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ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological characteristics, spatiotemporal clustering, and changing trends of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in Fujian province from 2009 to 2022. MethodsData on HFMD cases in Fujian province from 2009 to 2022 were obtained from the Surveillance Reporting Management System of the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. Descriptive epidemiology, Joinpoint regression, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and spatiotemporal scanning were used to analyze HFMD in Fujian province. ResultsA total of 927 366 HFMD cases were reported in Fujian province from 2009 to 2022, with an average annual reported incidence rate of 172.15/100 000, severe case rate of 0.62/100 000, mortality rate of 0.018/100 000, and case fatality rate of 10.68/100 000. The reported incidence rate, severe case rate, mortality rate, and case fatality rate of HFMD all showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. HFMD incidence exhibited obvious seasonality, with two peaks each year, the main peak in May – June and the secondary peak in September – November. The key population was children aged < 5 years, accounting for 91.33% of all cases. Among 40 637 laboratory-confirmed cases, accounting for 4.38% of all confirmed cases, 28.93% (11 756/40 637) were positive for enterovirus A71 (EV-A71), 20.38% (8 280/40 637) were positive for coxsackievirus A16 (COX-A16), and 50.69% (20 601/40 637) were positive for other enteroviruses. Spatiotemporal clustering of HFMD existed in Fujian province (Moran′s I = 0.15 – 0.56, P < 0.05). Spatiotemporal scanning detected three clusters, one primary cluster and two secondary clusters. ConclusionObvious spatiotemporal clustering of HFMD existed in Fujian province from 2009 to 2022, and the overall epidemic trend first increased and then decreased. Prevention and control of the epidemic should focus on the prefecture-level city unit and strengthen HFMD prevention and control for key populations and before the arrival of epidemic peaks.

Accurate and complete road network extraction plays a critical role in urban planning, street navigation, and emergency response. At present, narrow roads are a main feature in most public road datasets. However, the continuity and boundary completeness of the extraction results for these narrow roads are relatively poor, due to their varied shapes, uneven spatial distribution, and the presence of various interfering elements. To address these issues, this study introduces a novel network, the Self-weighted Global Context Road Extraction Network (SWGE-Net), which integrates a dilate block and an improved coordinate attention mechanism to effectively capture the complex details and spatial information of narrow roads. Furthermore, most public road training datasets often lack labels for very narrow roads, this omission leads to poor extraction results for these roads in test datasets. In order to further improve the extraction capability for unlabeled, extremely narrow roads, this study introduces another network called the Multi-scale Information Fusion Road Extraction Network (MSIF-Net), which uses the same encoders as SWGE-Net and has a special module for merging information at different scales. This module, with a dilate block and pyramid pooling-based decoder, makes the network better at recognizing and combining features of different sizes. Experimental results indicate that SWGE-Net outperforms the baseline network with road IoU scores of 71.57% and 60.67% on the DeepGlobe and CHN6-CUG road datasets, respectively an improvement of 18.51% and 5.40%. Meanwhile, MSIF-Net not only exceeds the baseline in road IoU scores for both datasets, but also achieves the best performance in extracting unlabeled, extremely narrow roads in qualitative experiments.

Background Complex intracranial aneurysms are one of the most difficult cerebrovascular diseases to treat, and even experienced cerebrovascular surgeons face great challenges. Intracranial - intracranial bypass with interposition graft has its unique surgical indications and technical points, but there is a lack of research reports in the literature at home and abroad. Methods Six patients with complex intracranial aneurysms who were cured by intracranial-intracranial bypass with interposition graft from January 2015 to December 2023 in The First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital were enrolled, DSA was used to evaluate the patency of postoperative grafts and aneurysm development, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to evaluate the neurological prognosis, and the procedure - related complications such as cerebral infarction, intracranial hemorrhage, scalp nonunion, and forearm nerve dysfunction were recorded. Results All 6 patients successfully completed intracranial-intracranial bypass with interposition graft, with superficial temporal artery (STA) in 5 cases and radial artery (RA) in one case. The grafts were embedded between the proximal and distal parent arteries in 2 cases, and the grafts were bridged between the distal donor and proximal donor in 2 cases, one case was reconstructed in a "Y" shape between the artery and the recipient artery, one case was reconnected proximally to the donor artery, and the distal end was anastomosed with the branch end - to - end. Postoperative DSA showed all aneurysms disappeared and the grafts were unobstructed. The average postoperative follow-up was 23.67 months, and there was no recurrence of aneurysms and grafts occlusion, and the mean mRS score was 0.33 at the last follow - up. There were no surgery - related complications after surgery. Conclusions Intracranial -intracranial bypass with interposition graft is an effective method for the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms, which has the technical advantages of strong flexibility, abundant variants and wide range of indications, and can provide more abundant, safe and effective individualized treatment strategies for cerebrovascular surgeons.

Abstract Tandem repeats (TRs) are genomic regions that tandemly change in repeat number, which are often multiallelic. Their characteristics and contributions to gene expression and quantitative traits in rice are largely unknown. Here, we survey rice TR variations based on 231 genome assemblies and the rice pan-genome graph. We identify 227,391 multiallelic TR loci, including 54,416 TR variations that are absent from the Nipponbare reference genome. Only 1/3 TR variations show strong linkage with nearby bi-allelic variants (SNPs, Indels and PAVs). Using 193 panicle and 202 leaf transcriptomic data, we reveal 485 and 511 TRs act as QTLs independently of other bi-allelic variations to nearby gene expression, respectively. Using plant height and grain width as examples, we identify and validate TRs contributions to rice agronomic trait variations. These findings would enhance our understanding of the functions of multiallelic variants and facilitate rice molecular breeding.

Abstract In August 2023, Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi K60 Ultra, the first multi-frequency smartphone integrated with BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System Precise Point Positioning (PPP-B2b) services and employing PPP technology as the primary positioning method. The positioning enhancement service is provided by the Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS) location platform developed by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. The signaling interaction between the server and the users strictly adheres to the Third Generation of Mobile Communications Technology Partnership Project Long-Term Evolution Positioning Protocol and the Open Mobile Alliance Secure User Plane Location framework. To comprehensively evaluate the Redmi K60 Ultra’s capabilities, this study designed six distinct experimental scenarios and conducted comprehensive research on multi-frequency and multi-GNSS observation noise, Time to First Fix (TTFF), as well as the performance of both GNSS-based and network-based positioning. Experimental results indicate that the GNSS chipset within the Redmi K60 Ultra has achieved a leading position in the consumer market concerning supported satellite constellations, frequencies, and observation accuracy, and is comparable to some low-cost GNSS receivers. A-GNSS positioning can reduce the TTFF from 30 to under 5 s, representing an improvement of over 85% in the cold start speed compared to a standalone GNSS mode. The positioning results show that the A-GNSS PPP-B2b service can achieve positioning performance with RMS errors of less than 1.5 m, 2.5 m, and 4 m in open-sky, realistic, and challenging urban environments. Compared to GNSS-based positioning, cellular network-based Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) positioning achieves an accuracy ranging from tens to hundreds of meters in various experimental scenarios and currently functions primarily as coarse location determination. Additionally, this study explores the potential of the Three-Dimensional Mapping-Aided (3DMA) GNSS algorithm in detecting Non-Line-of-Sight signals and enhancing positioning performance. The results indicate that 3DMA PPP, as compared to conventional PPP, can significantly accelerate PPP convergence and improve positioning accuracy by over 30%. Consequently, 3D city models can be utilized as future assistance data for the A-GNSS location platform.

