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Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are often difficult to distinguish in the early stage of the disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the similarities and differences between the two diseases through Mendelian randomization (MR) and transcriptome analysis. Methods We first performed a correlation analysis of phenotypic data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of OA and RA. Then, we performed functional and pathway enrichment of differentially expressed genes in OA, RA, and normal patients. The infiltration of immune cells in arthritis was analyzed according to gene expression. Finally, MR analysis was performed with inflammatory cytokines and immune cells as exposures and arthritis as the outcome. The same and different key cytokines and immune cells were obtained by the two analysis methods. Results GWAS indicated that there was a genetic correlation between OA and RA. The common function of OA and RA is enriched in their response to cytokines, while the difference is enriched in lymphocyte activation. T cells are the main immune cells that differentiate between OA and RA. MR analysis further revealed that OA is associated with more protective cytokines, and most of the cytokines in RA are pathogenic. In addition, CCR7 on naive CD4 + T cell was positively correlated with OA. SSC-A on CD4 + T cell was negatively correlated with RA, while HLA DR on CD33- HLA DR + was positively correlated with RA. Conclusion Our study demonstrated the similarities and differences of immune inflammation between OA and RA, allowing us to better understand these two diseases.

Pristine SiC coating prepared by plasma spraying is difficult to achieve good ablation resistance at high temperature due to its weak SiO2 scale. Besides incorporation by ultra-high temperature ceramics, the modification of the SiC coating from its feedstock powder is necessary. In the current work, the mixed powders of SiC, Si and C, where the SiC was encapsulated and then carbonized by polydopamine, denoted as SiC@C–Si, were employed as the feedstocks, compared with the mixed case, i.e. SiC–Si–C. The SiC@C–Si coating exhibited superior anti-ablation properties, with a linear ablation rate of 0.62 μm/s, 57 % lower than the SiC–Si–C coating. This is attributed to the fact that nano-carbon formed by carbonization of polydopamine is more prone to reacting with Si than micron-sized C powder, thereby forming a dense microstructure after ablation. Besides, in-situ formed SiC by the depletion reaction increases the flow resistance and decelerates the failure of SiO2 film, thus improving the ablation resistance.

Elaeagnus bambusetorum Hand.-Mazz. is a rare plant from China in the Elaeagnaceae family. In this study, we sequenced its complete chloroplast genome. The whole chloroplast genome was 152,265 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats of 25,897 bp, separated by large single copy and small single copy regions of 82,291 bp and 18,180 bp, respectively. The complete genome contained 113 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The overall GC content was 37.1%. Phylogenetic analysis using the whole chloroplast genome revealed that E. bambusetorum is sister to E. loureirii and E. conferta. Our study provides valuable insights into the genetic information of E. bambusetorum, which may have important implications for species conservation.

Abstract The processes of forming lineages undergoing widespread radiations remain a knowledge gap that is fundamental to our understanding of the geographic distributions of species. Although early studies emphasized the importance of dispersal ability and historical migration events, key innovations that promote rapid diversification and/or adaptation to new habitats may also strongly influence distribution ranges. Juniperus is the second largest genus of conifers and is widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we used phylogenetic, phenotypic, and climatic data to investigate the contributions of these processes to the wide distribution and rapid diversification of Juniperus. Combining a time-scaled phylogeny and macroevolutionary theory, we show that the key innovations of berry-like seed cones and dioecy promoted the rapid diversification of Juniperus and that increased dispersal ability promoted allopatric speciation. Ecological niches had significant divergence among different clades of Juniperus. Biogeographic results supported multiple long-distance dispersal events and niche variation that contributed to the modern range of Juniperus, while both phenotypic adaptation and ecological opportunity probably drove its distribution range. Our findings suggest that the current widespread distribution is likely the result of significant divergence driven by niche variation in which ecological opportunities from key innovation and phenotypic divergence.

Two-dimensional (2D) metal oxide α-MoO3 shows great potentials because of its very high dielectric constant, air stability and anisotropic phonon polaritons. However, a method to produce ultrathin single crystalline α-MoO3 with high transferability for functional device architecture is lacking. Herein, we report on the controllable synthesis of ultrathin α-MoO3 single crystals via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) assisted by plasma pretreatment. We also carried out systematic computational work to explicate the mechanism for the slantly-oriented growth of thin nanosheets on plasma-pretreated substrate. The method possesses certain universality to synthesize other ultrathin oxide materials, such as Bi2O3 and Sb2O3 nanosheets. As-grown α-MoO3 presents a high dielectric constant (≈40), ultrathin thickness (≈3 nm) and high transferability. Memristors with α-MoO3 as the functional layers show excellent performance featuring high on/off ratio of approximately 104, much lower set voltage around 0.5 V, and highly repetitive voltage sweep endurance. The power consumption of MoO3 memristors is significantly reduced, resulted from reduced thickness of the MoO3 nanosheets. Single crystal ultrathin α-MoO3 shows great potentials in post-Moore memristor and the synthesis of CVD assisted by plasma pretreatment approach points to a new route for materials growth.

