Sexual Dimorphism and Female Reproductive Characteristics in the Hainan Water Skink(Tropidophorus hainanus)from Hainan,South China

We studied sexual dimorphism in body size and shape and female reproductive characteristics in the Hainan Water Skink(Tropidophorus hainanus)from Hainan,South China.In our sample the largest female and male were 61.1 and 55.2 mm snout-vent length(SVL),respectively.The mean SVL was larger in adult females(52.0 mm)than in adult males(48.3 mm).Juveniles were sexually dimorphic in head length but not in other examined morphological variables.Adult males were longer in head length and shorter in abdomen length and fore-limb length than adult females of the same SVL.Ontogenetic shifts in sexual dimorphism in body shape were evident,as revealed by the fact that morphological differences between the sexes were more pronounced in adults than in juveniles.Females produced a single litter of 3–6 offspring per season from early August to early September.Litter size,litter mass and offspring(neonate)mass were positively related to female SVL.Neonate mass was independent of relative fecundity.From the above findings we draw three main conclusions.First,females are the larger sex in T.hainanus,and sexual dimorphism in body shape is more pronounced in adults than in juveniles.Second,larger female T.hainanus produce more and larger offspring and thus heavier litters than smaller ones.Third,the offspring size-number trade-off does is not evident in T.hainanus.

Reproducibility study of intravoxel incoherent motion and apparent diffusion coefficient parameters in normal pancreas

BACKGROUND The consistency of pancreatic apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)values and intravoxel incoherent motion(IVIM)parameter values across different magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)devices significantly impacts the patient’s diagnosis and treatment.AIM To explore consistency in image quality,ADC values,and IVIM parameter values among different MRI devices in pancreatic examinations.METHODS This retrospective study was approved by the local ethics committee,and informed consent was obtained from all participants.In total,22 healthy volunteers(10 males and 12 females)aged 24-61 years(mean,28.9±2.3 years)underwent pancreatic diffusion-weighted imaging using 3.0T MRI equipment from three vendors.Two independent observers subjectively scored image quality and measured the pancreas’s overall ADC values and signal-to-noise ratios(SNRs).Subsequently,regions of interest(ROIs)were delineated for the IVIM parameters(true diffusion coefficient,pseudo-diffusion coefficient,and perfusion fraction)using post-processing software.These ROIs were on the head,body,and tail of the pancrease.The subjective image ratings were assessed using the kappa consistency test.Intraclass correlation coefficients(ICCs)and mixed linear models were used to evaluate each device’s quantitative parameter values.Finally,a pairwise analysis of IVIM parameter values across each device was performed using Bland-Altman plots.RESULTS The Kappa value for the subjective ratings of the different observers was 0.776(P<0.05).The ICC values for interobserver and intra-observer agreements for the quantitative parameters were 0.803[95% confidence interval(CI):0.684-0.880]and 0.883(95%CI:0.760-0.945),respectively(P<0.05).The ICCs for the SNR between different devices was comparable(P>0.05),and the ICCs for the ADC values from different devices were 0.870,0.707,and 0.808,respectively(P<0.05).Notably,only a few statistically significant inter-device agreements were observed for different IVIM parameters,and among those,the ICC values were generally low.The mixed linear model results indicated differences(P<0.05)in the f-value for the pancreas head,D-value for the pancreas body,and D-value for the pancreas tail obtained using different MRI machines.The Bland-Altman plots showed significant variability at some data points.CONCLUSION ADC values are consistent among different devices,but the IVIM parameters’repeatability is moderate.Therefore,the variability in the IVIM parameter values may be associated with using different MRI machines.Thus,caution should be exercised when using IVIM parameter values to assess the pancreas.

