory and advanced cognitive abilities were enhanced. Somewhat surprisingly, the synaptic plasticity of the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapse was impaired. To gain insight into the mechanism of changing regularity over time, transcriptome sequencing in the hippocampus was performed. The analysis identified 20 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the hippocampus after short-term modeling, 19 of which were up-regulated. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that these up-regulated genes were mainly enriched in synaptic-related processes, such as Stxbp5l and Epha6. This might be related to the enhancement of working memory performance under short-term SM exposure. Under exposure to long-term SM, 7 DEGs were identified in the hippocampus, all of which were up-regulated and related to oxidative stress and metabolism, such as Depp1 and Lrg1. Compensatory effects occurred with increased modeling time.DiscussionTo sum up, our current research indicates that the cognitive function under SM exposure is consistently maintained or potentially even being enhanced over both short and long durations. The underlying mechanisms are intricate and potentially linked to the differential expression of hippocampal-associated genes and alterations in synaptic function, with these effects being time-dependent. The present study will lay the experimental and theoretical foundation of the multi-level mechanism of cognitive function under space flight.

The synchronization and fluctuation of a stochastic coupled system with additive noise were investigated in this paper. According to the relationship between the stochastic coupled system and multi-scale system, an averaging principle in which the multi-scale system with singular coefficients was established, thereby the synchronization of stochastic coupled systems was obtained. Then the convergence rate of synchronization was also obtained. In addition, to prove fluctuation of multi-scale system, the martingale approach method was used. And then the fluctuation of the stochastic coupled systems was got. In the end, we give an example to illustrate the utility of our results.

The quality and safety of edible vegetable oils are closely related to human life and health, meaning it is of great significance to explore the rapid detection methods of pesticide residues in edible vegetable oils. This study explored the applicability potential of substrate-assisted laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for quantitatively determining fenthion in soybean oils. First, we explored the impact of laser energy, delay time, and average oil film thickness on the spectral signals to identify the best experimental parameters. Afterward, we quantitatively analyzed soybean oil samples using these optimized conditions and developed a full-spectrum extreme learning machine (ELM) model. The model achieved a prediction correlation coefficient (RP2) of 0.8417, a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 167.2986, and a mean absolute percentage error of prediction (MAPEP) of 26.46%. In order to enhance the prediction performance of the model, a modeling method using the Boruta algorithm combined with the ELM was proposed. The Boruta algorithm was employed to identify the feature variables that exhibit a strong correlation with the fenthion content. These selected variables were utilized as inputs for the ELM model, with the RP2, RMSEP, and MAPEP of Boruta-ELM being 0.9631, 71.4423, and 10.06%, respectively. Then, the genetic algorithm (GA) was used to optimize the parameters of the Boruta-ELM model, with the RP2, RMSEP, and MAPEP of GA-Boruta-ELM being 0.9962, 11.005, and 1.66%, respectively. The findings demonstrate that the GA-Boruta-ELM model exhibits excellent prediction capability and effectively predicts the fenthion contents in soybean oil samples. It will be valuable for the LIBS quantitative detection and analysis of pesticide residues in edible vegetable oils.

We present a non-traditional finite element method for the electromagnetic scattering of the partly covered groove filled with multiple media. The non-local boundary condition is introduced to make the unbounded scattering into a bounded domain problem. Non-body-fitted mesh is applied to save the cost of discretizing groove domain greatly. In addition, the level set functions are utilized to describe complex media interfaces and boundaries. Numerical tests demonstrate the effectiveness and second-order convergence rate of the proposed method.