Abstract The Northern Hemisphere temperate forests exhibit a disjunct distributional pattern in Europe, North America, and East Asia. Here, to reveal the promoter of intercontinental disjunct distribution, Fraxinus was used as a model organism to integrate abundant fossil evidence with high-resolution phylogenies in a phytogeographic analysis. We constructed a robust phylogenetic tree using genomic data, reconstructed the geographic ancestral areas, and evaluated the effect of incorporating fossil information on the reconstructed biogeographic history. The phylogenetic relationships of Fraxinus were highly resolved and divided into seven clades. Fraxinus originated in western North America during Eocene, and six intercontinental dispersal events and five intercontinental vicariance events were occured. Results suggest that climate change and vicariance contributed to the intercontinental disjunct distribution pattern of Fraxinus. Moreover, results highlight the necessity of integrating phylogenetic relationship and fossil to improve the reliability of inferred biogeographic events and our understanding of the processes underlying disjunct distributions.

Abstract The identification and quantification of the ecological risks, sources and distribution of heavy metals in purple soils are essential for regional pollution control and management. In this study, geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), pollution index (PI), potential ecological risk index (RI), principal component analysis (PCA) model and geographical detector (GD) were combined to evaluate the status, ecological risk, and sources of heavy metals (HMs) in soils from a typical purple soil areas of Sichuan province. The results showed that the average contents of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn in purple soil were 7.77, 0.19, 69.5, 27.9, 0.077, 30.9, 26.5 mg/kg and 76.8 mg/kg, and the Igeo, EF and RI of topsoil Hg and Cd in designated area was the highest, and the average contents of Hg and Cd in topsoil were obviously greater than respective soil background value in Sichuan province and purple soil. The hot spots for the spatial distribution of 8 HMs were mainly focused in the southwest and northeast of the designated area, and there were also significant differences for 8 HMs distribution characteristics in the profile soil. Cu comes from both anthropogenic and natural sources, Zn, Ni and Cr mainly come from natural sources, but As, Pb, Hg and Cd mainly derived from human activities. GD results showed that soil texture (X18), altitude (X4), total nitrogen (TN), clay content (X3), sand content (X2) and silt content (X1) had the greatest explanatory power to 8 HMs spatial differentiation.This study provides a reference for understanding the status and influencing factors of HM pollution in typical purple soil, and lays a theoretical foundation for the environmental treatment of purple soil in China.

Abstract Aiming at the problem of single‐phase switch tube open circuit fault in inverters, a current residual vector three‐phase four‐switch fault‐tolerant control strategy based on the mixed logic dynamic (MLD) model of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive system is proposed. Firstly, the MLD and three‐phase four‐switch mathematical models of the motor drive system are established and a calculation method of DC bus capacitance is proposed. Secondly, to improve the dynamic performance of the motor, an improved vector control based on the MLD model is proposed. Finally, by setting the threshold and dividing the area of the current residual vector, the accuracy of inverter fault diagnosis is improved, and the fast and smooth switching of the drive system after the fault is realized. Simulation and experimental results show that this strategy can effectively reduce the influence of calculation error and system noise, and has strong robustness for the change of motor speed and load.

Aortico-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) is a rare congenital disease characterised by extracardiac channel communication between the ascending aorta and the ventricle. However, there have been no reports of ALVT compressing the coronary arteries. Here, we report the case of a 57-year-old woman who presented with unstable angina due to right coronary artery compression caused by a giant aneurysmal ALVT. Preoperative imaging failed to accurately diagnose this rare anomaly. Finally, we combined surgical exploration and a three-dimensional reconstruction technique to diagnose ALVT. After surgical resection of the aneurysm and repair of the tunnel, the patient's angina resolved. This case illustrates the importance of recognising extrinsic compression of the coronary artery as a potential cause of angina pectoris. It also highlights that ALVT with atypical anatomical features may require multiple imaging techniques and even surgical exploration to confirm the diagnosis.

Arsenic (As) contamination of agricultural soils poses a serious threat to crop productivity and food safety. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) have emerged as a potential amendment for mitigating the adverse effects of As stress in plants. Soybean crop is mostly grown on marginalized land and is known for high accumulation of As in roots than others tissue. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of ZnONPs in ameliorating arsenic toxicity in soybean. Our results demonstrated that ZnOB significantly improved the growth performance of soybean plants exposed to arsenic. This improvement was accompanied by a decrease (55%) in As accumulation and an increase in photosynthetic efficiency. ZnOB also modulated hormonal balance, with a significant increase in auxin (149%), abscisic acid (118%), gibberellin (160%) and jasmonic acid content (92%) under As(V) stress assuring that ZnONPs may enhance root growth and development by regulating hormonal signaling. We then conducted a transcriptomic analysis to understand further the molecular mechanisms underlying the NPs-induced As(V) tolerance. This analysis identified genes differentially expressed in response to ZnONPs supplementation, including those involved in auxin, abscisic acid, gibberellin, and jasmonic acid biosynthesis and signaling pathways. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified 37 potential hub genes encoding stress responders, transporters, and signal transducers across six modules potentially facilitated the efflux of arsenic from cells, reducing its toxicity. Our study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms associated with metalloid tolerance in soybean and offers new avenues for improving As tolerance in contaminated soils.