Abstract. Background:. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants. Methods:. A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18–79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere–Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance. Results:. All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction

ABSTRACT The discovery of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2-like and Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-like viruses in Malayan pangolins has raised concerns about their potential role in the spread of zoonotic diseases. Herein, we describe the isolation and whole-genome sequencing of potentially zoonotic two bacterial pathogens from diseased Malaysian pangolins (Manis javanica)—Corynebacterium ulcerans and Erysipelothrix sp. The newly identified species were designated as C. ulcerans P69 and Erysipelothrix sp. P66. C. ulcerans P69 exhibited 99.2% whole-genome nucleotide identity to human bacterial isolate 4940, suggesting that it might have zoonotic potential. Notably, C. ulcerans P69 lacked the diphtheria toxin (tox) gene that is widely used in vaccines to protect humans from corynebacterial infection, which suggests that the current vaccine may be of limited efficacy against this pangolin strain. C. ulcerans P69 also contains other known virulence-associated genes such as pld and exhibits resistance to several antibiotics (erythromycin, clindamycin, penicillin G, gentamicin, tetracycline), which may affect its effective control. Erysipelothrix sp. P66 was closely related to Erysipelothrix sp. strain 2-related strains, exhibiting 98.8% whole-genome nucleotide identity. This bacterium is lethal in mice, and two commercial vaccines failed to protect its challenge, such that it could potentially pose a threat to the swine industry. Overall, this study highlights that, in addition to viruses, pangolins harbor bacteria that may pose a potential threat to humans and domestic animals, and which merit attention.IMPORTANCEThis study firstly reports the presence of two potentially zoonotic bacteria, Corynebacterium ulcerans and Erysipelothrix sp., in diseased Malaysian pangolins collected in 2019. The pangolin C. ulcerans is lethal in mice and resists many antibiotics. It clustered with a lethal human strain but lacked the diphtheria toxin gene. Diphtheria toxin is widely used as a vaccine around the world to protect humans from the infection of corynebacteria. The lack of the tox gene suggests that the current vaccine may be of limited efficacy against this pangolin strain. The pangolin Erysipelothrix sp. is the sister clade of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. It is lethal in mice, and two commercial vaccines failed to protect the mice against challenge with the pangolin Erysipelothrix sp., such that this strain could potentially pose a threat to the swine industry. These findings emphasize the potential threat of pangolin bacteria.

3D reconstruction plays an increasingly important role in modern photogrammetric systems. Conventional satellite or aerial-based remote sensing (RS) platforms can provide the necessary data sources for the 3D reconstruction of large-scale landforms and cities. Even with low-altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), 3D reconstruction in complicated situations, such as urban canyons and indoor scenes, is challenging due to frequent tracking failures between camera frames and high data collection costs. Recently, spherical images have been extensively used due to the capability of recording surrounding environments from one image. In contrast to perspective images with limited Field of View (FOV), spherical images can cover the whole scene with full horizontal and vertical FOV and facilitate camera tracking and data acquisition in these complex scenes. With the rapid evolution and extensive use of professional and consumer-grade spherical cameras, spherical images show great potential for the 3D modeling of urban and indoor scenes. Classical 3D reconstruction pipelines, however, cannot be directly used for spherical images. Besides, there exist few software packages that are designed for the 3D reconstruction from spherical images. As a result, this research provides a thorough survey of the state-of-the-art for 3D reconstruction from spherical images in terms of data acquisition, feature detection and matching, image orientation, and dense matching as well as presenting promising applications and discussing potential prospects. We anticipate that this study offers insightful clues to direct future research.

Pain not only affects the physical and mental health of individuals, but also imposes a huge burden on society as a whole. Traditional pain management measures are diverse, but each has its limitations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new tools. Digital therapies are booming, and virtual reality (VR) has been widely used, especially in the field of pain management. VR uses assistive tools, such as headsets, to build a three-dimensional virtual world with the participation of multiple senses, including vision, hearing, and smell, so that it can make user feel being there. This review aims to summarize the application and mechanism of VR in the field of pain management, with the hope of making VR a new choice for pain management.

Abstract To assess cardiometabolic profiles and proteomics to identify biomarkers associated with the metabolically healthy and unhealthy obesity. Young adults (N = 156) enrolled were classified as not having obesity, metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUHO) based on NCEP ATP-III criteria. Plasma proteomics at study entry were measured using Olink Cardiometabolic Explore panel. Linear regression was used to assess associations between proteomics and obesity groups as well as cardiometabolic traits of glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles at baseline and follow-up visits. Enriched biological pathways were further identified based on the significant proteomic features. Among the baseline 95 (61%) and 61 (39%) participants classified as not having obesity and having obesity (8 MHO and 53 MUHO), respectively. Eighty of the participants were followed-up with an average 4.6 years. Forty-one proteins were associated with obesity (FDR

Bone Marrow mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) are considered as an important source of cells for regenerative medicine, In particular, Bone Marrow mesenchymal Stem Cells Exosomes (BMSCs-EXO) have the most significant effect in the treatment of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), but the mechanism of action is still unknown. This study found that compared with other SCI groups, BMSCs-EXO loaded with miR-146a could significantly improve the functional recovery of the hind limbs of SCI rats. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) indicated that the lesion area of spinal cord injury was less, nissl staining indicated that the number of nissl bodies remained more; the mechanism may be through inhibiting the expression of IRAK1 and TRAF6, blocking the activation of NF-κB p65, reducing the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 inflammatory factors and oxidative stress, improving the SCI microenvironment, and promoting the repair of neural function. In general, we found that BMSCs-EXO loaded with miR-146a could reduce the inflammatory response and oxidative stress in SCI by inhibiting the activation of IRAK1/TRAF6/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway, and promote the recovery of neurological function in SCI rats.

BackgroundHybrid immunity (a combination of natural and vaccine-induced immunity) provides additional immune protection against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reinfection. Today, people are commonly infected and vaccinated; hence, hybrid immunity is the norm. However, the mitigation of the risk of Omicron variant reinfection by hybrid immunity and the durability of its protection remain uncertain. This meta-analysis aims to explore hybrid immunity to mitigate the risk of Omicron variant reinfection and its protective durability to provide a new evidence-based basis for the development and optimization of immunization strategies and improve the public’s awareness and participation in COVID-19 vaccination, especially in vulnerable and at-risk populations.MethodsEmbase, PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases were searched for publicly available literature up to 10 June 2024. Two researchers independently completed the data extraction and risk of bias assessment and cross-checked each other. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale assessed the risk of bias in included cohort and case–control studies, while criteria recommended by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) evaluated cross-sectional studies. The extracted data were synthesized in an Excel spreadsheet according to the predefined items to be collected. The outcome was Omicron variant reinfection, reported as an Odds Ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) and Protective Effectiveness (PE) with 95% CI. The data were pooled using a random- or fixed-effects model based on the I2 test. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed.ResultsThirty-three articles were included. Compared with the natural immunity group, the hybrid immunity (booster vaccination) group had the highest level of mitigation in the risk of reinfection (OR = 0.43, 95% CI:0.34–0.56), followed by the complete vaccination group (OR = 0.58, 95% CI:0.45–0.74), and lastly the incomplete vaccination group (OR = 0.64, 95% CI:0.44–0.93). Compared with the complete vaccination-only group, the hybrid immunity (complete vaccination) group mitigated the risk of reinfection by 65% (OR = 0.35, 95% CI:0.27–0.46), and the hybrid immunity (booster vaccination) group mitigated the risk of reinfection by an additional 29% (OR = 0.71, 95% CI:0.61–0.84) compared with the hybrid immunity (complete vaccination) group. The effectiveness of hybrid immunity (incomplete vaccination) in mitigating the risk of reinfection was 37.88% (95% CI, 28.88–46.89%) within 270–364 days, and decreased to 33.23%% (95% CI, 23.80–42.66%) within 365–639 days; whereas, the effectiveness after complete vaccination was 54.36% (95% CI, 50.82–57.90%) within 270–364 days, and the effectiveness of booster vaccination was 73.49% (95% CI, 68.95–78.04%) within 90–119 days.ConclusionHybrid immunity was significantly more protective than natural or vaccination-induced immunity, and booster doses were associated with enhanced protection against Omicron. Although its protective effects waned over time, vaccination remains a crucial measure for controlling COVID-19.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier, CRD42024539682.