Cs-Induced Phase Transformation of Vanadium Oxide for High-Performance Zinc-Ion Batteries

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries are promising candidate for gridscale energy storage.However,the development of zinc-ion batteries has been plagued by the lack of cathode materials with high specific capacity and superior lifespan.Herein,hexagonal Cs_(0.3)V_(2)O_(5)cathode is fabricated and investigated in zinc-ion batteries.Compared with the traditional vanadium oxides,the introduction of Cs changes the periodic atomic arrangements,which not only stabilizes the open framework structure but also facilitates the Zn^(2+)diffusion with a lower migration energy barrier.Consequently,high specific capacity of 543.8 mA h g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1)is achieved,which surpasses most of reported cathode materials in zinc-ion batteries.The excellent cycle life is achieved over 1000 cycles with about 87.8%capacity retention at 2 A g^(-1).Furthermore,the morphological evolution and energy storage mechanisms are also revealed via a series of techniques.This work opens up a phase engineering strategy to fabricate the hexagonal vanadium oxide and elucidate the application of phase-dependent cathodes in zinc-ion batteries.

Sexual Dimorphism,Female Reproductive Characteristics and Embryonic Thermosensitivity in the Tonkin Forest Skink(Sphenomorphus tonkinensis)from Hainan,South China

We collected 75 adult Tonkin forest skinks(Sphenomorphus tonkinensis) from Hainan, South China and incubated eggs at four constant temperatures ranging from 22 ℃ to 28 ℃ to study sexual dimorphism, female reproductive characteristics and embryonic thermosensitivity. The largest male was 53.4 mm snout-vent length(SVL), and the largest female was 54.3 mm SVL. The mean SVL was slightly greater in adult females(49.9 mm) than in adult males(48.8 mm), but the difference was not significant.Head length, head width, fore-limb length and hindlimb length were longer in adult males and abdomen length was longer in adult females after accounting for SVL. Accordingly, we conclude that S. tonkinensis is basically a sexually size-monomorphic species with sexual dimorphism in head size, abdomen(trunk)length and limb size. Females laid up to two clutches of 1–4 eggs each per egg-laying season from February to May. Egg mass, clutch size and clutch mass were independent of female SVL. Embryonic stages at laying varied from Dufaure and Hubert’s stage 30 to 31. With female SVL held constant, the negative correlation between egg mass and clutch size was not significant, suggesting that the offspring(egg) sizenumber trade-off between is not evident or eggs are well optimized for size in S. tonkinensis. None of the eggs at 28 ℃ hatched;hatching success was lower at 22 ℃ than at 24 ℃ or 26 ℃. The mean incubation length was 52.9 d at 22 ℃, 40.4 d at 24 ℃ and 33.6 d at 26 ℃. Hatchlings from eggs incubated at 22 ℃,24 ℃ and 26 ℃ did not differ morphologically at hatching, suggesting that temperatures within this range do not differentially affect hatchling morphology in S. tonkinensis.

Formation of Low-Level Jets over Southern China in the Mei-yu Season

This study examines the diversity of low-level jet(LLJ)formation and related physical processes over southern China.A total of 171 LLJ formation events with enhanced daily southwesterlies and early-morning maximum wind speeds were observed during the mei-yu seasons of 1989–2018.The LLJs can be further categorized into four types based on the increases in the daily mean and diurnal amplitude of the low-level winds.Analysis of the synoptic-scale disturbances shows that the two types of LLJ formation(Q1 and Q4),which feature large increases of daily southerly wind components,are mainly induced by west-east dipole patterns of pressure change,in association with the enhanced southwest vortex and/or the western Pacific subtropical high(WPSH).In contrast,the other two types(Q2 and Q3),which feature relatively large increases in their daily westerly components,are related to a northwest-southeast dipole pattern of pressure change due to the mid-latitude trough and the WPSH.We further analyze the considerable variations in the diurnal thermal forcing among the LLJ formation events.The strong(weak)daytime heating of solar radiation leads to relatively large(small)increases in the diurnal amplitude of low-level winds in Q1 and Q2(Q3 and Q4)types.Therefore,different combinations of synopticscale disturbances and diurnal thermal forcings are found to account for the diversity in LLJ formation and associated differences in downstream rainfall patterns.These results help to improve our understanding and prediction of the formation of LLJs.

Discussion on the Cultivation of the Core Quality of Middle School Students’ Physical Education in Primary School Physical Education Teaching

In the context of quality education,a wider exploration of physical education has been carried out,but at the same time higher requirements have been put forward for school sports courses.It is essential to pay attention to the teaching and training of physical knowledge and skills in physical education training as well as cultivate the core physical literacy of primary school students.The core quality of physical education is the main part of the basic quality of primary and middle school students,which is of great significance to their learning and development.This article will explore the training methods of primary and middle school students’basic quality in school physical education courses for reference.