ObjectiveTo characterize the gas production phenomenon in the animal model of left ventricular assist device (LVAD), and study its mechanism.MethodsAn in vitro bubble precipitation experiment was conducted, and the blood samples of Parma spp. animals were divided into ordinary group and oxygen-enriched group according to whether they were oxygenated or not at the time of blood collection, and a static control group was set up respectively. Blood gases were drawn and analyzed before and after the experiment. Activate the pump, and the number of air bubbles in the loop was measured by ultrasound at different rotational speeds; CFD was applied to simulate the flow field in the blood pump, and pressure, fluid velocity vector and shear force diagrams were plotted, and a thrombus model was constructed and the flow field was simulated and plotted as a cloud diagram.ResultsThere was a statistical difference in the number of bubbles in the inflow and outflow tubes of the blood pump (P values of 0.04 and 0.023, respectively), and the number of bubbles in the outflow tubes of both groups was significantly higher than the number of bubbles in the inflow tubes. The number of bubbles in the tubes of both the oxygen-enriched and normal groups was significantly higher than that in the inflow group. In both the normal and oxygen-enriched groups, more gas was produced at higher speeds than at lower speeds. Blood gas analysis showed that the reduced gas composition in the blood was mainly oxygen. Flow field simulation results: the high rotation speed group had lower central pressure and greater scalar shear. The thrombus simulation group was more prone to turbulence, sudden pressure changes, and greater shear than the normal group.ConclusionBlood gas production is associated with higher partial pressures of blood oxygen, higher rotation speed, and intrapump thrombosis, and the mechanism of pump gas production is degassing of dissolved gases rather than cavitation of water, and the gas released is most likely to have oxygen. The degassing phenomenon is an warning factor for pump thrombosis.

Location-based services find a number of applications in vehicular environments such as navigation, parking, infortainment etc. However, the disclosure of vehicles' location information raises multiple privacy issues. To balance the tradeoff between privacy and utility, this paper proposes a framework to preserve users' location privacy while delivering the desired quality of experience (QoE). The proposed framework allows users to quantify the data utility while accessing location-based services under different privacy levels through the QoE metric. The privacy analysis of the proposed framework is provided under two adversary models. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed framework is demonstrate using the real-world “Dianping” review dataset.

High levels of intra-specific polymorphism and frequent hybridisation make it difficult to define species and correctly apply their scientific names. Populus L. is a challenging genus with plentiful natural and artificial hybrids. This study is a part of the project ‘Flora of Pan-Himalaya’ and aims to determine the taxonomic identity of P. gonggaensis N. Chao & J.R. He and to find out whether it is of hybrid origin. Whole-genome sequencing data were obtained from 57 samples. The SNP matrix was developed for phylogenetic reconstruction, ABBA-BABA statistics, PCA and ADMIXTURE analysis. The results indicate that P. gonggaensis is a spontaneous hybrid between P. lasiocarpa and P. cathayana. This study points out the importance of SNP data and comprehensive analyses for discovering the potential interspecific hybridisation and clarifies the usage of the name. In addition, the lectotype of P. gonggaensis was designated.

Abstract The isolated DC/DC converter plays an irreplaceable role in the development of the DC microgrid. However, the multiple discrete high‐frequency transformers occupy considerable volume in power converters due to the connection of multiple isolated converters. In order to reduce the number of discrete transformers and increase the power density as well as the reliability of the power converter, a three‐port isolated DC/DC converter with a decoupling magnetic integrated high‐frequency transformer (DMIHFT) is proposed for the DC microgrid in this paper. The semiconductor count of the proposed converter is reduced by combining one DAB converter and two LLC converters. Three discrete transformers are integrated into a single common core, and magnetic decoupling is achieved among each transformer by rational design at the same time. In addition, the magnetic circuit model derivation process of the proposed DMIHFT and the operation principles of the converter are described in detail. The design guidance of the proposed DMIHFT is present. And then, a 15 kW/20 kHz DMIHFT is designed based on the design guideline, and the simulation is carried out. Finally, a 15 kW/20 kHz DMIHFT prototype is fabricated, and the effectiveness of the proposed DMIHFT is verified by experimental results.

[Introduction] With the emphasis and promotion of the electricity market system construction by the government, the electricity market is constantly growing towards a deeper and more unified direction. In order to promote the electricity market construction, the influence factors of the electricity market risk and its evaluation remain to be studied further. [Method] Based on the consideration of the whole cycle of electricity market trading, this paper took pre-trade risk, during-trade risk, and post-trade riskas the entry points, integrated the existing risks in each stage of electricity market, and established the risk evaluation index system for electricity market. Based on the thought of subjective and objective weighting, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method were used to assign weights to the index system respectively, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) was adopted to evaluate the comprehensive risk level of the electricity market. [Result] The rationality, comprehensiveness and validity of the proposed model are verified through the analysis of the calculation examples of different electricity markets. [Conclusion] The model eatablished in this paper can conduct a comprehensive risk evaluation for the electricity market, and provide a theoretical reference for the construction of the risk system of the electricity market and its future development direction.

Gene-editing technology, specifically the CRISPR-Cas13a system, has shown promise in breeding plants resistant to RNA viruses. This system targets RNA and, theoretically, can also combat RNA-based viroids. To test this, the CRISPR-Cas13a system was introduced into tomato plants via transient expression and into Nicotiana benthamiana through transgenic methods, using CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) targeting the conserved regions of both sense and antisense genomes of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). In tomato plants, the expression of CRISPR-Cas13a and crRNAs substantially reduced PSTVd accumulation and alleviated disease symptoms. In transgenic N. benthamiana plants, the PSTVd levels were lower as compared to wild-type plants. Several effective crRNAs targeting the PSTVd genomic RNA were also identified. These results demonstrate that the CRISPR-Cas13a system can effectively target and combat viroid RNAs, despite their compact structures.

