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The mechanism of pore evolution in vacuum electron beam joints of Mo-14Re alloy has been thoroughly investigated. Microscopic characterization methods, including Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), were employed to explore the evolution mechanism of pore defects at different locations. Weld defects were further characterized using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), providing insights into their formation mechanisms. The findings reveal that pores along grain boundaries are the result of MoO and CO bubble aggregation. Non-equilibrium solidification of the melt triggers chemical reactions, transforming MoO and CO bubbles into MoO3 and C, with lower melting points. MoO3 and C persist in the pores, leading to the formation of grain boundary gas hole defects. On the other hand, intragranular pore defects stem from an abundance of pores within the matrix material. Upon entry of gas from these pores into the molten pool, its escape is impeded due to the intense influence of the molten pool. After the molten pool completes the cooling and solidification process, the gas remains within the crystal, resulting in intragranular pore defects.

In adiabatic conditions, the dehumidification capacity of hollow fibre membranes decreases as solution temperature rises. To address this limitation, this study proposed a novel approach based on sleeve-type hollow fibre membranes. The study focused on three distinct fluid streams and the sleeve-type hollow fibre membrane tube. A three-dimensional model of the dehumidifier was created, and the dehumidifier's heat transfer, mass transfer, and fluid flow characteristics were thoroughly analyzed and experimentally validated. The results showed that the average values of the Sherwood number and Nusselt number on the air side are significantly influenced by the Reynolds number. On the solution side of the sleeve-type hollow membrane, the average Nusselt number and Sherwood number are approximately 4.0 and 4.6, respectively. According to the research, 76 % of the resistance is accounted for by the mass transfer resistance on the membrane side. The study's conclusions provide insightful information for improving the design of sleeve-type hollow fibre membrane dehumidifiers.

Fault step zones are well developed in faulted lake basins in the eastern part of China, among which, forward fault step zones account for a large proportion, and their spatiotemporal configuration relationship, oil and gas accumulation periods and accumulation conditions, which play a key role in the geological evaluation of regional oil and gas exploration, are difficult to study. In order to further clarify its hydrocarbon accumulation mode and filling period, the authors, by taking the Paleogene Dongying and Shahejie formations in the study area as the main target layers, and selecting wells Qidong 3-1, Zhang 10 and Chenghai 16 to represent the low, medium and high fault levels of the fault area, respectively, conducted in-depth research on the oil and gas properties and distribution laws of different charging stages in various districts of Chengbei through reservoir microlithography observation, fluid inclusion identification, salt water inclusion homogenization temperature and salinity test, GOI statistical analysis and other technologies; applied laser Raman test to effectively identify the gas composition of single inclusions in wells Zhang-10 and Qidong 3-1, determined the specific oil and gas accumulation time in Chengbei fault step zone in combination with the single well burial history, paleogeothermal history and autoclastic illite K-Ar isotopic dating technology of well Qidong 3-1, and summarized the four accumulation elements of source rocks, reservoirs, preservation and transportation in Chengbei area. There are two charging stages in the reservoir, the specific accumulation time of the first stage is from the end of Dongying to the early stage of Guantao, about 16 Ma ±, while that of the second stage is in the early stage of Minghua Town, starting from 6 Ma ± and continuing to the present. Multiple sets of reservoir layers are developed in the study area, and the special fault step structure plays a controlling role in channeling the source rocks and reservoirs, the sealing and preservation of oil and gas, and the transportation and accumulation of reservoirs. The regional accumulation conditions are relatively mature, and the lateral migration-accumulation mode of dual-source hydrocarbon supply and multi-stage accumulation and the longitudinal migration-accumulation mode of fault-sand coupling and relay climbing are reflected in the process of oil and gas accumulation.