汽车用铝合金方形薄壁梁的压溃变形行为

建立了方形薄壁梁轴向压溃有限元模型,基于准静态拉伸试验获得的应力-应变数据,对6061-T6、6063-T6和6082-T6铝合金方形薄壁梁的压溃变形行为进行研究,分析了单排、双排、三排诱导孔对其压溃变形行为的影响。结果表明:模拟得到无诱导孔铝合金方形薄壁梁均出现3个完整的压溃褶皱,与试验结果相符,证明建立的有限元模型较准确;3种无诱导孔铝合金方形薄壁梁的压溃变形模式均为钻石压溃模式,Mises等效应力分布基本相同,在压溃变形过程中其方形截面上端面两组对边分别依次出现内凹和外鼓,然后顺序压溃形成3个褶皱;开设诱导孔对铝合金方形薄壁梁第一压溃褶皱形成后的压溃变形行为的影响较大,缩短了第二、三压溃褶皱形成所需压溃距离,提升了变形后期的承载能力,开设双排诱导孔时距离最小。

Quantum Spin Exchange Interactions to Accelerate the Redox Kinetics in Li–S Batteries

Spin-engineering with electrocatalysts have been exploited to suppress the“shuttle effect”in Li–S batteries.Spin selec-tion,spin-dependent electron mobility and spin potentials in activation barriers can be optimized as quantum spin exchange interactions lead-ing to a significant reduction of the electronic repulsions in the orbitals of catalysts.Herein,we anchor the MgPc molecules on fluorinated carbon nanotubes(MgPc@FCNT),which exhibits the single active Mg sites with axial displacement.According to the density functional theory calculations,the electronic spin polarization in MgPc@FCNT not only increases the adsorption energy toward LiPSs intermediates but also facilitates the tunneling process of electron in Li–S batter-ies.As a result,the MgPc@FCNT provides an initial capacity of 6.1 mAh cm^(-2) even when the high sulfur loading is 4.5 mg cm^(-2),and still maintains 5.1 mAh cm^(-2) after 100 cycles.This work provides a new perspective to extend the main group single-atom catalysts enabling high-performance Li–S batteries.

Reexamination of Sexual Dimorphism and Female Reproduction in the Many-Lined Sun Skink Eutropis multifasciata from China

We reexamined sexual dimorphism and female reproduction in the Many-Lined Sun Skink Eutropis multifasciata from Hainan,China. Our data confirm that adults are sexually dimorphic in body size and shape,with males being the larger sex and larger in head size but shorter in abdomen length than females of the same snoutvent length(SVL). The rate at which head width increased with SVL was greater in males as opposed to the previous conclusion that the rate does not differ between the sexes. Maternal size was the main determinant of reproductive investment,with larger females generally producing more,as well as larger,offspring. Females produced up to nine offspring per litter as opposed to the previously reported 2–7. Most females gave birth between March and August,a time period approximately four months longer than that(May–June) reported previously. Females with a higher fecundity tended to produce smaller offspring as opposed to the previous conclusion that females do not tradeoff offspring size against number. Litter size,neonate mass and litter mass remained remarkably constant among years,and litter mass was more tightly related to female body size than litter size or neonate mass. Smaller females could produce relatively heavier litters without a concomitant reduction in postpartum body condition.

Sexual Dimorphism, Female Reproductive Characteristics and Egg Incubation in an Oviparous Forest Skink(Sphenomorphus incognitus) from South China

