Rapid and stable calcium-looping solar thermochemical energy storage via co-doping binary sulfate and Al–Mn–Fe oxides

Solar thermochemical energy storage based on calcium looping(CaL)process is a promising technology for next-generation concentrated solar power(CSP)systems.However,conventional calcium carbonate(CaCO_(3))pellets suffer from slow reaction kinetics,poor stability,and low solar absorptance.Here,we successfully realized high power density and highly stable solar thermochemical energy storage/release by synergistically accelerating energy storage/release via binary sulfate and promoting cycle stability,mechanical strength,and solar absorptance via Al–Mn–Fe oxides.The energy storage density of proposed CaCO_(3)pellets is still as high as 1455 kJ kg^(-1)with only a slight decay rate of 4.91%over 100 cycles,which is higher than that of state-of-the-art pellets in the literature,in stark contrast to 69.9%of pure CaCO_(3)pellets over 35 cycles.Compared with pure CaCO_(3),the energy storage power density or decomposition rate is improved by 120%due to lower activation energy and promotion of Ca^(2+)diffusion by binary sulfate.The energy release or carbonation rate rises by 10%because of high O^(2-)transport ability of molten binary sulfate.Benefiting from fast energy storage/release rate and high solar absorptance,thermochemical energy storage efficiency is enhanced by more than 50%under direct solar irradiation.This work paves the way for application of direct solar thermochemical energy storage techniques via achieving fast energy storage/release rate,high energy density,good cyclic stability,and high solar absorptance simultaneously.

Oxalate regulates crystal-cell adhesion and macrophage metabolism via JPT2/PI3K/AKT signaling to promote the progression of kidney stones

Oxalate is an organic dicarboxylic acid that is a common component of plant foods.The kidneys are essential organs for oxalate excretion,but excessive oxalates may induce kidney stones.Jupiter microtubule associated homolog 2(JPT2)is a critical molecule in Ca^(2+)mobilization,and its intrinsic mechanism in oxalate exposure and kidney stones remains unclear.This study aimed to reveal the mechanism of JPT2 in oxalate exposure and kidney stones.Genetic approaches were used to control JPT2 expression in cells and mice,and the JPT2 mechanism of action was analyzed using transcriptomics and untargeted metabolomics.The results showed that oxalate exposure triggered the upregulation of JPT2,which is involved in nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NAADP)-mediated Ca^(2+)mobilization.Transcriptomic analysis revealed that cell adhesion and macrophage inflammatory polarization were inhibited by JPT2 knockdown,and these were dominated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT signaling,respectively.Untargeted metabolomics indicated that JPT2 knockdown inhibited the production of succinic acid semialdehyde(SSA)in macrophages.Furthermore,JPT2 deficiency in mice inhibited kidney stones mineralization.In conclusion,this study demonstrates that oxalate exposure facilitates kidney stones by promoting crystal-cell adhesion,and modulating macrophage metabolism and inflammatory polarization via JPT2/PI3K/AKT signaling.

Rotating magnetic field inhibits Aβ protein aggregation and alleviates cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease mice

Amyloid beta(Aβ)monomers aggregate to form fibrils and amyloid plaques,which are critical mechanisms in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease(AD).Given the important role of Aβ1-42 aggregation in plaque formation,leading to brain lesions and cognitive impairment,numerous studies have aimed to reduce Aβaggregation and slow AD progression.The diphenylalanine(FF)sequence is critical for amyloid aggregation,and magnetic fields can affect peptide alignment due to the diamagnetic anisotropy of aromatic rings.In this study,we examined the effects of a moderate-intensity rotating magnetic field(RMF)on Aβaggregation and AD pathogenesis.Results indicated that the RMF directly inhibited Aβamyloid fibril formation and reduced Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in neural cells in vitro.Using the AD mouse model APP/PS1,RMF restored motor abilities to healthy control levels and significantly alleviated cognitive impairments,including exploration and spatial and non-spatial memory abilities.Tissue examinations demonstrated that RMF reduced amyloid plaque accumulation,attenuated microglial activation,and reduced oxidative stress in the APP/PS1 mouse brain.These findings suggest that RMF holds considerable potential as a non-invasive,high-penetration physical approach for AD treatment.