Bacterial wilt (BW) is a devastating plant disease caused by the soil-borne bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (Rssc). Numerous efforts have been exerted to control BW, but effective, economical, and environmentally friendly approaches are still not available. Bacteriophages are a promising resource for the control of bacterial diseases, including BW. So, in this study, a crop BW pathogen of lytic bacteriophage was isolated and named PQ43W. Biological characterization revealed PQ43W had a short latent period of 15 min, 74 PFU/cell of brust sizes, and good stability at a wide range temperatures and pH but a weak resistance against UV radiation. Sequencing revealed phage PQ43W contained a circular double-stranded DNA genome of 47,156 bp with 65 predicted open reading frames (ORFs) and genome annotation showed good environmental security for the PQ43W that no tRNA, antibiotic resistance, or virulence genes contained. Taxonomic classification showed PQ43W belongs to a novel genus of subfamily Kantovirinae under Caudoviricetes. Subsequently, a dose of PQ43W for phage therapy in controlling crop BW was determined: 108 PFU*20 mL per plant with non-invasive irrigation root application twice by pot experiment. Finally, a field experiment of PQ43W showed a significantly better control effect in crop BW than the conventional bactericide Zhongshengmycin. Therefore, bacteriophage PQ43W is an effective bio-control resource for controlling BW diseases, especially for crop cultivation.

The application of green prevention and control techniques (GCTs) is a vital measure for improving the quality of agricultural products and enhancing the safety of the ecological environment and agricultural production. However, realistically, limited by the small-scale, part-time and decentralized business model, the adoption of GCTs by family farms in China faces practical problems such as insufficient internal transformation force and ability, as well as low external supervision efficiency. To reveal the directions of promoting family farms' GCTs adoption behavior, we establish a comprehensive theoretical model through the application of a novel integrated approach combining two dominant psychological theories of behavior change: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM). We apply this framework to targeted research of vegetable growers in Henan Province in China using survey data (sample n = 653) analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM). The integrated TPB-NAM model provides insight into both internal motivation and external environmental conditions for farmers' predicted adoption of GCTs. First, internal motivation, value cognition and personal norms are all driving factors affecting the GCTs behavioral intention of vegetable family farms. When GCTs are driven by the dual motivations of “self-interest” (personal norms) and “others-interest” (value cognition), personal norms can be activated by two factors: awareness of consequences and responsibility attribution. Furthermore, social norms, capital endowment and government regulation are the pressure and obstacle factors affecting the GCTs application of vegetable family farms. Social norms can indirectly affect the application of GCTs by forming personal norms. In addition, there are differences between the influencing factors and mechanism of GCTs adoption behavior intention of family farms of different sizes. Based on this, we propose some specific policy suggestions from three aspects: enhance value cognition, improve environmental awareness and responsibility perception, fill in the shortcomings of capital endowment, and implement differentiated incentive and restraint policies.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) infection poses enormous threats and challenges to the global pig industry; however, no effective vaccine is available against ASFV, attributing to the huge viral genome (approximately189 kb) and numerous encoding products (>150 genes) due to the limited understanding on the molecular mechanisms of viral pathogenesis. Elucidating the host-factor/viral-protein interaction network will reveal new targets for developing novel antiviral therapies. Using proteomic analysis, we identified 255 cellular proteins that interact with the ASFV-encoded pE301R protein when transiently expressed in HEK293T cells. Gene ontology (GO) annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database enrichment, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses revealed that pE301R-interacting host proteins are potentially involved in various biological processes, including protein translation and folding, response to stimulation, and mitochondrial transmembrane transport. The interactions of two putative cellular proteins (apoptosis inducing factor mitochondria associated 1 (AIFM1) and vimentin (VIM)) with pE301R-apoptosis inducing factor have been verified by co-immunoprecipitation. Our study revealed the inhibitory role of pE301R in interferon (IFN) induction that involves VIM sequestration by pE301R, identified interactions between ASFV pE301R and cellular proteins, and predicted the potential function of pE301R and its associated biological processes, providing valuable information to enhance our understanding of viral protein function, pathogenesis, and potential candidates for the prevention and control of ASFV infection.

Environmental pollution is widespread and poses significant risks to both human populations and diverse animal species. As part of conservation initiatives, many endangered animals are housed in zoos and breeding centers close to human activities, potentially exposing them to health threats arising from environmental contamination, such as mercury (Hg). By analyzing non-invasive fecal samples from 13 Chinese zoos, we assessed total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in two non-human primate species: the endangered species golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana), and the most widely distributed rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The concentration of THg in golden snub-nosed monkeys (mean ± s.d.: 76.7 ± 35.6 ng/g; median: 71.8 ng/g, range: 11.2–200.0 ng/g, n = 71) was significantly higher than that in rhesus macaques (mean ± s.d.: 32.3 ± 54.7 ng/g; median: 17.5 ng/g, range: 7.4–409.0 ng/g, n = 98). No significant differences were observed in both MeHg and MeHg % between these two species. Age and sex did not predict fecal Hg. Among adults, approximately 85 % of sampled individuals exhibited hazard quotient (HQ) values exceeding 1, indicating mercury poses a health risk to captive primate populations. The average HQ for golden snub-nosed monkeys was 2.98 ± 1.68 (range: 0.46–8.21, n = 43), while for rhesus macaques was 1.84 ± 1.64 (range: 0.61–12.49, n = 71). Our findings suggest that conservation efforts for captive primates may be compromised by Hg pollution, particularly in golden snub-nosed monkeys. Further investigation and ongoing biomonitoring from an ecotoxicological perspective, are crucial to ensuring the health of captive primate populations.

Abstract Bird sex chromosomes play a unique role in sex-determination, and affect the sexual morphology and behavior of bird species. Core waterbirds, a major clade of birds, share the common characteristics of being sexually monomorphic and having lower levels of inter-sexual conflict, yet their sex chromosome evolution remains poorly understood. Here, by we analyse of a chromosome-level assembly of a female crested ibis (Nipponia nippon), a typical core waterbird. We identify neo-sex chromosomes resulting from fusion of microchromosomes with ancient sex chromosomes. These fusion events likely occurred following the divergence of Threskiornithidae and Ardeidae. The neo-W chromosome of the crested ibis exhibits the characteristics of slow degradation, which is reflected in its retention of abundant gametologous genes. Neo-W chromosome genes display an apparent ovary-biased gene expression, which is largely driven by genes that are retained on the crested ibis W chromosome but lost in other bird species. These results provide new insights into the evolutionary history and expression patterns for the sex chromosomes of bird species.

The study of catalytic reaction mechanism is a critical and extremely challenging project. Online monitoring of reactants, intermediates and products during catalytic reactions can provide key evidence for the in-depth study of complex catalytic reaction networks, reaction pathways and reaction kinetics. As an online mass spectrometry based on soft ionization technique, vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry (VUV-PIMS) has proven itself as a versatile and powerful analytical technique for online and real-time process monitoring, which has gradually become a highly concerned characterization technique for catalytic reaction processes due to its advantages of high molecular ion yield, simple spectrum interpretation and high sensitivity. Compared with other commonly used synchrotron radiation and laser-based VUV light sources, the low pressure discharge lamps filled with various rare gases are compact, easy to operate, and low cost, such as krypton discharge lamps. However, the relatively low photon intensity of these lamps limits their applications. The efforts have been taken to develop stronger VUV light sources or lamp-based efficient combined ion sources to solve this issue. In this paper, the development of VUV-PIMS technology, especially the research progress of photoionization ion sources based on the VUV lamp, were reviewed, such as high-pressure photoionization (HPPI) source, single photon ionization-photoelectron ionization (SPI-PEI) combined ion source, and single photon ionization-chemical ionization (SPI-CI) combined ion source. By combining capillary sampling technology or molecular beam sampling technology, the applications of VUV-PIMS for real-time and online monitoring of stable products and active intermediates in catalytic processes were introduced, such as ammonia synthesis, methane/ethane catalytic conversion, methanol to olefins. The applications in online monitoring of these catalytic reaction processes exhibited an excellent performance and wide potential applications of VUV-PIMS in process monitoring and reaction mechanism research. Finally, the future development trend of VUV-PIMS was prospected for the application requirements of accurate characterization of catalytic reaction process.