The quality of source and reservoir rocks as well as their spatial assemblage types are crucial factors that controlling the charging, accumulation, and enrichment of tight oil resource. However, there are still deficiencies in the understanding about these factors, especially regarding differences in the mechanism of charging, accumulation, and enrichment of tight oil between different source-reservoir assemblage types, which restricts the formation of theory as well as the process of exploration and development. Taking the Qingxi Sag of the Jiuquan Basin as an example, we have drawn conclusions by field observations, core descriptions, and drilling analyses that there may be eight types of source-reservoir assemblages. Among these, there are three basic types, namely, the lower-generating and upper-reserving type, upper-generating and lower-reserving type, and sandwich-like type. In addition, there are two special types, the self-generating and self-reserving type and source-reservoir interbedding type. Moreover, the other three types are composite types, which are the lowergenerating and upper-reserving type Ⅱ, upper-generating and lower-reserving type Ⅱ, and sandwich-like type Ⅱ. Among the above mentioned eight types, the first five types are common. The results of statistical drilling and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments mutually verify the corresponding relation between source-reservoir assemblage type and tight oil enrichment. The assemblage types can be ranked according to their positive correlation with enrichment in the following order, from the highest to the lowest: self-generating and self-reservoiring type, sandwich-like type, upper-generating and lower-reservoiring type, lower-generating and upper-reservoiring type, and source-reservoir interbedding type. Differences in the mechanism of charging, accumulation, and enrichment of tight oil among the five common source-reservoir assemblage types are revealed and explained. In addition, their accumulation and enrichment patterns are determined and principal controlling factors are proposed, namely, accumulation dynamics, charging patterns, and storage conditions, which are in fact closely related to the source-reservoir assemblage types.

The dynamic physical simulation of natural gas accumulation process is one of the important means to reveal the mechanism of natural gas migration and accumulation and to summarize its distribution law. However, due to the characteristics of natural gas itself including "easy to leak, difficult to move and difficult to observe" have become holdbacks for the physical simulation of natural gas migration and accumulation. In order to reveal the migration and accumulation mechanisms of fault-controlled gas reservoirs, and to summarize the formation sequence and distribution pattern of gas reservoirs, typical reservoirs in Dongping, Mahai and Nanbaxian areas in the northwestern part of Tarim Basin were taken as examples to establish a geological evolution model for each reservoir. Aiming at the problems of gas reservoir simulation, an adjustable simulation device for gas migration and accumulation was designed, which could realize the dynamic process of structural change and clarify the phenomenon of gas charging and migration, and the formation process of typical gas reservoirs such as Dongping, and Mahai-Nanbaxian, etc. was successfully simulated. It is clear that the fault not only acts as a channel for gas migration and power transmission, but also controls the evolution sequence and distribution pattern. The formation and evolution sequence models of two different types of natural gas reservoirs, named "late accumulation" and "long-term accumulation", were proposed, the mechanism of natural gas migration and accumulation driven by "fault transmission and high pressure" was revealed, and the vertical preservation sequence featured by "co-existence of natural gas in both deep and shallow formations, and the deeper formations are more favorable for preservation" was concluded. A new concept of natural gas exploration was put forward that "if there are shallow gas reservoirs, there must be deep ones", and we can find natural gas from shallow to deep formations.

Abstract Knowledge of host associations of blood-feeding vectors may afford insights into managing disease systems and protecting public health. However, the ability of methods to distinguish bloodmeal sources varies widely. We used two methods—Sanger sequencing and amplicon deep sequencing—to target a 228 bp region of the vertebrate Cytochrome b gene and determine hosts fed upon by triatomines (n = 115) collected primarily in Texas, USA. Direct Sanger sequencing of PCR amplicons was successful for 36 samples (31%). Sanger sequencing revealed 15 distinct host species, which included humans, domestic animals (Canis lupus familiaris, Ovis aries, Gallus gallus, Bos taurus, Felis catus, and Capra hircus), wildlife (Rattus rattus, Incilius nebulifer, Sciurus carolinensis, Sciurus niger, and Odocoileus virginianus), and captive animals (Panthera tigris, Colobus spp., and Chelonoidis carbonaria). Samples sequenced by the Sanger method were also subjected to Illumina MiSeq amplicon deep sequencing. The amplicon deep sequencing results (average of 302,080 usable reads per sample) replicated the host community revealed using Sanger sequencing, and detected additional hosts in five triatomines (13.9%), including two additional blood sources (Procyon lotor and Bassariscus astutus). Up to four bloodmeal sources were detected in a single triatomine (I. nebulifer, Homo sapiens, C. lupus familiaris, and S. carolinensis). Enhanced understanding of vector-host-parasite networks may allow for integrated vector management programs focusing on highly-utilized and highly-infected host species.