Acetaminophen overdose-induced acute liver injury can be alleviated by static magnetic field

Acetaminophen(APAP),the most frequently used mild analgesic and antipyretic drug worldwide,is implicated in causing 46%of all acute liver failures in the USA and between 40%and 70%in Europe.The predominant pharmacological intervention approved for mitigating such overdose is the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine(NAC);however,its efficacy is limited in cases of advanced liver injury or when administered at a late stage.In the current study,we discovered that treatment with a moderate intensity static magnetic field(SMF)notably reduced the mortality rate in mice subjected to high-dose APAP from 40%to 0%,proving effective at both the initial liver injury stage and the subsequent recovery stage.During the early phase of liver injury,SMF markedly reduced APAPinduced oxidative stress,free radicals,and liver damage,resulting in a reduction in multiple oxidative stress markers and an increase in the antioxidant glutathione(GSH).During the later stage of liver recovery,application of vertically downward SMF increased DNA synthesis and hepatocyte proliferation.Moreover,the combination of NAC and SMF significantly mitigated liver damage induced by high-dose APAP and increased liver recovery,even 24 h post overdose,when the effectiveness of NAC alone substantially declines.Overall,this study provides a noninvasive non-pharmaceutical tool that offers dual benefits in the injury and repair stages following APAP overdose.Of note,this tool can work as an alternative to or in combination with NAC to prevent or minimize liver damage induced by APAP,and potentially other toxic overdoses.

RoBGP:A Chinese Nested Biomedical Named Entity Recognition Model Based on RoBERTa and Global Pointer

Named Entity Recognition(NER)stands as a fundamental task within the field of biomedical text mining,aiming to extract specific types of entities such as genes,proteins,and diseases from complex biomedical texts and categorize them into predefined entity types.This process can provide basic support for the automatic construction of knowledge bases.In contrast to general texts,biomedical texts frequently contain numerous nested entities and local dependencies among these entities,presenting significant challenges to prevailing NER models.To address these issues,we propose a novel Chinese nested biomedical NER model based on RoBERTa and Global Pointer(RoBGP).Our model initially utilizes the RoBERTa-wwm-ext-large pretrained language model to dynamically generate word-level initial vectors.It then incorporates a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory network for capturing bidirectional semantic information,effectively addressing the issue of long-distance dependencies.Furthermore,the Global Pointer model is employed to comprehensively recognize all nested entities in the text.We conduct extensive experiments on the Chinese medical dataset CMeEE and the results demonstrate the superior performance of RoBGP over several baseline models.This research confirms the effectiveness of RoBGP in Chinese biomedical NER,providing reliable technical support for biomedical information extraction and knowledge base construction.

Effects of gradient high-field static magnetic fields on diabetic mice

Although 9.4 T magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) has been tested in healthy volunteers,its safety in diabetic patients is unclear.Furthermore,the effects of high static magnetic fields(SMFs),especially gradient vs.uniform fields,have not been investigated in diabetics.Here,we investigated the consequences of exposure to 1.0-9.4 T high SMFs of different gradients(>10 T/m vs.0-10 T/m)on type 1 diabetic(T1D) and type 2 diabetic(T2D) mice.We found that 14 h of prolonged treatment of gradient(as high as 55.5 T/m) high SMFs(1.0-8.6 T) had negative effects on T1D and T2D mice,including spleen,hepatic,and renal tissue impairment and elevated glycosylated serum protein,blood glucose,inflammation,and anxiety,while 9.4 T quasi-uniform SMFs at 0-10 T/m did not induce the same effects.In regular T1D mice(blood glucose>16.7 mmol/L),the>10 T/m gradient high SMFs increased malondialdehyde(P<0.01) and decreased superoxide dismutase(P<0.05).However,in the severe T1D mice(blood glucose≥30.0 mmol/L),the>10 T/m gradient high SMFs significantly increased tissue damage and reduced survival rate.In vitro cellular studies showed that gradient high SMFs increased cellular reactive oxygen species and apoptosis and reduced MS-1 cell number and proliferation.Therefore,this study showed that prolonged exposure to high-field(1.0-8.6 T)>10 T/m gradient SMFs(35-1 380 times higher than that of current clinical MRI)can have negative effects on diabetic mice,especially mice with severe T1D,whereas 9.4 T high SMFs at 0-10T/m did not produce the same effects,providing important information for the future development and clinical application of SMFs,especially high-field MRI.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in soils and crops in a mining area(Au-Ag-Cutrona-oil et al.) of the Nanyang Basin, Henan Province, China