Alternaria alternata is an economically important pathogen that can cause severe plant diseases in various crops, such as citrus, pear, strawberry, and tobacco. Here, we report on the genome sequence of A. alternata DZ causing tobacco brown spot disease in most tobacco-producing areas. A total of 11 contigs, including 10 essential chromosomes and 1 mitochondria genome, were assembled by combining Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing technologies. All 10 assembled chromosomes enabled detection of at least one of the telomeric terminal repeat sequences CCCTAA/TTAGGG. The assembled chromosomes were a total of 34.11 Mb in length with a GC content of 50.95%, whereas the mitochondrial genome was 50,595 bp in length with a GC content of 29.16%. We were unable to identify any evidence of conditionally dispensable chromosomes in the genome of A. alternata DZ, nor were we able to locate any ACT gene orthologs. This genome resource will provide valuable insights for comparative genomics research of the Alternaria genus and serve as a useful resource in investigations of plant-pathogen molecular interactions. [Figure: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Paramyxoviruses are important pathogens affecting various animals, including mammals and humans. Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5)—a member of the family Paramyxoviridae—is a major threat to the health of mammals and humans. However, studies on terrestrial wild animals infected with PIV5 are scanty. In this study, we utilized reverse transcription PCR to detect PIV5 infection in the visceral organ tissues of a Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris ssp. altaica) with vomiting, diarrhea, and dyspnea before its death. A novel PIV5 (named SR strain) with a slowly progressive cytopathic effect was isolated in Vero cells and validated using a transmission electron microscope. Full-length sequencing and analysis revealed that the whole genome of the PIV5 SR strain contained 15,246 nucleotides (nt) and seven non-overlapping genes (3’-N-V/P-M-F-SH-HN-L-5′) encoding eight proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of three PIV5 strains identified in the same zoo confirmed that PIV5 strains SR and ZJQ-221 shared the closest genetic relationship as they were clustered in the same branch, while the recently found Siberian tiger strain SZ2 kept a certain distance and formed a relatively unique branch. Furthermore, mutations of nt and amino acids (aa) between strains ZJQ-221, SR, and SZ2 were identified. In summary, we report the identification and genomic characterization of a novel PIV5 strain SR isolated in a Siberian tiger, which may help future research on interspecific transmission mechanisms.

Abstract Background The nuclear distribution E homologue 1 (NDE1) is a crucial dynein binding partner. The NDE1 protein has the potential to disrupt the normal functioning of centrosomes, leading to a compromised ability to generate spindles and ensure precise separation of chromosomes during cell division. The potential consequences of this phenomenon include genomic instability, malignant transformation and the proliferation of neoplastic growths. However, studies examining the connection between NDE1 and cancer is still very rare. Methods The expression level, prognostic impact, gene change, DNA methylation, protein interaction, mRNA m6A modification, ceRNA network, associated gene and function enrichment, and immune‐related effects of NDE1 in pan‐cancer were examined using a range of online analytic tools and the R software package. The CCK‐8 test, transwell assay, scratch assay and colony formation assay were used to confirm the effects of NDE1 on the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of bladder cancer cells. Results Numerous tumour types have elevated NDE1, which is linked to a bad prognosis. NDE1 is an excellent diagnostic tool for many different types of cancer. Numerous malignancies have been linked to genetic changes in NDE1. NDE1 was connected to TMB, MSI, several immunological checkpoint genes and immune cell infiltration. NDE1 is linked to a number of immunological subtypes. NDE1 could affect how well immunotherapy works to treat different types of cancer. NDE1 was mostly associated with cell cycle, chromosomal segregation, DNA replication and mitotic segregation, according to GO and KEGG analyses. NDE1 physically binds to PAFAH1B1 and DCTN1, respectively. The proliferation, invasion and metastasis of bladder cancer cells may be prevented by NDE1 knockdown. Furthermore, knockdown of NDE1 promoted the apoptosis of bladder cancer cells. Conclusion High expression of NDE1 is present in a variety of tumours, which is linked to a bad prognosis for cancer. Knockdown of NDE1 inhibited the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of bladder cancer cells, and promoted the apoptosis. For a number of malignancies, NDE1 may be a biomarker for immunotherapy and prognosis.

Background: Environmental temperature is negatively associated with blood pressure (BP), and hypertension may exacerbate this association. The aim of this study is to investigate whether hypertensive individuals are more susceptible to acute BP increases following temperature decrease than non-hypertensive individuals. Methods: The study panel consisted of 126 hypertensive and 125 non-hypertensive (n = 251) elderly participants who completed 940 clinical visits during the winter of 2016 and summer of 2017 in Beijing, China. Personal-level environmental temperature (PET) was continuously monitored for each participant with a portable sensor platform. We associated systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) with the average PET over 24 h before clinical visits using linear mixed-effects models and explored hourly lag patterns for the associations using distributed lag models. Results: We found that per 1 °C decrease in PET, hypertensive individuals showed an average (95 % confidence interval) increase of 0.96 (0.72, 1.19) and 0.28 (0.13, 0.42) mmHg for SBP and DBP, respectively; and non-hypertensive participants showed significantly smaller increases of 0.28 (0.03, 0.53) mmHg SBP and 0.14 (-0.01, 0.30) mmHg DBP. A lag pattern analysis showed that for hypertensive individuals, the increases in SBP and DBP were greatest following lag 1 h PET decrease and gradually attenuated up to lag 10 h exposure. No significant BP change was observed in non-hypertensive individuals associated with lag 1–24 h PET exposure. The enhanced increase in PET-associated BP in hypertensive participants (i.e., susceptibility) was more significant in winter than in summer. Conclusions: We found that a decrease in environmental temperature was associated with acute BP increases and these associations diminished over time, disappearing after approximately 10 hours. This implies that any intervention measures to prevent BP increases due to temperature drop should be implemented as soon as possible. Such timely interventions are particularly needed for hypertensive individuals especially during the cold season due to their increased susceptibility.

Traditional object detection algorithms require manual feature extraction when recognizing abnormal behavior of miners queuing, resulting in long detection time and low detection precision. The object detection algorithm based on convolutional neural networks has improved detection speed and precision. But its detection performance is difficult to guarantee in scenarios of obstruction, dimness, and uneven illumination. In order to solve the above problems, an improved YOLOv5s (HPI YOLOv5s) model is proposed. It is used for miner queue detection. The HPI-YOLOv5s model improves the path aggregation network (PANet) on the basis of the YOLOv5s model. By deleting a single input edge node and adding bidirectional crossing paths, a bidirectional cross feature pyramid network (BCrFPN) is constructed for multi-scale feature fusion. Considering the low robustness of label allocation strategies with manually set thresholds, a dynamic label allocation strategy (ATSS-PLUS) is proposed based on adaptive training sample selection (ATSS) to dynamically set thresholds. It can reasonably evaluate the quality of candidate samples and dynamically set thresholds for each real object, resulting in higher detection precision and robustness. The method calculates the intersection area between the face frame and the designated queue area using the half plane intersection method. The method compares the ratio of the intersection area to the face frame area with the set threshold to determine whether the miners are queuing in an orderly manner. The experimental results show that the HPI-YOLOv5s model has an accuracy improvement of 1.9%, a weight reduction of 32%, a parameter reduction of 6.9%, and a detection speed improvement of 7.8% compared to the YOLOv5s model. Moreover, it can more accurately recognize the queuing situation of miners in obstruction, dimness, and uneven illumination mine images.