On the basis of formulating and perfecting the definition and connotation of tight oil, a comparative study was carried out on the basin formation, hydrocarbon generation, hydrocarbon preservation and reservoir formation for 9 tight oil basins of China and 6 of USA. It was concluded that China′s tight oil has great potential, but the accumulation conditions are complex and diverse. There are 9 tight oil basins in China located in 3 tectonic areas in the eastern, middle and western parts of mainland China. Due to the combined action of the 3 plates of the Pacific, Siberia and India, the type, scale and formation of tight oil basins as well as the generation, preservation and enrichment of hydrocarbon are varied and have regular change trends among the three tectonic areas. From the western tectonic area to the central and then to the eastern one, the distribution scale of tight oil changes from small to large and then to middle, and the number of tight oil distribution horizon decreases from the Upper Permian to the Middle Jurassic and finally to the Lower Cretaceous. The generation conditions of tight oil changed from bad to good and to relatively good. The types of tight oil reservoirs change from multiple and complex to relatively complex and then to relatively simple. The reservoir performance of tight oil reservoirs changes from relatively good to relatively poor and to relatively good, while permeability changes from relatively high to relatively low and to relatively high. The conditions of tight oil migration and accumulation change from relatively poor to good and to relatively good, and the types of tight oil reservoirs change from more to less and back to more. The exploration and development potential of tight oil is the largest in the western tectonic area, followed by the central and then the eastern one. The tight oil basins and tight oil accumulations in China and USA have both commonalities and obvious differences. The fundamental reasons for the differences are the stability of structures and the heterogeneity of sedimentary facies. The tight oil basins in China have poorer tectonic stability and continental deposition, while the tight oil basins in USA have better structural stability and marine deposition. As a result, the hydrocarbon generation capacity of tight oil basins in China is worse than that in USA, but the reservoir conditions are generally better than those in USA. The accumulation mechanism and model of tight oil enrichment in China are more complex than those in USA. The quality of tight oil in USA is generally better than that in China. The size of tight oil basins in USA and the exploration and development potential of tight oil are greater than those in China.

In the Southern Great Plains, wheat cultivars have been selected for a combination of outstanding yield and drought tolerance as a long-term breeding goal. To understand the underlying genetic mechanisms, this study aimed to dissect the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with yield components and kernel traits in two wheat cultivars `TAM 112' and `Duster' under both irrigated and dryland environments. A set of 182 recombined inbred lines (RIL) derived from the cross of TAM 112/Duster were planted in 13 diverse environments for evaluation of 18 yield and kernel related traits. High-density genetic linkage map was constructed using 5,081 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). QTL mapping analysis detected 134 QTL regions on all 21 wheat chromosomes, including 30 pleiotropic QTL regions and 21 consistent QTL regions, with 10 QTL regions in common. Three major pleiotropic QTL on the short arms of chromosomes 2B (57.5 - 61.6 Mbps), 2D (37.1 - 38.7 Mbps), and 7D (66.0 - 69.2 Mbps) colocalized with genes Ppd-B1, Ppd-D1, and FT-D1, respectively. And four consistent QTL associated with kernel length (KLEN), thousand kernel weight (TKW), plot grain yield (YLD), and kernel spike-1 (KPS) (Qklen.tamu.1A.325, Qtkw.tamu.2B.137, Qyld.tamu.2D.3, and Qkps.tamu.6A.113) explained more than 5% of the phenotypic variation. QTL Qklen.tamu.1A.325 is a novel QTL with consistent effects under all tested environments. Marker haplotype analysis indicated the QTL combinations significantly increased yield and kernel traits. QTL and the linked markers identified in this study will facilitate future marker-assisted selection (MAS) for pyramiding the favorable alleles and QTL map-based cloning.