Heavy metal distribution in mining areas has always been a hot research topic due to the special environment of these areas. This study aims to explore the impact of heavy metal pollution on soils and crops in the study area, ensure the safety of local crops and the health of local residents, and provide a basis for the subsequent environmental restoration and the prevention and control of environmental pollution. Based on the analysis of the heavy metal concentrations in local soils and crops, the study investigated the spatial distribution, pollution degrees, and potential ecological risks of heavy metals in the farmland of a mining area in the southeastern Nanyang Basin, Henan province, China explored the sources of heavy metals and assessed the health risks caused by crop intake. The results of this study are as follows. The root soils of crops in the study area suffered heavy metal pollution to varying degrees. The degree of heavy metal pollution in maize fields is higher than that in wheat fields, and both types of fields suffer the most severe Cd pollution. Moreover, the root soils of different crops suffer compound pollution.The root soils in the maize fields suffer severe compound pollution at some sampling positions, whose distribution is similar to that of the mining area. Cd poses the highest potential ecological risks among all heavy metals, and the study area mainly suffers low and moderate comprehensive potential ecological risks. The principal component analysis(PCA) shows that the distribution of Zn, Cd, Pb, and As in soils of the study area is mainly affected by anthropogenic factors such as local mining activities;the distribution of Cr and Ni is primarily controlled by the local geological background;the distribution of Hg is mainly affected by local vehicle exhaust emissions, and the distribution of Cu is influenced by both human activities and the geological background. Different cereal crops in the study area are polluted with heavy metals dominated by Cd and Ni to varying degrees, especially wheat. As indicated by the health risk assessment results, the intake of maize in the study area does not pose significant human health risks;however, Cu has high risks to human health, and the compound heavy metal pollution caused by the intake of wheat in the study area poses risks to the health of both adults and children. Overall, the soils and crops in the study area suffer a high degree of heavy metal pollution, for which mining activities may be the main reason.

Improving the understanding of the influencing factors on sea level based on wavelet coherence and partial wavelet coherence

Relationship between sea level change and a single climate indicator has been widely discussed.However,few studies focused on the relationship between monthly mean sea level(MMSL)and several key impact factors,including CO_(2) concentration,sea ice area,and sunspots,on various time scales.In addition,research on the independent relationship between climate factors and sea level on various time scales is lacking,especially when the dependence of climate factors on Nino 3.4 is excluded.Based on this,we use wavelet coherence(WC)and partial wavelet coherence(PWC)to establish a relationship between MMSL and its influencing factors.The WC results show that the influence of climate indices on MMSL has strong regional characteristics.The significant correlation between Southern Hemisphere sea ice area and MMSL is opposite to that between Northern Hemisphere sea ice area and MMSL.The PWC results show that after removing the influence of Nino 3.4,the significant coherent regions of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO),Dipole Mode Index(DMI),Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO),and Southern Oscillation Index(SOI)decrease to varying degrees on different time scales in different regions,demonstrating the influence of Nino 3.4.Our work emphasizes the interrelationship and independent relationship between MMSL and its influencing factors on various time scales and the use of PWC and WC to describe this relationship.The study has an important reference significance for selecting the best predictors of sea level change or climate systems.

Digital Simulation of Projective Non-Abelian Anyons with 68 Superconducting Qubits

Non-Abelian anyons are exotic quasiparticle excitations hosted by certain topological phases of matter.They break the fermion-boson dichotomy and obey non-Abelian braiding statistics:their interchanges yield unitary operations,rather than merely a phase factor,in a space spanned by topologically degenerate wavefunctions.They are the building blocks of topological quantum computing.However,experimental observation of non-Abelian anyons and their characterizing braiding statistics is notoriously challenging and has remained elusive hitherto,in spite of various theoretical proposals.Here,we report an experimental quantum digital simulation of projective non-Abelian anyons and their braiding statistics with up to 68 programmable superconducting qubits arranged on a two-dimensional lattice.By implementing the ground states of the toric-code model with twists through quantum circuits,we demonstrate that twists exchange electric and magnetic charges and behave as a particular type of non-Abelian anyons,i.e.,the Ising anyons.In particular,we show experimentally that these twists follow the fusion rules and non-Abelian braiding statistics of the Ising type,and can be explored to encode topological logical qubits.Furthermore,we demonstrate how to implement both single-and two-qubit logic gates through applying a sequence of elementary Pauli gates on the underlying physical qubits.Our results demonstrate a versatile quantum digital approach for simulating non-Abelian anyons,offering a new lens into the study of such peculiar quasiparticles.