Streptomyces can produce secondary metabolites with a wide range of activities and is often used in agriculture as a biocontrol strain to control soil-borne diseases. Screening and isolation from infected soil is an effective method to obtain active strains. In this study, the best antagonistic inter-root growth-promoting bacteria were isolated from grapevine inter-root soil samples, and strain F2 was identified as Streptomyces sp. based on morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics as well as 16S rDNA sequencing results. The results showed that the fermentation broth/liquid and sterile filtrate of strain F2 exhibited antagonistic effects against 10 plant pathogens, with an inhibition rate reaching up to 80%. Notably, two of them exhibited remarkable inhibitory effects against Phytophthora capsici with inhibition rates of 80.58% and 87.71%, respectively. The P. capsici leaf control experiment revealed that the control effect of strain F2 fermentation liquid on P. capsici filaments was 61.09%. Furthermore, indoor pot experiments demonstrated that the fermentation liquid of strain F2 had a significant inhibitory effect on pepper blight, with a maximum inhibition of 83.31%. Antagonistic factor analysis indicated that strain F2 had specific organophosphorus hydrolysis, nitrogen fixation, extracellular protease secretion, and IAA production capabilities. Additionally, root treatment with strain F2’s fermentation liquid significantly enhanced capsicum growth. Taking together, Streptomyces F2 not only exhibits a wide-spectrum antagonistic effect against plant pathogens but also promotes plant growth, which suggests that Streptomyces F2 can be used as an effective biological control resource and provides important theoretical support for the application of Streptomyces F2.

Drought is a persistent and devastating obstacle to crop production, affecting both humanity and livestock. The application of selenium (Se) effectively mitigates various types of abiotic stresses and enhances crop yield under unfavorable conditions. However, our understanding of how nano-Se (nSe) alleviates drought stress (DS) in soybeans is still limited. To address this gap, our study focused on assessing the effectiveness of foliar nSe application during the reproductive stage of soybeans. Three concentrations of nSe were applied to plants grown in pots filled with clay loam soil, simulating DS conditions. Our findings reveal that nSe spraying significantly promoted the accumulation of above-ground dry biomass and enhanced relative water content (RWC) and photosynthetic pigment over alone-DS treatment. Furthermore, nSe application boosted the activity and contents of protective enzymes and osmolytes, resulting in a dose-dependent reduction in electrolyte leakage (EL), reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Additionally, nSe improved stomatal characteristics and mesophyll cell ultrastructure, further mitigating the adverse effects of drought stress. These findings suggest the potential of nSe as an effective strategy to enhance soybean tolerance and potentially improve crop yields under drought conditions.

Caragana sensu lato (s.l.) includes approximately 100 species that are mainly distributed in arid and semi-arid regions. Caragana species are ecologically valuable for their roles in windbreaking and sand fixation. However, the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Caragana are still unclear. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the chloroplast genomes of representative species of Caragana and reconstructed robust phylogenetic relationships at the section level. The Caragana chloroplast genome has lost the inverted repeat region and wascategorized in the inverted repeat loss clade (IRLC). The chloroplast genomes of the eight species ranged from 128,458 bp to 135,401 bp and contained 110 unique genes. All the Caragana chloroplast genomes have a highly conserved structure and gene order. The number of long repeats and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) showed significant variation among the eight species, indicating heterogeneous evolution in Caragana. Selective pressure analysis of the genes revealed that most of the protein-coding genes evolved under purifying selection. The phylogenetic analyses indicated that each section forms a clade, except the section Spinosae, which was divided into two clades. This study elucidated the evolution of the chloroplast genome within the widely distributed genus Caragana. The detailed information obtained from this study can serve as a valuable resource for understanding the molecular dynamics and phylogenetic relationships within Caragana.