Soil microbial abundance is a key factor to predict soil organic carbon dynamics in peatlands. However, little is known about the effects of altitude and soil depth and their interaction on soil microbial abundance in peatlands. In this study, we measured the microbial abundance and soil physicochemical properties at different soil depths (0–30 cm) in peatlands along an altitudinal gradient (from 200 to 1,500 m) on Changbai Mountain, China. The effect of soil depth on soil microbial abundance was stronger than the altitude. The total microbial abundance and different microbial groups showed the same trend along the soil depth and altitudinal gradients, respectively. Microbial abundance in soil layer of 5–10 cm was the highest and then decreased with soil depth; microbial abundance at the altitude of 500–800 m was the highest. Abiotic and biotic factors together drove the change in microbial abundance. Physical variables (soil water content and pH) and microbial co-occurrence network had negative effects on microbial abundance, and nutrient variables (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) had positive effects on microbial abundance. Our results demonstrated that soil depth had more effects on peatland microbial abundance than altitude. Soil environmental change with peat depth may lead to the microorganisms receiving more disturbances in future climate change.

ObjectiveThe main purpose of this study was to explore the association between early fundamental motor skills (FMS) and executive function (EF) in preschool children.MethodsA total of 394 young children (4.07 ± 0.76 years) were evaluated. The FMS and EF were evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) and the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NTCB), respectively.ResultsTotal FMS score was moderately and positively correlated with total EF score (r = 0.33, p < 0.001) and was a significant predictor of total EF score (β = 0.37, p < 0.001). Specifically, locomotor skills were significant predictors of inhibition control (β = 0.21, p < 0.001), working memory (β = 0.18, p < 0.01), and cognitive flexibility (β = 0.24, p < 0.001), while object control skills were only significant predictors of inhibition control (β = 0.17, p < 0.01).ConclusionFMS were significantly and positively correlated with EF and were significant predictors of EF. Early childhood policymakers, preschool teachers, and researchers should take these connections seriously and implement appropriate complex motor intervention programs in future teaching to stimulate the development of both motor and higher-order cognitive skills in preschool children.

Learning-activated engram neurons play a critical role in memory recall but the role of these neurons in offline memory consolidation is unclear. The authors show that sleep-associated reactivation of learning-activated sensory neurons is necessary for memory consolidation.

RAS mutations occur in a broad spectrum of human hematopoietic malignancies. Activating Ras mutations in blood cells leads to hematopoietic malignancies in mice. In murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), mutant N-RasG12D activates Stat5 to dysregulate stem cell function. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that Stat5 activation induced by a hyperactive Nras mutant, G12D, is dependent on Jak2 activity. Jak2 is activated in Nras mutant HSCs and progenitors (HSPCs), and inhibiting Jak2 with ruxolitinib significantly decreases Stat5 activation and HSPC hyper-proliferation in vivo in NrasG12D mice. Activation of Jak2-Stat5 is associated with downregulation of Socs2, an inhibitory effector of Jak2/Stat5. Restoration of Socs2 blocks NrasG12D HSC reconstitution in bone marrow transplant recipients. SOCS2 downregulation is also observed in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells that carry RAS mutations. RAS mutant AML cells exhibited suppression of the enhancer active marker H3K27ac at the SOCS2 locus. Finally, restoration of SOCS2 in RAS mutant AML cells mitigated leukemic growth. Thus, we discovered a novel signaling feedback loop whereby hyperactive Ras signaling activates Jak2/Stat5 via suppression of Socs2.

Northern peatlands are one of the largest natural sources of atmospheric methane globally. As the only biological sink of methane, different groups of methanotrophs use different carbon sources. However, the variations in microbial biomass and metabolism of different methanotrophic groups in peatlands along the altitude gradient are uncertain. We measured the concentrations and metabolic characteristics of type I (16:1ω7c and 16:1ω5c) and type II (18:1ω7c) methanotroph biomarkers using biomarkers and stable isotopes in eight Carex peatlands along an altitude gradient from 300 to 1,500 m in the Changbai Mountain, China. We found that the trends with altitude in concentrations of the type I and type II methanotroph biomarkers were different. The dominating microbial group changed from type I to type II methanotroph with increasing altitude. The concentrations of type I and type II methanotroph biomarkers were significantly affected by the total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and dissolved organic carbon, respectively. The δ13C values of type II methanotroph biomarkers changed significantly along the altitude gradient, and they were more depleted than type II methanotroph biomarkers, which indicates the difference in carbon source preference between type I and type II methanotrophs. This study highlights the difference in the concentration and carbon source utilization of type I and type II methanotrophic groups along the altitude gradient, and enhances our understanding of the metabolic process of methane mediated by methanotrophs and its impact on carbon-sink function in northern peatlands.