We studied sexual dimorphism and female reproduction in an oviparous forest skink （Sphenomorphus incognitus） from South China. We incubated eggs under five thermal regimes （22, 25, 28, 25 ± 3 and 27± 5℃） to examine the effects of constant versus fluctuating temperatures on incubation length and hatchling morphology. In our sample the largest male and female were 110 mm and 108 mm snout-vent length （SVL）, respectively. Adult males and females did not differ in mean SVL; adult males were larger in head size （both length and width）, longer in fore- and hind-limb lengths and shorter in abdomen length than females of the same SVL. Accordingly, we conclude that S. incognitus is a sexually monomorphic species in terms of SVL but shows sexual dimorphism in head size, abdomen length and appendage length. Females laid a single clutch of 3-10 eggs per breeding season from early May to mid- August, with larger females generally laying more （but not always larger） eggs per clutch than did smaller ones. Embryonic stages at laying ranged from Dufaure and Hubert＇s （1961） stage 31 to 32, with a mean stage of 31.3. The positive relationship between clutch mass and female SVL was not significant. The offspring size-number trade-off does not exist in S, incognitus, as revealed by the fact that egg mass was independent of relative fecundity. Incubation length decreased as temperature increased, and stable temperatures resulted in delayed hatching. Hatchlings incubated under the five thermal regimes did not differ from each other in any examined trait, suggesting that S. incognitus is among oviparous reptilian species where incubation temperature has no role in modifying hatchling morphology as long as eggs are not exposed to extreme temperatures for prolonged periods of time.

Cluster analysis of polymers using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy with K-means

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy（LIBS） combined with K-means algorithm was employed to automatically differentiate industrial polymers under atmospheric conditions.The unsupervised learning algorithm K-means were utilized for the clustering of LIBS dataset measured from twenty kinds of industrial polymers.To prevent the interference from metallic elements,three atomic emission lines（C I 247.86 nm,H I 656.3 nm,and O I 777.3 nm） and one molecular line C–N（0,0） 388.3 nm were used.The cluster analysis results were obtained through an iterative process.The Davies–Bouldin index was employed to determine the initial number of clusters.The average relative standard deviation values of characteristic spectral lines were used as the iterative criterion.With the proposed approach,the classification accuracy for twenty kinds of industrial polymers achieved 99.6%.The results demonstrated that this approach has great potential for industrial polymers recycling by LIBS.

Evaluation of Advanced Gastric Carcinoma with Monoenergetic Spectrum Curve of Dual-source Dual-energy Computed Tomography

GASTRIC cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers and leading causes of cancer-related deaths.Computed tomography(CT) is routinely used to observe the tumor location,size,invasion,and metastasis,which are necessary for tumor staging and therefore treatment planning.With the recently introduced dual-source dual-energy CT(DECT),

Uncalibrated Workpiece Positioning Method for Peg-in-hole Assembly Using an Industrial Robot

This paper proposes an uncalibrated workpiece positioning method for peg-in-hole assembly of a device using an industrial robot.Depth images are used to identify and locate the workpieces when a peg-in-hole assembly task is carried out by an industrial robot in a flexible production system.First,the depth image is thresholded according to the depth data of the workpiece surface so as to filter out the background interference.Second,a series of image processing and the feature recognition algorithms are executed to extract the outer contour features and locate the center point position.This image information,fed by the vision system,will drive the robot to achieve the positioning,approximately.Finally,the Hough circle detection algorithm is used to extract the features and the relevant parameters of the circular hole where the assembly would be done,on the color image,for accurate positioning.The experimental result shows that the positioning accuracy of this method is between 0.6-1.2 mm,in the used experimental system.The entire positioning process need not require complicated calibration,and the method is highly flexible.It is suitable for the automatic assembly tasks with multi-specification or in small batches,in a flexible production system.

Multi-Omics-Guided Discovery of Omicsynins Produced by Streptomyces sp.1647:Pseudo-Tetrapeptides Active Against Influenza A Viruses and Coronavirus HCoV-229E