Abstract Background Based on our previous studied on different provenances of Pistacia chinensis, some accessions with high quality and quantity of seed oils has emerged as novel source of biodiesel. To better develop P. chinensis seed oils as woody biodiesel, a concurrent exploration of oil content, FA profile, biodiesel yield, and fuel properties was conducted on the seeds from 5 plus germplasms to determine superior genotype for ideal biodiesel production. Another vital challenge is to unravel mechanism that govern the differences in oil content and FA profile of P. chinensis seeds across different accessions. FA biosynthesis and oil accumulation of oil plants are known to be highly controlled by the transcription factors. An integrated analysis of our recent transcriptome data, qRT-PCR detection and functional identification was performed as an attempt to highlight LEC1/WRI1-mediated transcription regulatory mechanism for high-quality oil accumulation in P. chinensis seeds. Results To select ideal germplasm and unravel high oil accumulative mechanism for developing P. chinensis seed oils as biodiesel, five plus trees (accession PC-BJ/PC-AH/PC-SX/PC-HN/PC-HB) with high-yield seeds were selected to assess the variabilities in weight, oil content, FA profile, biodiesel yield and fuel property, revealing a variation in the levels of seed oil (50.76–60.88%), monounsaturated FA (42.80–70.72%) and polyunsaturated FA (18.78–43.35%), and biodiesel yield (84.98–98.15%) across different accessions. PC-HN had a maximum values of seed weight (26.23 mg), oil (60.88%) and biodiesel yield (98.15%), and ideal proportions of C18:1 (69.94%), C18:2 (17.65%) and C18:3 (1.13%), implying that seed oils of accession PC-HN was the most suitable for ideal biodiesel production. To highlight molecular mechanism that govern such differences in oil content and FA profile of different accessions, a combination of our recent transcriptome data, qRT-PCR detection and protein interaction analysis was performed to identify a pivotal role of LEC1/WRI1-mediated transcription regulatory network in high oil accumulation of P. chinensis seeds from different accessions. Notably, overexpression of PcWRI1 or PcLEC1 from P. chinensis seeds in Arabidopsis could facilitate seed development and upregulate several genes relevant for carbon flux allocation (plastidic glycolysis and acetyl-CoA generation), FA synthesis, TAG assembly and oil storage, causing an increase in seed oil content and monounsaturated FA level, destined for biodiesel fuel property improvement. Our findings may present strategies for better developing P. chinensis seed oils as biodiesel feedstock and bioengineering its high oil accumulation. Conclusions This is the first report on the cross-accessions assessments of P. chinensis seed oils to determine ideal accession for high-quality biodiesel production, and an effective combination of PcWRI1 or PcLEC1 overexpression, morphological assay, oil accumulation and qRT-PCR detection was applied to unravel a role of LEC1/WRI1-mediated regulatory network for oil accumulation in P. chinensis seeds, and to highlight the potential application of PcWRI1 or PcLEC1 for increasing oil production. Our finding may provide new strategies for developing biodiesel resource and molecular breeding.

BackgroundD-dimer (DD) is a vital biomarker to rule out the diagnosis of aortic dissection (AD). However, the DD level in some patients with AD is not high in clinical practice, which often leads to missed diagnosis; therefore, understanding the characteristics of patients with AD and negative DD is of great clinical value.MethodsFrom May 2015 to October 2020, 286 patients with AD who visited the first medical contact (FMC) within 24 h of symptom onset and were hospitalized in the Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University were enrolled in this study. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients were assessed.ResultsAmong them, 13 cases (approximately 4.5%) had negative DD results. Compared to patients with positive DD results, patients with negative DD results had significantly higher platelet counts and lower aortic dissection detection risk scores (ADD-RS). The imagological analysis showed that patients with AD and negative DD had lower extension scores and milder damage to the mesenteric artery and three branches of the aortic arch. Furthermore, the results of the multivariable analysis showed that white blood cell count (WBC) [odds ratio (OR): 1.379, P = 0.028], FMC (OR: 0.904, P = 0.028), and extension score (OR: 1.623, P = 0.046) were associated with negative DD result.ConclusionsPatients with AD and negative DD results had longer FMC and lower WBC. Imaging showed a smaller tear extension range and less damage to the mesenteric artery and three branches of the aortic arch. A negative DD result could not completely rule out AD even if the ADD-RS was zero.

Abstract Transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) have attracted wide attentions as a class of promising material for both fundamental investigations and electronic applications due to their atomic thin thickness, dangling bond‐free surface, and excellent electronic properties. Specifically, TMCs show outstanding properties such as good thermal conductivity, robust mechanical properties, and extraordinary electronical characteristics, bestowing them utility in both fundamental research and applications. Recently, the development of post‐Moore electronics based on TMCs calls for their large‐size and single‐crystal growth. However, researchers about synthesis usually focus on controlling several growth parameters (such as growth temperature, flow rate, and time). Herein, it is reported that the chemical valence states of transition metal precursors play an important role in controlling the lateral size and crystal quality for TMCs. The study discusses the valence states‐dependent growth mechanism for WS2 and MoS2 from four factors: evaporation temperature, skipping of reaction steps, atomic binding energy of the precursors, and formation energy. In addition, the as‐grown WS2 and MoS2 nanoflakes exhibit good photoelectric response properties. For EuS, the growth results are obviously different by using EuBr3 and EuBr2 as precursors. The studies provide a unique perspective and also new knowledge to controllably grow large‐size and good crystal quality TMCs.

The how and why of the spatial variation in biodiversity is one of the fundamental topics in biogeography research, but accurate insights require the incorporation of phylogenetic information. Here, to provide a better understanding of the origin and mechanism of biodiversity in montane ecosystems and thus support conservation planning, we explored the elevational patterns of phylogenetic diversity and structure of seed plants in the Gyirong Valley, the longest valley in China’s central Himalayas. The observed patterns were related to climatic, historical, geographical, and disturbance-related factors, and the relative contributions of these factors in explaining them were assessed. Our results showed that phylogenetic diversity of seed plants in the central Himalayas were described by a strongly hump-shaped pattern, peaking at 2700 m around. The phylogenetic structure of the plants was characterized by overdispersion at lower elevations and clustering at higher elevations, reflecting the cooperation between interspecies competition and environmental filtering in community assembly. Among the examined environmental factors, climatic factors showed the highest explanatory power, suggesting environmental filtering was largely driven by climatic rather than other factors. In summary, our finding indicating that mild climate at lower elevations presumably encourage phylogenetic differentiation by promoting interspecies competition, whereas increasingly harsh climatic condition with elevation may lead to closer phylogenetic relatedness through environmental filtering. Overall, our findings improve our knowledge about the elevational gradient of biodiversity in the Himalayas, and highlight the need for intensified conservation efforts at middle elevations as well as greater scientific concern regarding the impact of climate change on the biodiversity.