Abstract Background Few studies have assessed air pollution exposure association with birthweight during both preconception and gestational periods. Methods Leveraging a preconception cohort consisting of 14220 pregnant women and newborn children in Shanghai, China during 2016–2018, we aim to assess associations of NO2 and PM2.5 exposure, derived from high-resolution spatial-temporal models, during preconception and gestational periods with outcomes including term birthweight, birthweight Z-score, small-for-gestational age (SGA) and large-for-gestational age (LGA). Linear and logistic regressions were used to estimate 3-month preconception and trimester-averaged air pollution exposure associations; and distributed lag models (DLM) were used to identify critical exposure windows at the weekly resolution from preconception to delivery. Two-pollutant models and children’s sex-specific associations were explored. Results After controlling for covariates, one standard deviation (SD) (11.5 μg/m3, equivalent to 6.1 ppb) increase in NO2 exposure during the second and the third trimester was associated with 13% (95% confidence interval: 2 – 26%) and 14% (95% CI: 1 – 29%) increase in SGA, respectively; and one SD (9.6 μg/m3) increase in PM2.5 exposure during the third trimester was associated with 15% (95% CI: 1 – 31%) increase in SGA. No association have been found for outcomes of birthweight, birthweight Z-score and LGA. DLM found that gestational weeks 22–32 were a critical window, when NO2 exposure had strongest associations with SGA. The associations of air pollution exposure tended to be stronger in female newborns than in male newborns. However, no significant associations of air pollution exposure during preconception period on birthweight outcomes were found. Conclusion Consistent with previous studies, we found that air pollution exposure during mid-to-late pregnancy was associated with adverse birthweight outcomes.

Abstract Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. However, the lack of accurate and effective targeted drugs has become a major problem in current clinical treatment of BCa. Studies have demonstrated that squalene epoxidase (SQLE), as a key rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis, is involved in cancer development. In this study, our analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas, The Genotype-Tissue Expression, and Gene Expression Omnibus databases showed that SQLE expression was significantly higher in cancer tissues than it was in adjacent normal tissues, and BCa tissues with a high SQLE expression displayed a poor prognosis. We then confirmed this result in qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical staining experiments, and our vitro studies demonstrated that SQLE knockdown inhibited tumor cell proliferation and metastasis through the PTEN/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway. By means of rescue experiments, we proved that that P53 is a key molecule in SQLE-mediated regulation of the PTEN/AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway. Simultaneously, we verified the above findings through a tumorigenesis experiment in nude mice. In conclusion, our study shows that SQLE promotes BCa growth through the P53/PTEN/AKT/GSK3β axis, which may serve as a therapeutic biological target for BCa.

Long-distance Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning is crucial for applications in remote areas, such as maritime environments. Achieving 2–3 cm accuracy with RTK requires successful ambiguity resolution, which involves two main steps: identifying the best integer ambiguity candidate and confirming its validity. While previous research has largely concentrated on the first step, including the development of Cascading Ambiguity Resolution methods, and reducing tropospheric delay, studies on the validation of ambiguity for long-distance RTK are limited. This study conducts a thorough examination of ambiguity validation for long-distance RTK, focusing on two prevalent methods: the theoretical success rate and the R-ratio test. The results reveal several key insights. Firstly, the six commonly used bounds for the theoretical success rate are not an accurate reflection of the actual success rate, making them unsuitable for long-distance RTK applications. Secondly, the R-ratio test proves to be dependable when the threshold is set above 1.7, assuming there is a minimum observation period of one minute and at least ten satellites are visible. However, the probability of successfully resolving ambiguities with the R-ratio test does not surpass 50%. Additionally, if ambiguity resolution is not achieved within 20 min, simply prolonging the observation time is generally unproductive. To improve the performance of ambiguity resolution in practical situations that require extended observation times, this research proposes a novel ambiguity validation method. This new approach is based on the duration for which an integer ambiguity resolution candidate maintains the best status. This method aims to provide a reliable means of validating ambiguities in cases where the R-ratio test fails.

Abstract The Wide-Lane (WL) and Narrow-Lane (NL) Uncalibrated Phase Delays (UPDs) are the prerequisites in the traditional Precise Point Positioning (PPP) Ambiguity Resolution (AR). As the generation mechanism of various biases becomes more complex, we systematically studied the impact factors of four satellite systems WL and NL UPDs from the perspective of parameter estimation. Approximately 100 stations in a global network are used to generate the UPDs. The results of different satellite systems show that the estimation method, update frequency, and solution mode need to be treated differently. Two regional networks with different receiver types, JAVAD, and Trimble, are also adopted. The results indicate that the receiver-dependent bias has an influence on UPD estimation. Also, the hardware delays can inhibit the satellite-side UPDs if these receiver-specific errors are not fully deployed or even misused. Furthermore, the temporal stability and residual distribution of NL UPDs are significantly enhanced by utilizing a regional network, with the improvements by over 68% and 40%, respectively. It demonstrates that different network scales exhibit the different implication of unmodeled errors, and the unmodeled errors cannot be ignored and must be handled in UPD estimation.

Abstract Virus spillover remains a major challenge to public health. A panel of SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses have been identified in pangolins, while the infectivity and pathogenicity of these pangolin-origin coronaviruses (pCoV) in humans remain largely unknown. Herein, we comprehensively characterized the infectivity and pathogenicity of a recent pCoV isolate (pCoV-GD01) in human cells and human tracheal epithelium organoids and established animal models in comparison with SARS-CoV-2. pCoV-GD01 showed similar infectivity to SARS-CoV-2 in human cells and organoids. Remarkably, intranasal inoculation of pCoV-GD01 caused severe lung pathological damage in hACE2 mice and could transmit among cocaged hamsters. Interestingly, in vitro neutralization assays and animal heterologous challenge experiments demonstrated that preexisting immunity induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination was sufficient to provide at least partial cross-protection against pCoV-GD01 challenge. Our results provide direct evidence supporting pCoV-GD01 as a potential human pathogen and highlight the potential spillover risk.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of early implementation of public health and social measures (PHSMs) on contact rates over time and explore contact behavior of asymptomatic versus symptomatic cases. Methods: We used the largest contact tracing data in China thus far to estimate the mean contacts over time by age groups and contact settings. We used bootstrap with replacement to quantify the uncertainty of contact matrixes. The Pearson correlation was performed to demonstrate the number of contacts over time in relation to the evolution of restrictions. In addition, we analyzed the index cases with a high number of contacts and index cases that produced a high number of secondary cases. Results: Rapidly adapted PHSMs can reduce the mean contact rates in public places while increasing the mean contact rates within households. The mean contact rates were 11.81 (95% confidence interval, 11.61-12.01) for asymptomatic (at the time of investigation) cases and 6.70 (95% confidence interval, 6.54-6.87) for symptomatic cases. The percentage of asymptomatic cases (at the time of investigation) meeting >50 close contacts make up more than 65% of the overall cases. The percentage of asymptomatic cases producing >10 secondary cases account for more than 80% of the overall cases. Conclusion: PHSMs may increase the contacts within the household, necessitating the need for pertinent prevention strategies at home. Asymptomatic cases can contribute significantly to Omicron transmission. By making asymptomatic people aware that they are already contagious, hence limiting their social contacts, it is possible to lower the transmission risk.

Background and objectivesPrevious studies on the relationship between physical activity and testosterone are limited and controversial. Hence we investigated whether high level of physical activity is associated with a low risk of testosterone deficiency (TD).MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis was conducted in a representative sample of US adult males who participated in the 2011-2014 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We used the monitor independent movement summary (MIMS) to assess activity intensity, a novel physical activity metrics developed using raw data collected by accelerometers. Multivariable regression and smooth curve fitting was used to describe the relationships between physical activity and TD, and segmented regression model were used to analyze the threshold effect between them. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using interaction and stratified analysis.ResultsA U-shaped relationship between daily MIMS units and risk of TD was observed. The optimal value of daily MIMS units for the lowest risk of TD was 14.77 (×103), the risk of TD decreased by 5% in patients per unit increase of daily MIMS units when daily MIMS units 0.05).ConclusionIn a nationally representative sample of US adult males, light to moderate intensity physical activity is associated with a lower odds of TD, while high-intensity physical activity is associated with a higher risk of TD.