Many microorganisms have mechanisms that protect cells against attack from viruses.The fermentation components of Streptomyces sp.1647 exhibit potent anti-influenza A virus(IAV)activity.This strain was isolated from soil in southern China in the 1970s,but the chemical nature of its antiviral substance(s)has remained unknown until now.We used an integrated multi-omics strategy to identify the antiviral agents from this streptomycete.The antibiotics and Secondary Metabolite Analysis Shell(antiSMASH)analysis of its genome sequence revealed 38 biosynthetic gene clusters(BGCs)for secondary metabolites,and the target BGCs possibly responsible for the production of antiviral components were narrowed down to three BGCs by bioactivity-guided comparative transcriptomics analysis.Through bioinformatics analysis and genetic manipulation of the regulators and a biosynthetic gene,cluster 36 was identified as the BGC responsible for the biosynthesis of the antiviral compounds.Bioactivity-based molecular networking analysis of mass spectrometric data from different recombinant strains illustrated that the antiviral compounds were a class of structural analogues.Finally,18 pseudo-tetrapeptides with an internal ureido linkage,omicsynins A1–A6,B1–B6,and C1–C6,were identified and/or isolated from fermentation broth.Among them,11 compounds(omicsynins A1,A2,A6,B1–B3,B5,B6,C1,C2,and C6)are new compounds.Omicsynins B1–B4 exhibited potent antiviral activity against IAV with the 50%inhibitory concentration(IC_(50))of approximately 1μmol·L^(-1)and a selectivity index(SI)ranging from 100 to 300.Omicsynins B1–B4 also showed significant antiviral activity against human coronavirus HCoV-229E.By integrating multi-omics data,we discovered a number of novel antiviral pseudo-tetrapeptides produced by Streptomyces sp.1647,indicating that the secondary metabolites of microorganisms are a valuable source of novel antivirals.

Body Size and Reproductive Tactics in Varanid lizards

Body size and female reproduction in the water adult females larger than 500 mm SVL and 32 adult males Ledong, Hainan under permit to our laboratory in Hainan monitor lizard （Varanus salvator） were studied. Forty-two larger than 400 mm SVL were donated by local people in in 2013 and 2014. The largest male and female measured 745 and 755 mm SVL, respectively. The mean SVL was greater in adult females than in adult males. Males had larger heads （head width） than females of the same SVL. The smallest reproductive female in our sample was 565 mm SVL. Females produced a single clutch of 17.1 （10-23） pliable-shelled eggs per breeding season stretching from mid-June and mid-September. Clutch size and clutch mass were all positively related to female SVL. However, there was no significant linear relationship between egg mass and female SVL. Larger females generally produced more eggs, and thus heavier clutches than did smaller ones. There was no significant linear relationship between relative clutch mass and female SVL. Phylogenetic generalized least squares （PGLS） analysis, accounting for phylogenetic relationships, showed that clutch size was positively correlated with mean maternal SVL in varanid lizards. PGLS analysis showed that phylogenetic relationships did not affect clutch （or/and egg） mass and the SVL although there were significant linear relationship between clutch （or/and egg） mass and mean maternal SVL. Therefore, we could draw some general conclusions about the body size and reproductive tactics in varanid lizards that larger females generally produced more eggs, larger eggs and thus heavier clutches than did smaller ones.

The Roles of Low-level Jets in “21·7” Henan Extremely Persistent Heavy Rainfall Event

An extremely heavy rainfall event lasting from 17 to 22 July 2021 occurred in Henan Province of China, with accumulated precipitation of more than 1000 mm over a 6-day period that exceeded its mean annual precipitation. The present study examines the roles of persistent low-level jets(LLJs) in maintaining the precipitation using surface station observations and reanalysis datasets. The LLJs triggered strong ascending motions and carried moisture mainly from the outflow of Typhoon In-fa(2021). The varying directions of the LLJs well corresponded to the meridional shifts of the rainfall. The precipitation rate reached a maximum during 20-21 July as the LLJs strengthened and expanded vertically into double LLJs, including synoptic-weather-system-related LLJs(SLLJs) at 850–700 hPa and boundary-layer jets(BLJs)at ~950 hPa. The coupling of the SLLJ and BLJ provided strong mid-and low-level convergence on 20 July, whereas the SLLJ produced mid-level divergence at its entrance that coupled with low-level convergence at the terminus of the BLJ on21 July. The formation mechanisms of the two types of LLJs are further examined. The SLLJs and the low-pressure vortex(or inverted trough) varied synchronously as a whole and were affected by the southwestward movement of the WPSH in the rainiest period. The persistent large total pressure gradient force at low levels also maintained the strength of low-level geostrophic winds, thus sustaining the BLJs on the synoptic scale. The results based on a Du-Rotunno 1D model show that the Blackadar and Holton mechanisms jointly governed the BLJ dynamics on the diurnal scale.