Abstract Background The anion gap (AG) has been linked to the prognosis of many cardiovascular disorders. However, the correlation between albumin-corrected anion gap (ACAG) and 30 d all-cause mortality of intensive care patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is unclear. Furthermore, owing to the lack of studies, it is also unknown whether ACAG is more accurate than AG in predicting the mortality of AMI. Methods The Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC IV) dataset was used to provide patient data in this retrospective cohort study. ACAG is computed using the formulae: [4.4—{albumin (g/dl)}] × 2.5 + AG. The primary outcome was 30 d all-cause mortality intensive care patients with AMI. To explore the prognostic worthiness of ACAG, the receiver operating characteristic curve, smooth curve fitting, Cox regression model, and Kaplan survival analysis was performed. Results We enrolled 2,160 patients in this study. ACAG had a better predictive value for 30 d all-cause mortality than AG, with an area under the curve of 0.66. The association between ACAG levels and overall mortality was nonlinear. In our model, after correcting for confounding factors, the ACAG was the independent predictor for 30 d all-cause mortality (HR 1.75, 95%CI 1.24, 2.47). ACAG K-M estimator curve analyses revealed that the group with ACAG ≥ 21.75 mmol/l had poor survival rate than the other group. Conclusions High serum ACAG levels were a significant risk factor for 30 d all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with AMI. ACAG concentration and 30 d all-cause mortality had a nonlinear relationship. ACAG had better predictive value in identifying 30 d all-cause mortality of patients with AMI in ICU than the AG.

At present, most studies use the direct method to analyze the oscillation problem of modern power systems. However, these studies often only simplify the external characteristics of the wind turbine and lack an in-depth understanding of its internal refined energy structure. In this paper, based on the direct-drive permanent magnetic synchronous generator’s detailed model (D-PMSG), combined with the dynamic energy of its port, layers of analysis are performed on the wind turbine’s internal connections, and a detailed model of the energy structure is created. Then, the interaction mechanism of each control link in the wind turbine is analyzed by combining the energy function of the wind turbine with the improved perturbation method. Finally, this paper constructs a sub-synchronous oscillation (SSO) scenario of weak damping and a forcing type and proves the accuracy and effectiveness of the traceability method based on the refined energy of D-PMSG. This traceability method based on refined energy is expected to provide a new solution to the stability problem caused by the integration of new energy.

Abstract Lead halide perovskites have received considerable attention from researchers over the past several years due to their superior optical and optoelectronic properties, because of which they can be a versatile platform for fundamental science research and applications. Patterned structures based on lead halide perovskites have much more novel properties compared with their more commonly seen bulk‐, micro‐, and nano‐crystals, such as improvement in antireflection, light‐scattering effects, and light absorption, as a result of their adjustability of spatial distributions. However, there are many challenges yet to be resolved in this field, such as insufficient patterned resolution, imperfect crystal quality, complicated preparation process, and so on. To pave the way to solve these problems, we provide a systematic presentation of current methods for fabricating lead halide perovskite patterned structures, including thermal imprint, use of etching films, two‐step vapor‐phase growth, template‐confined solution growth, and seed‐assisted growth. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of these methods are elaborated in detail. In addition, thanks to the extraordinary properties of lead halide perovskite patterned structures, a variety of potential applications in optics and optoelectronics of these structures are described. Lastly, we put forward existing challenges and prospects in this exciting field.

Soil fungal communities play a crucial role in maintaining and regulating ecosystem functions. The soil fungal structure of different plant communities in forests has been widely studied. However, the drivers of changes in soil fungal community dynamics in warm temperate secondary forests and the pathways influencing them remain to be explored. The Illumina high-throughput sequencing and FUNGuild platform were used to characterize the soil fungal diversity and community composition of six typical plant communities (JM, Juglans mandshurica; PD, Populus davidiana; QM, Quercus mongolica; MB, mixed broadleaf forest; MC, mixed conifer forest; PT, Pinus tabuliformis) in warm temperate secondary forests. The drivers of structural changes in dominant fungal taxa and functional groups were also explored. The pathways through which forest type, soil properties, altitude, climate, and plant diversity affected fungal community structure were further clarified. The results suggested that Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota dominated the soil fungal communities in warm temperate secondary forests. Except for symbiotic fungi, there was no significant difference in soil fungal α-diversity among forest types. However, there were significant differences in total fungi and functional group community composition. The drivers of diversity and community composition of different soil fungal taxa in warm temperate secondary forests differed. In addition, the partial least squares path model indicated that the composition of soil fungal community in warm temperate secondary forests was directly influenced by forest type and was less dependent on soil properties. Collectively, our study highlights the importance of forest type, soil properties, and other factors (climate, altitude, plant diversity) in driving changes in soil fungal community structure.