Radiomics model based on preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI for predicting liver failure

BACKGROUND Postoperative liver failure is the most severe complication in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) after major hepatectomy. Current available clinical indexes predicting postoperative residual liver function are not sufficiently accurate.AIM To determine a radiomics model based on preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for predicting liver failure in cirrhotic patients with HCC after major hepatectomy.METHODS For this retrospective study, a radiomics-based model was developed based on preoperative hepatobiliary phase gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance images in 101 patients with HCC between June 2012 and June 2018. Sixty-one radiomic features were extracted from hepatobiliary phase images and selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method to construct a radiomics signature. A clinical prediction model, and radiomics-based model incorporating significant clinical indexes and radiomics signature were built using multivariable logistic regression analysis. The integrated radiomics-based model was presented as a radiomics nomogram. The performances of clinical prediction model, radiomics signature, and radiomics-based model for predicting post-operative liver failure were determined using receiver operating characteristics curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analyses.RESULTS Five radiomics features from hepatobiliary phase images were selected to construct the radiomics signature. The clinical prediction model, radiomics signature, and radiomics-based model incorporating indocyanine green clearance rate at 15 min and radiomics signature showed favorable performance for predicting postoperative liver failure(area under the curve: 0.809-0.894). The radiomics-based model achieved the highest performance for predicting liver failure(area under the curve: 0.894;95%CI: 0.823-0.964). The integrated discrimination improvement analysis showed a significant improvement in the accuracy of liver failure prediction when radiomics signature was added to the clinical prediction model(integrated discrimination improvement = 0.117, P =0.002). The calibration curve and an insignificant Hosmer-Lemeshow test statistic(P = 0.841) demonstrated good calibration of the radiomics-based model. The decision curve analysis showed that patients would benefit more from a radiomics-based prediction model than from a clinical prediction model and radiomics signature alone.CONCLUSION A radiomics-based model of preoperative gadoxetic acid–enhanced MRI can be used to predict liver failure in cirrhotic patients with HCC after major hepatectomy.

Differences between Zn/HZSM-5 and Zn/HZSM-11 zeolite catalysts in alkylation of benzene with dimethyl ether

HZSM-11 zeolite supported Zn catalysts with different Zn contents （xZn/HZSM-11A） were prepared. In the alkylation of benzene with dimethyl ether （DME） in a fixed bed reactor, the catalyst with Zn content of 6 wt% （6Zn/HZSM-11A） showed appropriate performance. Focus was put on the comparison between 6Zn/HZSM-5 and 6Zn/HZSM-11 with the same crystal size of 600-800 nm, and also with the similar BET surface area, micropore volume, Si/Al2 molar ratio, and acidity. In the alkylation of benzene with DME, the 6Zn/HZSM-11 showed better activity and stability, and especially enhanced the conversion of benzene and selectivities to xylene and trimethylbenzene, compared with the 6Zn/HZSM-5. This was mainly related to the higher adsorption capacity and adsorption-desorption rates to the three adsorbates （benzene, m-xylene and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene） over the 6Zn/HZSM-11 in comparison with the 6Zn/HZSM-5.