ObjectiveMore than 90% of the Chinese population have completed 2 doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines in Mainland China. However, after China government abandoned strict control measures, many breakthrough infections appeared, and vaccine effectiveness against Omicron BA.2 infection was uncertain. This study aims to investigate the real-world effectiveness of widely used inactivated vaccines during the wave of Omicron variants.MethodsTest-negative case-control study was conducted in this study to analyze the vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease caused by the Omicron variant (BA.2) in Fujian, China. Conditional logistic regression was selected to estimate the vaccine effectiveness.ResultsThe study found the vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 is 32.46% (95% CI, 8.08% to 50.37%) at 2 to 8 weeks, and 27.05% (95% CI, 1.23% to 46.12%) at 12 to 24 weeks after receiving booster doses of the inactivated vaccine. Notably, the 3–17 years group had higher vaccine effectiveness after 2 doses than the 18–64 years and over 65 years groups who received booster doses.ConclusionInactivated vaccines alone may not offer sufficient protection for all age groups before the summer of 2022. To enhance protection, other types of vaccines or bivalent vaccines should be considered.

Abstract Wildlife is reservoir of emerging viruses. Here we identified 27 families of mammalian viruses from 1981 wild animals and 194 zoo animals collected from south China between 2015 and 2022, isolated and characterized the pathogenicity of eight viruses. Bats harbor high diversity of coronaviruses, picornaviruses and astroviruses, and a potentially novel genus of Bornaviridae. In addition to the reported SARSr-CoV-2 and HKU4-CoV-like viruses, picornavirus and respiroviruses also likely circulate between bats and pangolins. Pikas harbor a new clade of Embecovirus and a new genus of arenaviruses. Further, the potential cross-species transmission of RNA viruses (paramyxovirus and astrovirus) and DNA viruses (pseudorabies virus, porcine circovirus 2, porcine circovirus 3 and parvovirus) between wildlife and domestic animals was identified, complicating wildlife protection and the prevention and control of these diseases in domestic animals. This study provides a nuanced view of the frequency of host-jumping events, as well as assessments of zoonotic risk.

Abstract Background Among six extant tiger subspecies, the South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) once was widely distributed but is now the rarest one and extinct in the wild. All living South China tigers are descendants of only two male and four female wild-caught tigers and they survive solely in zoos after 60 years of effective conservation efforts. Inbreeding depression and hybridization with other tiger subspecies were believed to have occurred within the small, captive South China tiger population. It is therefore urgently needed to examine the genomic landscape of existing genetic variation among the South China tigers. Results In this study, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-level genome using long-read sequences and re-sequenced 29 high-depth genomes of the South China tigers. By combining and comparing our data with the other 40 genomes of six tiger subspecies, we identified two significantly differentiated genomic lineages among the South China tigers, which harbored some rare genetic variants introgressed from other tiger subspecies and thus maintained a moderate genetic diversity. We noticed that the South China tiger had higher F ROH values for longer runs of homozygosity (ROH > 1 Mb), an indication of recent inbreeding/founder events. We also observed that the South China tiger had the least frequent homozygous genotypes of both high- and moderate-impact deleterious mutations, and lower mutation loads than both Amur and Sumatran tigers. Altogether, our analyses indicated an effective genetic purging of deleterious mutations in homozygous states from the South China tiger, following its population contraction with a controlled increase in inbreeding based on its pedigree records. Conclusions The identification of two unique founder/genomic lineages coupled with active genetic purging of deleterious mutations in homozygous states and the genomic resources generated in our study pave the way for a genomics-informed conservation, following the real-time monitoring and rational exchange of reproductive South China tigers among zoos.

The T2/RNase gene family is widespread in eukaryotes, and particular members of this family play critical roles in the gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) system in plants. Wild diploid strawberry (Fragaria) species have diversified their sexual systems via self-incompatible and self-compatible traits, yet how these traits evolved in Fragaria remains elusive. By integrating the published and de novo assembled genomes and the newly generated RNA-seq data, members of the RNase T2 gene family were systematically identified in six Fragaria species, including three self-incompatible species (Fragaria nipponica, Fragaria nubicola, and Fragaria viridis) and three self-compatible species (Fragaria nilgerrensis, Fragaria vesca, and Fragaria iinumae). In total, 115 RNase T2 genes were identified in the six Fragaria genomes and can be classified into three classes (I–III) according to phylogenetic analysis. The identified RNase T2 genes could be divided into 22 homologous gene sets according to amino acid sequence similarity and phylogenetic and syntenic relationships. We found that extensive gene loss and pseudogenization coupled with small-scale duplications mainly accounted for variations in the RNase T2 gene numbers in Fragaria. Multiple copies of homologous genes were mainly generated from tandem and segmental duplication events. Furthermore, we newly identified five S-RNase genes in three self-incompatible Fragaria genomes, including two in F. nipponica, two in F. viridis, and one in F. nubicola, which fit for typical features of a pistil determinant, including highly pistil-specific expression, highly polymorphic proteins and alkaline isoelectric point (pI), while no S-RNase genes were found in all three self-compatible Fragaria species. Surprisingly, these T2/S-RNase genes contain at least one large intron (>10 kb). This study revealed that the rapid evolution of T2/S-RNase genes within the Fragaria genus could be associated with its sexual mode, and repeated evolution of the self-compatible traits in Fragaria was convergent via losses of S-RNase.

Brevibacillus brevis is one of the most common biocontrol strains with broad applications in the prevention and control of plant diseases and insect pests. In order to deepen our understanding of B. brevis genomes, describe their characteristics comprehensively, and mine secondary metabolites, we retrieved the genomic sequences of nine B. brevis strains that had been assembled into complete genomes from the NCBI database. These genomic sequences were analyzed using phylogenetic analysis software, pan-genome analysis software, and secondary metabolite mining software. Results revealed that the genome size of B. brevis strains ranged from 6.16 to 6.73 Mb, with GC content ranging from 47.0% to 54.0%. Phylogenetic analysis classified the nine B. brevis strains into three branches. The analyses of ANI and dDDH showed that B. brevis NEB573 had the potential to become a new species of Brevibacillus and needed further research in the future. The pan-genome analysis identified 10032 gene families, including 3257 core gene families, 3112 accessory gene families, and 3663 unique gene families. In addition, 123 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters of 20 classes were identified in the genomes of nine B. brevis strains. The major types of biosynthetic gene clusters were non-ribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS) and transAT polyketide synthase (transAT-PKS). Furthermore, a large number of untapped secondary metabolites were identified in B. brevis. In summary, this study elucidated the pan-genome characteristics of the biocontrol bacterium B. brevis and identified its secondary metabolites, providing valuable insights for its further development and utilization.