Understanding genetic architectures of yield and yield-related traits of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown under dryland or irrigated conditions is pivotal for developing modern high-yielding germplasm and cultivars. The objectives of this study were to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) linked to yield and yield components using a mapping population derived from ‘TAM 113’/‘Gallagher’, including 191 recombinant inbred lines (RILs). The population was grown in McGregor, College Station, and Bushland, Texas, for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021. A high-density genetic map covering all 21 chromosomes was constructed using a set of 8,075 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). A total of 147 QTLs for 16 yield-related traits were identified, which included 16 QTLs consistently detected in multiple experiments and 8 QTLs that showed pleiotropic effects. Of them, five pleiotropic QTLs overlapped with the consistent QTL. They increased grain yield (YLD) up to 37.64 g m−2, thousand kernel weight (TKW) up to 1.33 g, harvest (HI) up to 0.97%, kernel length up to 0.08 mm, and kernel width up to 0.04 mm with Gallagher alleles and increased YLD up to 22.21 g m−2, kernels spike−1 up to 1.77, TKW up to 1.14 g, and HI up to 3.72% with TAM 113 alleles. One major and consistent QTL on chromosome 2D at 34.4 Mbp overlapped with the major photoperiod gene Ppd-D1 and was affected by multiple traits, including kernel diameter (DIAM), TKW, kernel hardness index (KHI), heading date (HD), and plant height (PH). Another QTL cluster region on 7D between 52 and 66 Mbp, encompassing one consistent and three pleiotropic QTLs. One of the pleiotropic QTLs at 52 Mbp increased YLD up to 24.16 g m−2, HI up to 1%, and DIAM up to 0.03 mm. This study dissected genetic loci associated with yield and yield-related traits, providing valuable information on wheat improvement using marker-assisted selection (MAS).

Abstract Wheat cultivars ‘TAM 111’ and ‘TAM 112’ have been dominantly grown in the Southern U.S. Great Plains for many years due to their high yield and drought tolerance. To identify the molecular basis and genetic control of drought tolerance in these two landmark cultivars, RNA-seq analysis was conducted to compare gene expression difference in flag leaves under fully irrigated (wet) and water deficient (dry) conditions. A total of 2254 genes showed significantly altered expression patterns under dry and wet conditions in the two cultivars. TAM 111 had 593 and 1532 dry–wet differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and TAM 112 had 777 and 1670 at heading and grain-filling stages, respectively. The two cultivars have 1214 (53.9%) dry–wet DEGs in common, which agreed with their excellent adaption to drought, but 438 and 602 dry–wet DEGs were respectively shown only in TAM 111 and TAM 112 suggested that each has a specific mechanism to cope with drought. Annotations of all 2254 genes showed 1855 have functions related to biosynthesis, stress responses, defense responses, transcription factors and cellular components related to ion or protein transportation and signal transduction. Comparing hierarchical structure of biological processes, molecule functions and cellular components revealed the significant regulation differences between TAM 111 and TAM 112, particularly for genes of phosphorylation and adenyl ribonucleotide binding, and proteins located in nucleus and plasma membrane. TAM 112 showed more active than TAM 111 in response to drought and carried more specific genes with most of them were up-regulated in responses to stresses of water deprivation, heat and oxidative, ABA-induced signal pathway and transcription regulation. In addition, 258 genes encoding predicted uncharacterized proteins and 141 unannotated genes with no similar sequences identified in the databases may represent novel genes related to drought response in TAM 111 or TAM 112. This research thus revealed different drought-tolerance mechanisms in TAM 111 and TAM 112 and identified useful drought tolerance genes for wheat adaption. Data of gene sequence and expression regulation from this study also provided useful information of annotating novel genes associated with drought tolerance in the wheat genome.

Blumenfeld and Eyer et al. retrace the invasion history of the termite Coptotermes formosansus from eastern Asia to the US using approximate Bayesian computation. They find a complex invasion history, with multiple introductions originating from eastern Asia, as well as a bridgehead introduction originating from Hawaii, which appears to have mitigated the loss of genetic diversity within the invasive US range.