Historically, mercury and mercury-containing preparations have been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and applied in many clinical practices mainly in the form of mercury sulfides. The clinical application, toxicity manifestations, and symptoms of these preparations largely depend on the route of administration and the dosage form. Commonly used mercury-containing medicinal materials and preparations in traditional Chinese medicine include Cinnabar, an excellent medicine for tranquilizing the nerves; Hongsheng Dan and Baijiang Dan, which have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, promotion of tissue repair and regeneration and other pharmacological effects. Tibetan medicine commonly uses Zaotai and Qishiwei Zhenzhu pills, which have pharmacological effects such as sedation, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsant, and improvement of cerebral apoplexy. Menggen Wusu Shibawei pills, commonly used in Mongolian traditional medicine, have the muscle growth and astringent effects. In India and Europe, mercury is often used for treating syphilis. This article summarizes the history, clinical application, pharmacology, toxicology, and pharmacokinetics of mercury and mercury-containing preparations in traditional medicines. In terms of clinical application, it provides suggestions for the rational use and safety of mercury-containing drugs in clinical practices and in public health issues. It will further provide a reference for formulation strategies related to mercury risk assessment and management.

Liaoyu white cattle (LYWC) is a local breed in Liaoning Province, China. It has the advantages of grow quickly, high slaughter ratew, high meat quality and strong anti-stress ability. N6 methyladenosine (m6A) is a methylation modification of N6 position of RNA adenine, which is an important modification mechanism affecting physiological phenomena. In this study, we used the longissimus dorsi muscle of LYWC and SIMC for m6A-seq and RNA-seq high-throughput sequencing, and identified the key genes involved in muscle growth and m6A modification development by bioinformatics analysis. There were 31532 m6A peaks in the whole genome of LYWC and 47217 m6A peaks in the whole genome of SIMC. Compared with Simmental cattle group, LYWC group had 17,351 differentially expressed genes: 10,697 genes were up-regulated, 6,654 genes were down regulated, 620 differentially expressed genes were significant, while 16,731 differentially expressed genes were not significant. Among the 620 significantly differentially expressed genes, 295 genes were up-regulated and 325 genes were down regulated. In order to explore the relationship between m6A and mRNA expression in the muscles of LYWC and SIMC, the combined analysis of MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq revealed that 316 genes were m6A modified with mRNA expression. To identify differentially methylated genes related to muscle growth, four related genes were selected for quantitative verification in LYWC and SIMC. GO enrichment and KEGG analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes modified by m6A are mainly involved in skeletal muscle contraction, steroid biosynthesis process, redox process, PPAR pathway and fatty acid metabolism, and galactose metabolism. These results provide a theoretical basis for further research on the role of m6A in muscle growth and development.

Wetlands have degraded dramatically in recent decades due to wetland drainage, agricultural reclamation, and soil salinization in China. Soil seed banks, as a way of natural regeneration, can efficiently restore the aboveground vegetation if seeds can survive after farming. To explore the response of soil seed bank to farming and consequent environmental changes, we compared the structure and composition of soil seed banks between Carex-dominated and Phragmites-dominated natural wetlands and their adjacent farmed fields in the Songnen Plain, China. We found that the responses of soil seed banks to farming and saline-alkaline stress were different between the two community types. The seed density and species richness in Carex-dominated natural wetlands were significantly higher than nearby farmed fields, however, there was no significant difference between Phragmites-dominated natural wetlands and nearby farmed fields. Carex schmidtii and Phragmites australis, dominated in natural wetlands, were both missing after farming. At the same time, the invasive species Typha angustifolia dominated in the farmed fields. Redundancy analysis identified that soil salt content was one of the major factors which significantly affected seed bank composition. Saline-alkaline stress significantly restricted the seed germination in farmed Carex fields, however, it had no significant effect in farmed Phragmites fields. Our study indicated that the potential of vegetation restoration was restricted by seed limit and soil salinization, and it differed significantly between the original community types in the Songnen Plain. In addition to hydrological connection, special technologies (such as planting and seeding) and the improvement of soil conditions are also necessary for successful restoration in salt-affected wetlands.