Biodegradable mulch films (BMFs) are becoming increasingly popular in agricultural practices. However, research on the ecological impact of biodegradable mulch films on pepper–soil systems is still scarce. To compare the differential effects of BMFs and polyethylene (PE) mulch on soil chemical properties, soil bacterial community composition, and pepper cultivation, a study was conducted encompassing eight distinct treatments. These treatments included three varieties of polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) combined with polylactic acid (PLA) mulches: PP-JL, PP-SD, and PP-SH; a black polypropylene carbonate mulch (PPC-BK); a brown PPC mulch (PPC-BR); a polyethylene (PE) mulch; straw mulching (NCK); and an uncovered control (PCK). After applying mulches for 129 days, most PPC and PBAT + PLA films had reached the rupture phase, whereas the PE film was still in the induction phase. Pepper yield was obviously higher in all mulched treatments (4830 kg hm−1) than in the un-mulched control (3290 kg hm−1), especially the BMF PP-JL treatment, which showed the most notable improvements in yield. Although BMF treatments maintained a lower soil temperature than the PE film mulch, they were still higher than the un-mulched control. Furthermore, the soil bacterial community composition and ecological network were not markedly affected by different mulching conditions. However, the PP-SH treatment significantly increased the abundance of Pseudomonas, Nitrosomonas, and Streptomyces genera. Moreover, Lactobacillus and Gp16 were substantially more abundant in the PPC-black (BK) and PPC-brown (BR) treatments compared to the PE mulching treatment. This study could provide valuable insights into the ecological benefits of BMFs in pepper cultivation. However, as our experiments were conducted for only one season, it is imperative to undertake long-term experiments across consecutive seasons and years for a thorough understanding and comprehensive study.

Land exhibits distinct carbon source/sink states under varying utilization conditions. Under the climate change environment, developing low-carbon land use optimization strategies has become an urgent problem. Thus, this study examines the characteristics of land use carbon emissions (LUCE) resulting from land use and land cover change (LUCC) in Chongqing under five shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). The results show: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the LUCE in Chongqing increased significantly and then decreased slightly. The improvement of energy technology can limit carbon emissions from expanding construction. (2) In 2030, Chongqing will have the highest LUCE in SSP5 scenario, followed by SSP4 scenario, and the lowest in SSP2 scenario. However, some districts and counties in Chongqing City have the opposite situation to the whole research area. (3) In the study area, LUCE exhibits a significant positive spatial correlation with Moran's indices of 0.48, 0.27, and 0.39 in 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. Carbon emissions in Chongqing primarily concentrate in the main urban areas, with high-emission areas spreading outward from specific centers in the districts and counties. In 2030, spatial LUCE aggregation will decrease significantly, especially in the SSP3 scenario, with a Moran's index of 0.25. When adjusting the land use structure, policymakers need to implement differentiated land use management strategies, considering the characteristics of LUCE and their development directions. This study confirms that socioeconomic development has a direct impact on LUCE. The results of this study provide a reference for the government’s land-use assessment, achieving low-carbon development goals, and identifying regional development patterns.

Recently, revealing the terroir influence on wine chemical features has drawn increasing interest. This study aimed to explain how wine flavonoid signatures were altered by vineyard parcel, harvest ripeness, vintage and bottle aging. Six commercial Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards were selected in the Manas region to produce wines at three harvest ripeness in three seasons (2019–2021) and aged for three years. The six vineyards had little difference in mesoclimate conditions while varying greatly in soil composition. Results showed high vineyard pH (> 8.5) could accelerate grape ripening rate and increase wine flavonol concentration. Vineyards with moderate nutrition produced wines with abundant anthocyanin derivatives and maintained color characteristics during aging. The role of detailed anthocyanin derivatives in regulating wine color was clarified. As the harvest ripeness elevated, wine’s flavonoid profiles were altered and gained a higher red color intensity. This work provides chemical mechanisms underlying single-vineyard wines and a theoretical basis for targeted wine production.

When a renewable energy station (RES) connects to the rectifier station (RS) of a modular multilevel converter-based high-voltage direct current (MMC-HVDC) system, the voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC) is determined by RS control methods. For example, RS control may become saturated under fault, and causes the RS to change from an equivalent voltage source to an equivalent current source, making fault analysis more complicated. In addition, the grid code of the fault ride-through (FRT) requires the RES to output current according to its terminal voltage. This changes the fault point voltage and leads to RES voltage regulation and current redistribution, resulting in fault response interactions. To address these issues, this study describes how an MMC-integrated system has five operation modes and three common characteristics under the duration of the fault. The study also reveals several instances of RS performance degradation such as AC voltage loop saturation, and shows that RS power reversal can be significantly improved. An enhanced AC FRT control method is proposed to achieve controllable PCC voltage and continuous power transmission by actively reducing the PCC voltage amplitude. The robustness of the method is theoretically proven under parameter variation and operation mode switching. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed method is verified through MAT-LAB/Simulink results.

Fissile material dissolved in the molten salt is employed in molten salt reactor(MSR), which circulates through the primary loop. Considering the flow characteristic of fuel in MSR, the neutron poison calculation model such as Xe is different from traditional solid reactor. As an important neutron poison, 135Xe is free to migrate with the flow of molten salt in MSR. The helium bubble system of molten salt reactor can blow the fission products of krypton, xenon and other gases out of the reactor core to improve the neutron economy. The recent TENDL2021 nuclear data library estimates the thermal neutron absorption cross section of 135Xem, which is much higher than 135Xe thermal neutron absorption cross section. In order to predict the effect of xenon on core reactivity more accurately, the effect of 135Xem thermal neutron absorption cross section was added into the Xe poison model based on the lumped volume method. The migration model is made up of cover gas calculation model and xenon worth calculation model. In order to calculate the xenon worth, the loop void fraction was calculated firstly, and the loop void fraction was inserted into the xenon worth calculation model. According to the rate balance equations and mass transfer equations, the concentration of xenon in loop could be calculated to compute the xenon worth. Firstly, the model results considering the flow effect of fuel salt were verified with the experimental results of 8 MW molten salt reactor experiment (MSRE). As the results shown, with the increase of loop void fraction, the steadystate xenon worth increases first and decreases later, which is in good agreement with experimental results of MSRE. Then the influence of fuel salt types and 135Xem on steadystate xenon worth was considered in this paper. The steadystate xenon worth of the 233U system with and without 135Xem is made and compared to a 235U system, indicating that the influence of 135Xem on xenon worth cannot be ignored, which is much higher with the increase of power. Finally, the contribution of graphite, fuel salt and helium bubble to Xe worth was evaluated by the interaction between graphite and helium bubble, indicating that the interaction between helium bubble and graphite cannot be ignored.

Identification of wool and cashmere has attracted considerable attention in various research fields due to the outstanding properties of fibers. Herein, the hollow-like carbon tubes were facilely prepared by carbonization using the waste wool fibers, which were further characterized by elemental analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM). After carbonization, hollow-like structures were observed in wool, while cashmere still presented in solid shapes at cross-sectional morphologies. Furthermore, the medulla existed in wool can be pyrolyzed after the carbonization process, which may be an effective way to distinguish the cashmere from wool by their obvious differences in fiber shapes, fiber sizes and residual weights. The effects of temperature on the properties of wool and cashmere were also analyzed. The proportions of hollow wool tubes increased with the rise of temperature, reaching more than 90% at 500°C. Apart from that, the mean diameter of treated wool (16.022 μm) was larger than treated cashmere (8.399 μm), which both shrunk nearly 50% than pristine fibers, and the residual weight of cashmere (68.95%) was higher than wool (62.98%). This method could be extended for identifying specialty fibers like fine yak fiber and yak hair, paving the way for distinguishing protein fibers in multiple areas.