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis could help to identify suitable molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding (MAB). A mapping population of 124 F5:7recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross ‘TAM 112’/‘TAM 111’ was grown under 28 diverse environments and evaluated for grain yield, test weight, heading date, and plant height. The objective of this study was to detect QTL conferring grain yield and agronomic traits from multiple mega-environments. Through a linkage map with 5,948 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 51 QTL were consistently identified in two or more environments or analyses. Ten QTL linked to two or more traits were also identified on chromosomes 1A, 1D, 4B, 4D, 6A, 7B, and 7D. Those QTL explained up to 13.3% of additive phenotypic variations with the additive logarithm of odds (LOD(A)) scores up to 11.2. The additive effect increased yield up to 8.16 and 6.57 g m−2 and increased test weight by 2.14 and 3.47 kg m−3 with favorable alleles from TAM 111 and TAM 112, respectively. Seven major QTL for yield and six for TW with one in common were of our interest on MAB as they explained 5% or more phenotypic variations through additive effects. This study confirmed previously identified loci and identified new QTL and the favorable alleles for improving grain yield and agronomic traits.

Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variation allows for the capture of haplotype structure in populations and prediction of unobserved genotypes based on inferred regions of identity-by-descent (IBD). Here we have used a first-generation wheat haplotype map created by targeted re-sequencing of low-copy genomic regions in the reference panel of 62 lines to impute marker genotypes in a diverse panel of winter wheat cultivars from the U.S. Great Plains. The IBD segments between the reference population and winter wheat cultivars were identified based on SNP genotyped using the 90K iSelect wheat array and genotyping by sequencing (GBS). A genome-wide association study and genomic prediction of resistance to stripe rust in winter wheat cultivars showed that an increase in marker density achieved by imputation improved both the power and precision of trait mapping and prediction. The majority of the most significant marker-trait associations belonged to imputed genotypes. With the vast amount of SNP variation data accumulated for wheat in recent years, the presented imputation framework will greatly improve prediction accuracy in breeding populations and increase resolution of trait mapping hence, facilitate cross-referencing of genotype datasets available across different wheat populations.

Two drought-tolerant wheat cultivars, 'TAM 111' and 'TAM 112', have been widely grown in the Southern Great Plains of the U.S. and used as parents in many wheat breeding programs worldwide. This study aimed to reveal genetic control of yield and yield components in the two cultivars under both dryland and irrigated conditions. A mapping population containing 124 F5:7 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed from the cross of TAM 112/TAM 111. A set of 5,948 SNPs from the wheat 90K iSelect array and double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing was used to construct high-density genetic maps. Data for yield and yield components were obtained from 11 environments. QTL analyses were performed based on 11 individual environments, across all environments, within and across mega-environments. Thirty-six unique consistent QTL regions were distributed on 13 chromosomes including 1A, 1B, 1D, 2A, 2D, 3D, 4B, 4D, 6A, 6B, 6D, 7B, and 7D. Ten unique QTL with pleiotropic effects were identified on four chromosomes and eight were in common with the consistent QTL. These QTL increased dry biomass grain yield by 16.3 g m-2, plot yield by 28.1 g m-2, kernels spike-1 by 0.7, spikes m-2 by 14.8, thousand kernel weight by 0.9 g with favorable alleles from either parent. TAM 112 alleles mainly increased spikes m-2 and thousand kernel weight while TMA 111 alleles increased kernels spike-1, harvest index and grain yield. The saturated genetic map and markers linked to significant QTL from this study will be very useful in developing high throughput genotyping markers for tracking the desirable haplotypes of these important yield-related traits in popular parental cultivars.