Effects of BaCl_2 on K-feldspar flotation using dodecyl amine chloride under natural pH

The effects of BaCl2 on the flotation of K-feldspar using dodecyl amine chloride as the collector under natural pH wereinvestigated by flotation tests, absorption measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） and X-ray photoelectronspectroscopy （XPS）. The results indicated that lower BaCl2 concentration can increase the floatability of K-feldspar, whereas higherBaCl2 concentration can significantly inhibit the flotation of K-feldspar. Peaks at 3548.18, 3475.56 and 3414.35 cm？1in the FTIRspectra of K-feldspar adsorbed by dodecyl amine chloride revealed three forms of -OH. XPS analyses of K-feldspar adsorbed byBa2＋ showed that the concentration of K atom was reduced by nearly twice as those of Si, Al, and O. The activation of BaCl2 at a lowconcentration was mainly caused by Ba2＋ in the form of the ion exchange between K＋ and Ba2＋. The inhibitory action of BaCl2 at ahigh concentration is mainly attributed to the physical absorption of Ba2＋ on the surface of K-feldspar and the fact that a highconcentration of Cl？ causes the chemical equilibrium of dodecyl amine chloride to be changed, and the dodecyl amine chloride in theform of RNH2H＋ is reduced.

Formation of arsenic−copper-containing particles and their sulfation decomposition mechanism in copper smelting flue gas

The heat recovery steam generator(HRSG)of copper smelting generates a large number of arsenic−coppercontaining particles,and the in-situ separation of arsenic and copper is of importance for cutting off environmental risk and realizing resource recovery.The formation of arsenic−copper-containing particles was simulated,the method of in-situ decomposition of arsenic−copper-containing particles by pyrite was proposed,and the decomposition mechanism was confirmed.It was found that particles with high arsenic content were formed in the simulated HRSG,and copper arsenate was liable for the high arsenic content.Pyrite promoted the sulfation of copper,leading to the in-situ decomposition of copper arsenate.In this process,gaseous arsenic was released,and thus the separation of arsenic and copper was realized.

Fast Near-duplicate Image Detection in Riemannian Space by A Novel Hashing Scheme

There is a steep increase in data encoded as symmetric positive definite(SPD)matrix in the past decade.The set of SPD matrices forms a Riemannian manifold that constitutes a half convex cone in the vector space of matrices,which we sometimes call SPD manifold.One of the fundamental problems in the application of SPD manifold is to find the nearest neighbor of a queried SPD matrix.Hashing is a popular method that can be used for the nearest neighbor search.However,hashing cannot be directly applied to SPD manifold due to its non-Euclidean intrinsic geometry.Inspired by the idea of kernel trick,a new hashing scheme for SPD manifold by random projection and quantization in expanded data space is proposed in this paper.Experimental results in large scale nearduplicate image detection show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.

Directional motion of dust particles at different gear structuresin a plasma

Directional motion of dust particles in a dusty plasma ratcnet is observed experimentally.The dusty plasma ratcnet consists of two concentric gears with asymmetric sawtooth.It is found that the sawtooth number affects the directional motion of dust particles along the saw channel.With the inerease of the sawtooth number,the particle velocity increases firstly and then decreases,and there is an optimum number of the sawtooth which could induce fast rotation of dust particles.The velocities of dust particles change as they are flowing along the saw channel.We also explore the force acting on the dust particle experimentally.

Characteristics of CO_2 in unsaturated zone(～90 m) of loess tableland, Northwest China

In order to observe CO_2 characteristics in the unsaturated zone of loess tableland and further understand the carbon cycle,a series of tubes for gas monitoring and sampling were installed in an approximately 90-m deep Qiushe loess section of Lingtai County,Northwestern China.The results show that the concentration of CO_2 was higher in loess than in the atmosphere,reaching a maximum of 6970 lmol·mol^(-1).CO_2 concentrations in loess were higher in summer than in winter.The CO_2 in loess was related to organic carbon decomposed by microbes,and to the CaCO_3–H_2O–CO_2 system in the interface between the saturated and unsaturated zones.

Preoperative evaluation of transcatheter aortic valve replacement with assistance of 3D printing technique:Reanalysis of 4 death cases

Introduction:Transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)can have some fatal complications during and after the operation.Until recently,pre-procedural imaging with cardiac computed tomography(CT),which is required to evaluate for TAVR,had its own imperfections.We aimed to determine whether 3 D printed models can predict complications when other pre-procedural imaging techniques failed.Methods:Vascular center patients with aortic valve stenosis,who died after TAVR between June 2011 and June2016,were enrolled in this retrospective study.The CT datasets of the patients were imported into a threedimensional(3 D)construction software and then printed by flexible material.To predict complications during and after operations,we designed a release test using the non-valved stent mode that was consistent with the Edwards Sapien XT valve in size and radial support force.Result:The 3 D model predicted the coronary obstruction and annular rupture in the in vitro release process,which was consistent with what happened in the actual operation.Conclusion:Three-dimensional modeling facilitates pre-operative assessment of patients receiving TAVR,with accurate simulation of intraoperative status.