Abstract Background Exposure to particulate matter air pollution is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. Enhanced platelet and pro-thrombotic activity in COPD patients may explain their increased cardiovascular risk. We aim to explore whether short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter is associated with pro-thrombotic changes in adults with and without COPD, and investigate the underlying biological mechanisms in a longitudinal panel study. Serum concentration of thromboxane (Tx)B2 was measured to reflect platelet and pro-thrombotic activity. Lipoxygenase-mediated lipid peroxidation products (hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids [HETEs]) and inflammatory biomarkers (interleukins [ILs], monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 [MCP-1], tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], and macrophage inflammatory proteins [MIPs]) were measured as potential mediating determinants of particle-associated pro-thrombotic changes. Results 53 COPD and 82 non-COPD individuals were followed-up on a maximum of four visits conducted from August 2016 to September 2017 in Beijing, China. Compared to non-COPD individuals, the association between exposure to ambient ultrafine particles (UFPs) during the 3–8 days preceding clinical visits and the TxB2 serum concentration was significantly stronger in COPD patients. For example, a 103/cm3 increase in the 6-day average UFP level was associated with a 25.4% increase in the TxB2 level in the COPD group but only an 11.2% increase in the non-COPD group. The association in the COPD group remained robust after adjustment for the levels of fine particulate matter and gaseous pollutants. Compared to the non-COPD group, the COPD group also showed greater increases in the serum concentrations of 12-HETE (16.6% vs. 6.5%) and 15-HETE (9.3% vs. 4.5%) per 103/cm3 increase in the 6-day UFP average. The two lipid peroxidation products mediated 35% and 33% of the UFP-associated increase in the TxB2 level of COPD patients. UFP exposure was also associated with the increased levels of IL-8, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, TNF-α, and IL-1β in COPD patients, but these inflammatory biomarkers did not mediate the TxB2 increase. Conclusions Short-term exposure to ambient UFPs was associated with a greater pro-thrombotic change among patients with COPD, at least partially driven by lipoxygenase-mediated pathways following exposure. Trial registration ChiCTR1900023692 . Date of registration June 7, 2019, i.e. retrospectively registered.

Abstract Purpose To establish a nomogram for predicting the risk of adenocarcinomas in patients with subsolid nodules (SSNs) according to the 2021 WHO classification. Methods A total of 656 patients who underwent SSNs resection were retrospectively enrolled. Among them, 407 patients were assigned to the derivation cohort and 249 patients were assigned to the validation cohort. Univariate and multi-variate logistic regression algorithms were utilized to identity independent risk factors of adenocarcinomas. A nomogram based on the risk factors was generated to predict the risk of adenocarcinomas. The discrimination ability of the nomogram was evaluated using the concordance index (C-index), its performance was calibrated using a calibration curve, and its clinical significance was evaluated using decision curves and clinical impact curves. Results Lesion size, mean CT value, vascular change and lobulation were identified as independent risk factors for adenocarcinomas. The C-index of the nomogram was 0.867 (95% CI, 0.833-0.901) in derivation cohort and 0.877 (95% CI, 0.836-0.917) in validation cohort. The calibration curve showed good agreement between the predicted and actual risks. Analysis of the decision curves and clinical impact curves revealed that the nomogram had a high standardized net benefit. Conclusions A nomogram for predicting the risk of adenocarcinomas in patients with SSNs was established in light of the 2021 WHO classification. The developed model can be adopted as a pre-operation tool to improve the surgical management of patients.

BackgroundTobacco bacterial wilt (TBW) and black shank (TBS) are responsible for substantial economic losses worldwide; however, microbial interactions and metabolisms in response to TBW and TBS pathogens in the tobacco rhizosphere remain unclear.MethodsWe explored and compared the response of rhizosphere microbial communities to these two plant diseases with the incidences in moderate and heavy degrees by sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and bioinformatics analysis.Results and discussionsWe found that the structure of rhizosphere soil bacterial communities was significantly (p < 0.05) changed from the incidences of TBW and TBS, which also led to decreased Shannon diversity and Pielou evenness. Compared with the healthy group (CK), the OTUs with significantly (p < 0.05) decreased relative abundances were mostly affiliated with Actinobacteria (e.g., Streptomyces and Arthrobacter) in the diseased groups, and the OTUs with significantly (p < 0.05) increased relative abundances were mainly identified as Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria. Also, molecular ecological network analysis showed that the nodes (

High bicycle ownership does not necessarily correlate with high bicycle use, with substantial health and environmental gains possible by worldwide pro-bicycle policy implementation, suggests a global compilation of bicycle ownership, production, trade and stock.

Six kinds of dithiocarbamates (DTCs) were synthesized from three linear amines with different amino numbers, two polyether amines with different molecular weights, and one branched amine with benzene rings, respectively. The conditions affecting oil removal rate and floc rising time of DTC were studied using simulated oily wastewater. Furthermore, the effects of the molecular structure of DTC on oil removal efficiency, floc morphology, floc rising time, and floc adhesion were investigated. When the conditions were optimal, the oil removal efficiency of DTC synthesized from polyethylene polyamine was 95.14%, which was higher than other DTCs. Meanwhile, the ferrous ion was the most suitable chelating metal ion for DTC than other transition metal ions. The increase of amino groups in the initiators improves the oil removal efficiency of DTC, while the linear structural DTC exhibits a low oil removal efficiency due to a lack of network structural flocs. The introduction of polyether structure helps reduce the volume of the flocs and make them compact, but it also increases the adhesion of the floc on the metal surface. The introduction of bisphenol A phenol amino resin structure induces the generation of the flocs in oil wastewater and improves the oil removal efficiency. HIGHLIGHTS A DTC was synthesized from the bisphenol A phenolamine resin for the first time.; The properties of DTC were evaluated by oil removal efficiency and floc property.; Optimal DTC/Fe2+ molar ratios agree with amino groups per molecule of initiators.; The polyether structure helps reduce the volume of the flocs.; The polyether structure increases the adhesion of the flocs on the metal surface.;

Abstract Background Studies on deep learning (DL)-based models in breast ultrasound (US) remain at the early stage due to a lack of large datasets for training and independent test sets for verification. We aimed to develop a DL model for differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions on US using a large multicenter dataset and explore the model’s ability to assist the radiologists. Methods A total of 14,043 US images from 5012 women were prospectively collected from 32 hospitals. To develop the DL model, the patients from 30 hospitals were randomly divided into a training cohort (n = 4149) and an internal test cohort (n = 466). The remaining 2 hospitals (n = 397) were used as the external test cohorts (ETC). We compared the model with the prospective Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System assessment and five radiologists. We also explored the model’s ability to assist the radiologists using two different methods. Results The model demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance with the ETC, with a high area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC, 0.913), sensitivity (88.84%), specificity (83.77%), and accuracy (86.40%). In the comparison set, the AUC was similar to that of the expert (p = 0.5629) and one experienced radiologist (p = 0.2112) and significantly higher than that of three inexperienced radiologists (p

Abstract Background Raillietina species belong to the family Davaineidae, which parasitizes in a wide variety of mammals and birds, causing stunted growth, lethargy, emaciation, and digestive tract obstruction. However, only a limited number of Raillietina species have been identified in wild animals. Methods We analyzed and annotated the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of a worm from the intestine of a wild pangolin using Illumina sequencing of whole genomic DNA. Results These findings showed the presence of two mtDNA sequences in Raillietina sp., designated as mt1 and mt2, with the lengths of 14,331 bp and 14,341 bp, respectively. Both the mts genomes of Raillietina sp. comprised 36 genes, containing 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNAs, and 22 transfer RNAs. Gene arrangements of both mt genomes of Raillietina sp. were similar to those of most flatworms, except for taeniids, which shift positions between tRNAL1 and tRNAS2 genes. Twenty of 22 tRNA secondary structures of Raillietina sp. had a typical cloverleaf structure similar to Raillietina tetragona. Sequence differences between the mt1 and mt2 genomes were 4.4%, and this difference arises from the mtDNA heteroplasmic mutations. Moreover, heteroplasmic mtDNA mutations were detected in PCGs, tRNAs, rRNAs, NCRs, and intergenes, but the highest proportion of heteroplasmy of 79.0% was detected in PCGs, indicating the occurrence of mtDNA heteroplasmy in Raillietina sp. To our knowledge, this is the first report of mtDNA heteroplasmy in tapeworm parasites. Phylogenetic analyses of 18S rRNA, ITS2, and 12 PCG sequences demonstrated that the worm was clustered with other Raillietina species in the Davaneidae family. Conclusions We found a novel Raillietina species in wild pangolin with the existence of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy. Thus, these findings provide insights into the heterogeneity of the mt genome in parasitic cestodes, and mt genome data contributes to the understanding of pangolin-parasitic cestodes in terms of their molecular biology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and taxonomy. Graphical Abstract