Expert consensus on digital guided therapy for endodontic diseases

Digital guided therapy(DGT)has been advocated as a contemporary computer-aided technique for treating endodontic diseases in recent decades.The concept of DGT for endodontic diseases is categorized into static guided endodontics(SGE),necessitating a meticulously designed template,and dynamic guided endodontics(DGE),which utilizes an optical triangulation tracking system.Based on cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT)images superimposed with or without oral scan(OS)data,a virtual template is crafted through software and subsequently translated into a 3-dimensional(3D)printing for SGE,while the system guides the drilling path with a real-time navigation in DGE.DGT was reported to resolve a series of challenging endodontic cases,including teeth with pulp obliteration,teeth with anatomical abnormalities,teeth requiring retreatment,posterior teeth needing endodontic microsurgery,and tooth autotransplantation.Case reports and basic researches all demonstrate that DGT stand as a precise,time-saving,and minimally invasive approach in contrast to conventional freehand method.This expert consensus mainly introduces the case selection,general workflow,evaluation,and impact factor of DGT,which could provide an alternative working strategy in endodontic treatment.

湘西酸肉中降解亚硝酸盐菌种的筛选与鉴定

为从湘西酸肉中分离筛选出可高效降解并耐受高浓度亚硝酸盐的菌株,以自制酸肉为原料,使用稀释涂布平板法、平板划线法分离纯化菌株,通过盐酸萘乙二胺法进行指标检测,得到了4株可明显降解亚硝酸盐的菌株,经过形态学和分子生物学鉴定,确认菌1和菌2为异常威克汉姆酵母(Wickerhamomyces anomalus),菌3和菌4为清酒乳酸杆菌(Latilactobacillus sakei)。通过发酵条件的优化和耐受能力的测定,证明了从湘西酸肉中筛选出的1号菌株,对高浓度(500 mg/L)的亚硝酸盐具有较强的降解和耐受能力,在接种量为4%,p H值为4时,对亚硝酸盐的降解率最高可达82.74%。该研究筛选的酵母菌和乳酸菌对人体无害,可投入到发酵肉制品的生产中,具有较高的应用价值。

Next-generation Sequencing of MHC Class Ⅰ Genes Reveals Trans-species Polymorphism in Eutropis multifasciata and Other Species of Scincidae

The genes of the major histocompatibility complex(MHC) encode cell surface proteins that are essential for adaptive immunity. MHC genes show the most prominent genetic diversity in vertebrates,reflecting the adaptation of populations to their evolving environment, population survival and reproduction. In the present study, we used nextgeneration sequencing(NGS) to study the loci polymorphism of exon 3 of the MHC class Ⅰ genes in an ovoviviparous skink, the many-lined sun skink,Eutropis multifasciata and five other species of Scincidae, to quantify genetic variation. In addition,we genotyped the same MHC class Ⅰ genes of E.multifasciata using clone sequencing, to directly compare the effectiveness of both analytical techniques for MHC genotyping. NGS detected 20MHC class Ⅰ alleles in E. multifasciata, and 2 to 15 alleles in the other five Scincidae species. However,clone sequencing detected only 15 of those MHC class Ⅰ alleles in E. multifasciata. In addition, transspecies polymorphism of MHC class Ⅰ genes was studied by constructing a phylogenetic tree using the gene sequences obtained by NGS. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that MHC class I alleles were shared among different species of Scincidae with trans-species polymorphism, and did not exhibit specific genealogical inheritance. These results have important implications for understanding polymorphism interspecies diversity in the MHC genes of Scincidae, and the evolution of the MHC more broadly.

Immunotherapy for mucosal melanoma

Mucosal melanoma(MM)is extremely rare in Caucasians,whereas it is the second predominant melanoma subtype in Asian and other non-Caucasian populations.Distinct from cutaneous melanoma in terms of epidemiology,biology,and molecular characteristics,MM is characterized by more aggressive biological behavior,lower mutational burden,more chromosomal structure variants,and poorer prognosis.Because of the rarity of MM,its biological features are not fully understood,and potential novel therapies are less well depicted.Whereas immunotherapy has shown encouraging efficacy for cutaneous melanoma,its efficacy in MM is unclear due to limited sample sizes in clinical trials.Thus,in this review,we describe the epidemiological,clinical,and molecular features of MM and summarize the efficacies of different immunotherapies for MM,including immune checkpoint inhibitors,vaccines,oncolytic virus therapy,adoptive T-cell therapy,and various combination therapies.