The mechanisms that shape soil microbes in peatlands along the altitude gradient remain unresolved due to limited data and inconsistent findings along different vertical vegetation belts from investigations. In this study, we present results of soil phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) profiles from an altitude gradient survey (300–1500 m) in Changbai Mountain aimed at determining the elevational patterns of soil microbial communities and their driving forces in the sedge-dominated peatlands. The results showed that the total microbial lipid biomass in the sedge-dominated peatlands increased with altitude. However, there were no obvious trends with altitude in ratios of the fungi to bacteria (F/B), the Gram positive bacteria to Gram negative bacteria (G+/G-), and the bacteria to actinomycetes (B/ACT). Redundancy analysis indicated that the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) explained most variation in soil microbial groups, while mean annual temperature (MAT) explained most variation in microbial community structure. Variation partitioning analysis revealed that climatic factors had greater influences on soil microbial community structure than soil physical and chemical properties, and 53% of the total variance was explained by MAT, mean annual precipitation (MAP) and their combined effects. This finding challenges the prevailing view that local soil properties, but not climate, control soil microbial community structure along the altitude gradient, and enhances our understanding of the role of soil microbes as carbon pumps in sedge-dominated peatlands in the process of global warming.

Inland wetlands have declined dramatically in the past century due to land drainage, agricultural intensification and soil saline-alkalization in China. Soil seed banks can be an important component of ecological restoration of farmed wetlands if seeds of aquatic species can survive cultivation. To explore the response of soil seed bank to farming and accompanied environmental stress, we compared the structure and composition of seed banks between natural sedge meadows and adjacent soybean and paddy fields under two water levels (moist and flooded) and two salinity treatments (non-saline-alkaline and saline-alkaline stress) in the Songnen Plain, China. We found that the species richness and seed density in the natural wetland were significantly higher than the two farmed fields. Carex species that are dominant species in the natural sedge meadows were seldom present in the soil seed banks. Instead, other high productive species (e. g. Echinochloa crusgalli and Typha angustifolia) survived cultivation as seeds in the farmed fields. Redundancy analysis identified that soil pH, soil salt content and soil water content explained most variance in seed bank composition. Saline-alkaline stress restricted the seed germination and establishment of wetland species even if hydrology was restored. This study indicates that seed limitation and saline-alkaline stress of soil together restricted seed germination and natural restoration potential in the Songnen Plain. In addition to hydrological regulation, the active revegetation of tussock sedges, and improvement of soil saltine-alkaline condition are necessary to support regional biodiversity in the inland wetlands.

In this paper, fast high-order finite difference algorithms for solving the electromagnetic scattering from the finite array of two-dimensional rectangular cavities are proposed in TE polarization. The scattering problem from the cavity array is described as coupled Helmholtz equations with transparent boundary conditions on open apertures. Second-order and fourth-order schemes for solving the coupled systems are developed in TE polarization respectively. A special technique is applied to construct a fourth-order scheme for transparent boundary conditions. Further, we propose fast algorithms which can simplify the larger global system to a small linear interface system on the apertures of cavities. Numerical experiments show the validity and efficiency of the proposed fast algorithms for solving the scattering problem with high wave numbers.