Abstract Background Lindera glauca with rich resource and fruit oil has emerged as novel source of biodiesel in China, but different germplasms show a variation for fruit oil content and FA profile. To develop L. glauca fruit oils as biodiesel, a concurrent exploration of oil content, FA composition, biodiesel yield, fuel property and prediction model construction was conducted on the fruits from 8 plus germplasms to select superior genotype for ideal biodiesel production. Another vital focus was to highlight mechanism that govern the differences in oil content and FA profile of different germplasms. The cross-accessions comparisons associated with oil-synthesized gene transcriptional level and oil accumulative amount led to the identification of potential determinants (enzymes, transporters or transcription factors) and regulatory mechanisms responsible for high-quality oil accumulation. Results To select superior germplasm and unravel regulatory mechanism of high oil production for developing L. glauca fruit oils as biodiesel, 8 plus trees (accession LG01/02/03/04/05/06/07/08) with high-yield fruits were selected to evaluate the differences in oil content, FA profile, biodiesel yield and fuel property, and to construct fuel property prediction model, revealing a variation in the levels of fruit oil (45.12–60.95%), monounsaturated FA (52.43–78.46%) and polyunsaturated FA (17.69–38.73%), and biodiesel yield (80.12–98.71%) across different accessions. Of note, LG06 had a maximum yield of oil (60.95%) and biodiesel (98.71%), and ideal proportions of C18:1 (77.89%), C18:2 (14.16%) and C18:3 (1.55%), indicating that fruit oils from accession LG06 was the most suitable for high-quality biodiesel production. To highlight molecular mechanism that govern such differences in oil content and FA composition of different accessions, the quantitative relationship between oil-synthesized gene transcription and oil accumulative amount were conducted on different accessions to identify some vital determinants (enzymes, transporters or transcription factors) with a model of carbon metabolic regulatory for high-quality oil accumulation by an integrated analysis of our recent transcriptome data and qRT-PCR detection. Our findings may present strategies for developing L. glauca fruit oils as biodiesel feedstock and engineering its oil accumulation. Conclusions This is the first report on the cross-accessions evaluations of L. glauca fruit oils to determine ideal accession for producing ideal biodiesel, and the associations of oil accumulative amount with oil-synthesized gene transcription was performed to identify some crucial determinants (enzymes, transporters or transcription factors) with metabolic regulation model established for governing high oil production. Our finding may provide molecular basis for new strategies of developing biodiesel resource and engineering oil accumulation.

Abstract Background Eriocaulon is a wetland plant genus with important ecological value, and one of the famous taxonomically challenging groups among angiosperms, mainly due to the high intraspecific diversity and low interspecific variation in the morphological characters of species within this genus. In this study, 22 samples representing 15 Eriocaulon species from China, were sequenced and combined with published samples of Eriocaulon to test the phylogenetic resolution using the complete chloroplast genome. Furthermore, comparative analyses of the chloroplast genomes were performed to investigate the chloroplast genome evolution of Eriocaulon. Results The 22 Eriocaulon chloroplast genomes and the nine published samples were proved highly similar in genome size, gene content, and order. The Eriocaulon chloroplast genomes exhibited typical quadripartite structures with lengths from 150,222 bp to 151,584 bp. Comparative analyses revealed that four mutation hotspot regions (psbK-trnS, trnE-trnT, ndhF-rpl32, and ycf1) could serve as effective molecular markers for further phylogenetic analyses and species identification of Eriocaulon species. Phylogenetic results supported Eriocaulon as a monophyletic group. The identified relationships supported the taxonomic treatment of section Heterochiton and Leucantherae, and the section Heterochiton was the first divergent group. Phylogenetic tree supported Eriocaulon was divided into five clades. The divergence times indicated that all the sections diverged in the later Miocene and most of the extant Eriocaulon species diverged in the Quaternary. The phylogeny and divergence times supported rapid radiation occurred in the evolution history of Eriocaulon. Conclusion Our study mostly supported the taxonomic treatment at the section level for Eriocaulon species in China and demonstrated the power of phylogenetic resolution using whole chloroplast genome sequences. Comparative analyses of the Eriocaulon chloroplast genome developed molecular markers that can help us better identify and understand the evolutionary history of Eriocaulon species in the future.

Abstract In order to reveal the Spatial distribution characteristics of heavy metal(loid)s health risk in soil on the town-scale, 788 topsoil samples were collected from a town in the hinterland of Chengdu Plain, with 5 subordinate communities and 17 administrative villages as the research sub regions. The USEPA health risk assessment model was used to assess the health risks of heavy metal(loid)s Cd, Hg, As, Cu, Pb, Cr, Zn and Ni in the soil, the health risk analysis method system based on the geographic detector and the optimized rank-size theory model are used to clarify the spatial differentiation and risk level difference of health risk in the study area. The results showed that the average values of Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn in the soil of the study area were 0.221, 0.155, 9.76, 32.2, 91.9, 35.2, 37.1 and 108.8 mg/kg, respectively. The health risks of heavy metal(loid)s in soil to adults and children are generally within the acceptable range, but the maximum hazard index of children and the maximum non-carcinogenic risk value of Cr to children are 2.653303 and 1.213098 respectively, which were exceeding the acceptable range. The carcinogenic risk of Cr and As to adults and children and the carcinogenic risk of Cd to children are at 1 × 10–4 to 1 × 10–6, exceeding the 10–6 health threshold. The q-value range of heavy metal(loid)s health risk spatial differentiation of soil in the study area is 0.016–0.425. The spatial differentiation of non-carcinogenic risk of Hg, As, Ni, Pb, Cd and Cr and the spatial differentiation of carcinogenic risk of Cr and As are larger, which needs further attention. The strictly controlled area of heavy metal(loid)s health risk in the soil of the study area (R ≥ 1.1) is mainly concentrated in the central, western and northeast sub regions, and most sub regions belong to the safe utilization area (0.9