Global climate change has increased the number of severe flooding events that affect agriculture, including rice production in the U.S. and internationally. Heavy rainfall can cause rice plants to be completely submerged, which can significantly affect grain yield or completely destroy the plants. Recently, a major effect submergence tolerance QTL during the vegetative stage, qSub8.1, which originated from Ciherang-Sub1, was identified in a mapping population derived from a cross between Ciherang-Sub1 and IR10F365. Ciherang-Sub1 was, in turn, derived from a cross between Ciherang and IR64-Sub1. Here, we characterize the qSub8.1 region by analyzing the sequence information of Ciherang-Sub1 and its two parents (Ciherang and IR64-Sub1) and compare the whole genome profile of these varieties with the Nipponbare and Minghui 63 (MH63) reference genomes. The three rice varieties were sequenced with 150 bp pair-end whole-genome shotgun sequencing (Illumina HiSeq4000), followed by performing the Trimmomatic-SOAPdenovo2-MUMmer3 pipeline for genome assembly, resulting in approximate genome sizes of 354.4, 343.7, and 344.7 Mb, with N50 values of 25.1, 25.4, and 26.1 kb, respectively. The results showed that the Ciherang-Sub1 genome is composed of 59–63% Ciherang, 22–24% of IR64-Sub1, and 15–17% of unknown sources. The genome profile revealed a more detailed genomic composition than previous marker-assisted breeding and showed that the qSub8.1 region is mostly from Ciherang, with some introgressed segments from IR64-Sub1 and currently unknown source(s).

Abstract Background The soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is one of the most devastating diseases limiting soybean production worldwide. It is known that small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), play important roles in regulating plant growth and development, defense against pathogens, and responses to environmental changes. Results In order to understand the role of soybean miRNAs during SCN infection, we analyzed 24 small RNA libraries including three biological replicates from two soybean cultivars (SCN susceptible KS4607, and SCN HG Type 7 resistant KS4313N) that were grown under SCN-infested and -noninfested soil at two different time points (SCN feeding establishment and egg production). In total, 537 known and 70 putative novel miRNAs in soybean were identified from a total of 0.3 billion reads (average about 13.5 million reads for each sample) with the programs of Bowtie and miRDeep2 mapper. Differential expression analyses were carried out using edgeR to identify miRNAs involved in the soybean-SCN interaction. Comparative analysis of miRNA profiling indicated a total of 60 miRNAs belonging to 25 families that might be specifically related to cultivar responses to SCN. Quantitative RT-PCR validated similar miRNA interaction patterns as sequencing results. Conclusion These findings suggest that miRNAs are likely to play key roles in soybean response to SCN. The present work could provide a framework for miRNA functional identification and the development of novel approaches for improving soybean SCN resistance in future studies.

Abstract Background Two opposing evolutionary constraints exert pressure on plant pathogens: one to diversify virulence factors in order to evade plant defenses, and the other to retain virulence factors critical for maintaining a compatible interaction with the plant host. To better understand how the diversified arsenals of fungal genes promote interaction with the same compatible wheat line, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of two North American isolates of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt). Results The patterns of inter-isolate divergence in the secreted candidate effector genes were compared with the levels of conservation and divergence of plant-pathogen gene co-expression networks (GCN) developed for each isolate. Comprative genomic analyses revealed substantial level of interisolate divergence in effector gene complement and sequence divergence. Gene Ontology (GO) analyses of the conserved and unique parts of the isolate-specific GCNs identified a number of conserved host pathways targeted by both isolates. Interestingly, the degree of inter-isolate sub-network conservation varied widely for the different host pathways and was positively associated with the proportion of conserved effector candidates associated with each sub-network. While different Pgt isolates tended to exploit similar wheat pathways for infection, the mode of plant-pathogen interaction varied for different pathways with some pathways being associated with the conserved set of effectors and others being linked with the diverged or isolate-specific effectors. Conclusions Our data suggest that at the intra-species level pathogen populations likely maintain divergent sets of effectors capable of targeting the same plant host pathways. This functional redundancy may play an important role in the dynamic of the “arms-race” between host and pathogen serving as the basis for diverse virulence strategies and creating conditions where mutations in certain effector groups will not have a major effect on the pathogen’s ability to infect the host.