Abstract: Concurrent genetic lesions exist in a majority of patients with hematologic malignancies. Among these, somatic mutations that activate RAS oncogenes and inactivate the epigenetic modifier ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2) frequently co-occur in human chronic myelomonocytic leukemias (CMMLs) and acute myeloid leukemias, suggesting a cooperativity in malignant transformation. To test this, we applied a conditional murine model that endogenously expressed oncogenic NrasG12D and monoallelic loss of Tet2 and explored the collaborative role specifically within hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) at disease initiation. We demonstrate that the 2 mutations collaborated to accelerate a transplantable CMML-like disease in vivo, with an overall shortened survival and increased disease penetrance compared with single mutants. At preleukemic stage, N-RasG12D and Tet2 haploinsufficiency together induced balanced hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) proliferation and enhanced competitiveness. NrasG12D/+/Tet2+/− HSCs displayed increased self-renewal in primary and secondary transplantations, with significantly higher reconstitution than single mutants. Strikingly, the 2 mutations together conferred long-term reconstitution and self-renewal potential to multipotent progenitors, a pool of cells that usually have limited self-renewal compared with HSCs. Moreover, HSPCs from NrasG12D/+/Tet2+/− mice displayed increased cytokine sensitivity in response to thrombopoietin. Therefore, our studies establish a novel tractable CMML model and provide insights into how dysregulated signaling pathways and epigenetic modifiers collaborate to modulate HSPC function and promote leukemogenesis.

The plant-specific TCP family proteins play an important role in the processes of plant growth and development. Broussonetia papyrifera is a versatile perennial deciduous tree, and its genome data have been published. However, no comprehensive analysis of the TCP gene family in B. papyrifera has been undertaken. In this study, 20 BpTCP genes (BpTCPs) were identified in the B. papyrifera genome. Phylogenetic analysis divided BpTCPs into three subclades, the PCF subclade, the CIN subclade and the CYC/TB1 subclade. Gene structure analysis displayed that all BpTCPs except BpTCP19 contained one coding region. Conserved motif analysis showed that BpTCP proteins in the same subclade possessed similar motif structures. Segmental duplication was the primary driving force for the expansion of BpTCPs. Expression patterns showed that BpTCPs may play diverse biological functions in organ or tissue development. Transcriptional activation activity analysis of BpTCP8, BpTCP14 and BpTCP19 showed that they possessed transcriptional activation ability. The ectopic expression analysis in Arabidopsis wild-type and AtBRC1 ortholog mutant showed that BpTCP8, BpTCP14 and BpTCP19 could prevent rosette branch outgrowth. Collectively, our study not only established the first genome-wide analysis of the B. papyrifera TCP gene family, but also provided valuable information for understanding the function of BpTCPs in shoot branching.

Dyadic Green’s function (DGF) is a powerful and elegant way of solving electromagnetic problems in the multilayered media. In this paper, we introduce the electric and magnetic DGFs in free space, respectively. Furthermore, the symmetry of different kinds of DGFs is proved. This paper focuses on the application of DGF in a two-layer model. By introducing the universal form of the vector wave functions in space rectangular, cylindrical and spherical coordinates, the corresponding DGFs are obtained. We derive the concise and explicit formulas for the electric fields represented by a vertical electric dipole source. It is expected that the proposed DGF can be extended to some more electric field problem in the two-layer model.

In order to examine the geometric characteristics of BOF (blast oxygen furnace) slag coarse aggregate, the aggregate image measurement system (AIMS) was used to analyze the sphericity, gradient angularity and micro texture. Both volumetric and mechanical properties were studied to evaluate the influence of geometric characteristics of BOF slag coarse aggregate on asphalt concrete. The experimental results show that the BOF slag coarse aggregate has the characteristics of high sphericity, good angular performance and rough surface texture. The geometric characteristics of BOF slag has obvious influence on the volume performance of asphalt concrete. the higher sphericity of BOF slag causes an increase of the air voids of asphalt mixture. BOF slag coarse aggregate can effectively improve the road performances of asphalt concrete. BOF slag’s higher sphericity and angularity improve the moisture damage resistance and rutting resistance of asphalt concrete. Results indicate that better angularity can slightly enhance the moisture resistance property of asphalt concrete, but excessively high angularity of BOF slag coarse aggregates reduces the anti-rutting properties of asphalt mixture.