Abstract Background Homocysteine is correlated with several imaging features of cerebral small vessel disease including white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) in the basal ganglia. However, little is known about EPVS in the brainstem. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum total homocysteine (tHcy) and EPVS in the brainstem in patients with acute isolated pontine infarction. Methods Consecutive patients with isolated pontine infarction were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical characteristics and laboratory tests including tHcy were recorded. Imaging markers of cerebral small vessel disease including EPVS in the basal ganglia (BG-EPVS), EPVS in the centrum semiovale, and EPVS in the midbrain or pons (brainstem-EPVS) were assessed using conventional magnetic resonance imaging. The relation between tHcy and EPVS of different parts in the brain was analyzed using univariate and multivariate regression model. Results A total of 227 patients were included (mean age 67.10 ± 9.38 years, male sex 58.6%). The frequencies of brainstem-EPVS and moderate to severe BG-EPVS accounted for 40.1% (91/227) and 40.5% (92/227) respectively. After controlling for confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that tHcy was an independent risk factor for both moderate to severe BG-EPVS (P = 0.003, P for trend < 0.001) and the presence of brainstem-EPVS (P < 0.001, P for trend < 0.001) in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression model indicated that the presence of brainstem-EPVS (β = 0.264, 95% confidence interval = 0.143-0.402, P < 0.001) and the severity of BG-EPVS (β = 0.162, 95% confidence interval = 0.024-0.197, P = 0.013) were positively associated with serum tHcy. Conclusions Serum tHcy is correlated with brainstem-EPVS and BG-EPVS dose-dependently. This study may support a contributing role for homocysteine in the pathophysiology of EPVS in the brainstem and the basal ganglia.

Independent college is a new kind of school-running pattern, on the basis of independent college computer professional course teaching, based on the background of MOOCS, specialized course teaching mode principle, on the basis of design is given priority to, the class online course of classroom teaching mode. To a certain extent can motivate we will accelerate reform of the teaching mode of independent colleges, improve the teaching quality of education.

Abstract Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data can provide 3D structural information of objects and are ideal for extracting individual tree parameters, and individual tree segmentation (ITS) is a vital step for this purpose. Various ITS methods have been emerging from airborne LiDAR scanning (ALS) or unmanned aerial vehicle LiDAR scanning (ULS) data. Here, we propose a new individual tree segmentation method, which couples the classical and efficient watershed algorithm (WS) and the newly developed connection center evolution (CCE) clustering algorithm in pattern recognition. The CCE is first used in ITS and comprehensively optimized by considering tree structure and point cloud characteristics. Firstly, the amount of data is greatly reduced by mean shift voxelization. Then, the optimal clustering scale is automatically determined by the shapes in the projection of three different directions. We select five forest plots in Saihanba, China and 14 public plots in Alpine region, Europe with ULS or ALS point cloud densities from 11 to 3295 pts/m2. Eleven ITS methods were used for comparison. The accuracy of tree top detection and tree height extraction is estimated by five and two metrics, respectively. The results show that the matching rate (Rmatch) of tree tops is up to 0.92, the coefficient of determination (R2) of tree height estimation is up to .94, and the minimum root mean square error (RMSE) is 0.6 m. Our method outperforms the other methods especially in the broadleaf forests plot on slopes, where the five evaluation metrics for tree top detection outperformed the other algorithms by at least 11% on average. Our ITS method is both robust and efficient and has the potential to be used especially in coniferous forests to extract the structural parameters of individual trees for forest management, carbon stock estimation, and habitat mapping.

Raman spectroscopy, as a kind of molecular vibration spectroscopy, provides abundant information for measuring components and molecular structure in the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. Currently, portable Raman spectrometers have simplified and made equipment application more affordable, albeit at the cost of sacrificing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Consequently, this necessitates a higher recognition rate from pattern recognition algorithms. Our study employs a feature fusion strategy to reduce the dimensionality of high-dimensional Raman spectra and enhance the discriminative information between normal tissues and tumors. In the conducted random experiment, the classifier achieved a performance of over 96% for all three average metrics: accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Additionally, we propose a multi-parameter serial encoding evolutionary algorithm (MSEA) and integrate it into the Adaptive Local Hyperplane K-nearest Neighbor classification algorithm (ALHK) for adaptive hyperparameter optimization. The implementation of serial encoding tackles the predicament of parallel optimization in multi-hyperparameter vector problems. To bolster the convergence of the optimization algorithm towards a global optimal solution, an exponential viability function is devised for nonlinear processing. Moreover, an improved elitist strategy is employed for individual selection, effectively eliminating the influence of probability factors on the robustness of the optimization algorithm. This study further optimizes the hyperparameter space through sensitivity analysis of hyperparameters and cross-validation experiments, leading to superior performance compared to the ALHK algorithm with manual hyperparameter configuration.