People-to-people exchange has become a heated topic of the Chinese foreign policy. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, China has established people-to-people dialogues with the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France and Russia. In 2012, China and the EU established a high-level dialogue for people-to-people exchange, making people-to-people exchange the third pillar of China-EU relations. However, China is not a newcomer to people-to-people exchanges with Europe. Why does China launch the people-to-people diplomacy? Is it a plus or a must for China as well as for China-EU relations? The author reviews the history and current situation of China's people-to-people exchange and investigates China’s motivations behind the policy. Using the historical institutionalism as an approach, this paper argues that people-to-people diplomacy is a key component of the contemporary Chinese foreign policy towards Europe. China has long been an unequal counterpart to Europe since the 1840s. After the development of bilateral political and economic cooperation in the past four decades, people-to-people diplomacy is the last part that China needs to finish in order to regain equal status with Europe. In addition, it is also a step towards realising the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation".

CYP82E4, a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, has nicotine N-demethylase (NND) activity, which mediates the bioconversion of nicotine into nornicotine in senescing tobacco leaves. Nornicotine is a precursor of the carcinogen, tobacco-specific nitrosamine. CYP82E3 is an ortholog of CYP82E4 with 95% sequence identity, but it lacks NND activity. A recent site-directed mutagenesis study revealed that a single amino acid substitution, i.e., cysteine to tryptophan at the 330 position in the middle of protein, restores the NND activity of CYP82E3 entirely. However, the same amino acid change caused the loss of the NND activity of CYP82E4. To determine the mechanism of the functional turnover of the two molecules, four 3D structures, i.e., the two molecules and their corresponding cys-trp mutants were modeled. The resulting structures exhibited that the mutation site is far from the active site, which suggests that no direct interaction occurs between the two sites. Simulation studies in different biological scenarios revealed that the mutation introduces a conformation drift with the largest change at the F-G loop. The dynamics trajectories analysis using principal component analysis and covariance analysis suggests that the single amino acid change causes the opening and closing of the transfer channels of the substrates, products, and water by altering the motion of the F-G and B-C loops. The motion of helix I is also correlated with the motion of both the F-G loop and the B-C loop and; the single amino acid mutation resulted in the curvature of helix I. These results suggest that the single amino acid mutation outside the active site region may have indirectly mediated the flexibility of the F-G and B-C loops through helix I, causing a functional turnover of the P450 monooxygenase.

The purpose of 3D human pose estimation is to predict information such as the 3D coordinate position and angle of human joint points, and construct human representations (such as human bones) for further analysis of human posture. With the continuous advancement of deep learning methods, more and more high-performance 3D human pose estimation methods based on deep learning have been proposed. However, due to the human occlusion of the picture and the large demand for training scale, there are still challenges in 3D human pose estimation. The research purpose of this paper is to review a number of research papers in recent years, analyze and compare the reasoning process and core elements of these methods, and comprehensively elaborate the 3D human pose estimation methods based on deep learning in recent years. In addition, this paper also introduces the relevant datasets and evaluation indicators, compares the experimental data of some models on the Human3.6M dataset, Campus dataset and Shelf dataset, and analyzes and compares the experimental results. Finally, according to the results of this survey, the difficulties and challenges faced by the current 3D human pose estimation are discussed, and the future development of 3D human pose estimation is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis could help to identify suitable molecular markers for marker-assisted breeding (MAB). A mapping population of 124 F5:7recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross ‘TAM 112’/‘TAM 111’ was grown under 28 diverse environments and evaluated for grain yield, test weight, heading date, and plant height. The objective of this study was to detect QTL conferring grain yield and agronomic traits from multiple mega-environments. Through a linkage map with 5,948 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 51 QTL were consistently identified in two or more environments or analyses. Ten QTL linked to two or more traits were also identified on chromosomes 1A, 1D, 4B, 4D, 6A, 7B, and 7D. Those QTL explained up to 13.3% of additive phenotypic variations with the additive logarithm of odds (LOD(A)) scores up to 11.2. The additive effect increased yield up to 8.16 and 6.57 g m−2 and increased test weight by 2.14 and 3.47 kg m−3 with favorable alleles from TAM 111 and TAM 112, respectively. Seven major QTL for yield and six for TW with one in common were of our interest on MAB as they explained 5% or more phenotypic variations through additive effects. This study confirmed previously identified loci and identified new QTL and the favorable alleles for improving grain yield and agronomic traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]