A clean and sustainable deicing additive was prepared via the adsorption of acetate anions (Ac-) by magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al) calcined layered double hydroxide (Mg/Al-CLDH). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrums proved that Ac- had intercalated into LDH structure. X-ray diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images showed that the intercalation spacing and platelet thickness of Mg and Al layered double hydroxide containing Ac- anions (Mg/Al-Ac- LDH) had been enlarged due to substitution of divalent CO32- anions by a larger quantity of monovalent Ac- anions. Differential scanning calorimetry tests testified that the insoluble Mg2/Al-Ac- LDH evidently decreased the freeze point (FP) of water to -10.68°C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirmed that the Ac- were strongly confined by the metal layers of LDHs. FP test of asphalt mixtures confirmed that Mg/Al-Ac- LDHs reduced FP to -5.5°C. Immersion test results indicated that Mg/Al-Ac- LDH had a good deicing durability and Ac- did not released from asphalt mixture. Snow melting observation was conducted further testified that Mg/Al-Ac- LDH melted snow or ice sustainably.

The WOX (WUSCHEL-related homeobox) is a plant-specific transcription factor involved in plant development and stress response. However, few studies have been reported on the WOX gene in woody plants. In this study, 10 BpWOX genes were isolated from paper mulberry by RACE-PCR and categorized into three clades through phylogenetic analysis, ancient, intermediate and WUS clade. Among them, five members had the transcriptional activity detected by yeast one-hybrid and seven were uniquely localized to the nucleus through green fluorescent protein (GFP) observation. The expression patterns of BpWOX genes in different tissues and under diverse treatments were quantified by the qRT-PCR method. Results showed that BpWUS was expressed in the apical bud, stem and root, BpWOX5 and BpWOX7 functioned only in the root tip, and three BpWOXs regulated leaf development redundantly. BpWOX9 and BpWOX10 were induced by indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) or jasmonic acid (JA), while BpWOX2 was repressed by five phytohormones. Interestingly, most BpWOX genes were responsive to the abiotic stress stimuli of drought, salt, cold, and cadmium (CdCl2). Together, our study revealed that BpWOXs were functionally divergent during paper mulberry development and environmental adaptation, which might be related to their evolutionary relationships. Our work will benefit the systematic understanding of the precise function of WOX in plant development and environmental stress responses.

SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency in humans leads to severe neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by intellectual disability, autism, epilepsy, and sensory processing deficits. However, the circuit mechanisms underlying these disorders are not well understood. In mice, a decrease of SynGAP levels results in cognitive deficits by interfering with the development of excitatory glutamatergic connections. Recent evidence suggests that SynGAP also plays a crucial role in the development and function of GABAergic inhibitory interneurons. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether and to what extent the expression of SYNGAP1 in inhibitory interneurons contributes to cortical circuit function and related behaviors. The activity of cortical neurons has not been measured simultaneously with behavior. To address these gaps, we recorded from layer 2/3 neurons in the primary whisker somatosensory cortex (wS1) of mice while they learned to perform a whisker tactile detection task. Our results demonstrate that mice with interneuron-specific SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency exhibit learning deficits characterized by heightened behavioral responses in the absence of relevant sensory input and premature responses to unrelated sensory stimuli not associated with reward acquisition. These behavioral deficits are accompanied by specific circuit abnormalities within wS1. Interneuron-specific SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency increases detrimental neuronal correlations directly related to task performance and enhances responses to irrelevant sensory stimuli unrelated to the reward acquisition. In summary, our findings indicate that a reduction of SynGAP in inhibitory interneurons impairs sensory representation in the primary sensory cortex by disrupting neuronal correlations, which likely contributes to the observed cognitive deficits in mice with pan-neuronal SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]