Larva fish assemblage structure in three-dimensional floating wetlands and non-floating wetlands in the Changjiang River estuary

Fish populations have declined in many estuarine and freshwater ecosystems in part due to the loss of habitat in recent decades.Reconstructing lost habitat for larvae fish is a potential method for recovering larvae fish populations.Three-dimensional artificial floating wetlands(AFWs)on which Phragmites australis was planted were experimentally deployed to recover the lost habitat in the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary from May to July 2018.The AFW area was characterized by slow velocity,high transparency,low dissolved oxygen,and relatively constant water temperature.The total individuals of larvae fish in the AFW area(12122 in total)was higher than that in the non-AFW area(1250 in total),and the densities of most larvae fish species were higher in the AFW habitat than in the non-AFW area.The distributions of larvae fish species were positively influenced by habitat type because they were strongly related to the negative part of the first axis of the redundancy analysis,and Cyprinus carpio and Cyprinus auratus were inclined to habitat in the slow velocity and high transparency AFW habitat area.These results indicate that larvae fish species are inclined to inhabit the AFW habitat.The use of three-dimensional P.australis AFWs would be a potential method for enhancing the habitat of larvae fish in the degraded habitats along the estuary.

O2-Oxidation of Cyanomethylene Radical:Infrared Identification of Criegee Intermediates syn-and anti-NCC(H)OO

Cyanomethylene radical(HCCN)is an important intermediate in the nitrile chemistry in both the earth’s and the Titan’s atmosphere.Despite that the mechanism for the oxidation of HCCN has been already computationally explored,the key Criegee intermediate,NCC(H)OO,remains unobserved yet.By photolyzing mixtures(1:50:1000)of either HC(N2)CN/O2/N2(266 nm)or HCCNCO/O2/N2(193 nm)at 15.0 K,the elusive carbonyl oxides NCC(H)OO,in syn-and anti-conformations,have been generated and characterized with IR spectroscopy.The spectroscopic identification is supported by ^18O-labeling experiments and the quantum chemical calculations at the BP86/6-311++G(3df,3pd)level.Upon subsequent UV-light irradiation,both conformers of NCC(H)OO further react with O2 and yield NCC(O)H and O3,whereas,the dioxirane isomer HC(O2)CN,which is lower than syn-NCC(H)OO by 23.7 kcal/mol at the CCSD(T)-F12a/aug-cc-pVTZ//BP86/6-311++G(3df,3pd)level,was not observed experimentally.

Seed Setting and Its Spatial Characteristics in Tartary Buckwheat(Fagopyrum tataricum)

A low seed-setting rate is the main limiting factor influencing Tartary buckwheat production under high-yield cultivation conditions.To investigate the seed setting and its spatial characteristics,two Tartary buckwheat cultivars(high seed-setting rate cultivar Qianku 3;low seed-setting rate cultivar Liuku 3)were compared by a two-year field trial in 2017 and 2018.The results showed that the Tartary buckwheat underwent simultaneous flowering and fruiting.Flowers,generated from branch,were still blooming during the mature stage of grains on stem,which resulting in a greater number of flowers and grains on the branch than those on the stem at the low part of plant.The seed-setting characteristics significantly differed between two cultivars.The high seed-setting rate of Qianku 3 was 26.6%and 33.2%higher than Liuku 3 in 2017 and 2018,respectively.Meanwhile,Qianku 3 showed a higher filled grain number(157.8%)and seed-setting rate(66.4%)on branch than Liuku 3.A network analysis showed that the whole-plant seed-setting rate was positively correlated with grain number,which was closely correlated with flower number at the same position of plant.The path-coefficient analysis revealed that grains number on branches was the most dominant component(Path coefficient(P)=2.19)of the seed-setting rate,followed by grains number on stem(P=0.60).The grains number on branches showed the greatest positive direct effect with significant correlation(r=0.76 and P<0.01)on the seed-setting rate.Overall,the present study indicated that the grain number of branches may play a vital role in improving the seed-setting rate in Tartary buckwheat.