Sex-specific facilitation and reproduction of the gynodioecious cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides on the Himalaya-Hengduan mountains,SW China

When benefiting other beneficiaries,cushion plants may reciprocally receive feedback effects.The feedback effects on different sex morphs,however,remains unclear.In this study,taking the gynodioecious Arenaria polytrichiodes as a model species,we aimed to assess the sex-specific facilitation intensity of cushion plant by measuring the beneficiary cover ratio,and to assess the potential costs in cushion reproductive functions by measuring the flower and fruit cover ratios.The total beneficiary cover ratio was similar between females and hermaphrodites.Females produced much less flowers but more fruits than hermaphrodites.These results suggested that females and hermaphrodites possess similar facilitation intensity,and female cushion A.polytrichoides may allocate more resources saved from pollen production to seed production,while hermaphrodites possibly allocate more resources to pollen production hence reducing seed production.The surface areas covered by beneficiaries produced less flowers and fruits than areas without beneficiaries.In addition,strong negative correlations between beneficiary cover and flower cover were detected for both females and hermaphrodites,but the correlation strength were similar for these two sex morphs.However,the correlation between beneficiary cover and fruit cover was only significantly negative for females,suggesting that beneficiary plants negatively affect fruit reproduction of females while have neutral effects on hermaphrodites.All the results suggest that to facilitate other beneficiaries can induce reproductive costs on cushion A.polytrichoides,with females possibly suffering greater cost than hermaphrodites.Such differentiation in reproductive costs between sex morphs,in long-term perspective,may imply sex imbalance in population dynamics.

Encroachment drives facilitation at alpine shrublines

Ongoing encroachment is driving recent alpine shrubline dynamics globally,but the role of shrub-shrub interactions in shaping shrublines and their relationships with stem density changes remain poorly understood.Here,the size and age of shrubs from 26 Salix shrubline populations along a 900-km latitudinal gradient(30°-38°N)were measured and mapped across the eastern Tibetan Plateau.Point pattern analyses were used to quantify the spatial distribution patterns of juveniles and adults,and to assess spatial associations between them.Mean intensity of univariate and bivariate spatial patterns was related to biotic and abiotic variables.Bivariate mark correlation functions with a quantitative mark(shrub height,basal stem diameter,crown width)were also employed to investigate the spatial relationships between shrub traits of juveniles and adults.Structural equation models were used to explore the relationships among conspecific interactions,patterns,shrub traits and recruitment dynamics under climate change.Most shrublines showed clustered patterns,suggesting the existence of conspecific facilitation.Clustered patterns of juveniles and conspecific interactions(potentially facilitation)tended to intensify with increasing soil moisture stress.Summer warming before 2010 triggered positive effects on population interactions and spatial patterns via increased shrub recruitment.However,summer warming after2010 triggered negative effects on interactions through reduced shrub recruitment.Therefore,shrub recruitment shifts under rapid climate change could impact spatial patterns,alter conspecific interactions and modify the direction and degree of shrublines responses to climate.These changes would have profound implications for the stability of alpine woody ecosystems.

Impact of BRICS Trade Facilitation on China's Exports Using Cross-Border E-Commerce

With the rapid growth of the global digital economy, cross-border e-commerce, as an emerging form of trade, has gradually become a powerful engine to promote the development of global trade. BRICS is an important force in the global economy, and the progress of the BRICS countries' trade facilitation level has an important impact on the global trade environment. This paper conducts an in-depth study of the dynamic changes in BRICS trade facilitation from 2013 to 2022, and uses an extended gravity model to analyze the specific impact of this change on China's exports using cross-border e-commerce. The results show that although the BRICS countries have made some progress in trade facilitation, the overall level still needs to be improved, and there are obvious differences among member countries. However, the improvement of trade facilitation among BRICS countries has undoubtedly brought significant positive effects to China's exports using cross-border e-commerce.

Facilitation of controllable excitation in Rydberg atomic ensembles

Strongly-interacting Rydberg atomic ensembles have shown intense collective excitation effects due to the inclusion of single Rydberg excitation shared by multiple atoms in the ensemble.In this paper we investigate a counter-intuitive Rydberg excitation facilitation with a strongly-interacting atomic ensemble in the strong probe-field regime,which is enabled by the role of a control atom nearby.Differing from the case of a single ensemble,we show that,the control atom's excitation adds to a second two-photon transition onto the doubly-excited Rydberg state,arising an excitation facilitation for the ensemble atoms.Our numerical studies depending on the method of quantum Monte Carlo wave function,exhibit the observation constraints of this excitation facilitation effect under practical experimental conditions.The results obtained can provide a flexible control for the excitation of Rydberg atomic ensembles and participate further uses in developing mesoscopic Rydberg gates for multiqubit quantum computation.

Investigating adverse events in long-term care facilities:a systematized review

Objective:This systematized review aimed to synthesize the results of empirical studies focused on the types and factors of adverse events(AEs)that contribute to them in long-term care(LTC)settings.Methods:The search was conducted in Pro Quest,Scopus,and Pub Med in January 2021 and resulted in 1057 records.The content analysis method was used in the data analysis.Results:In all,35 studies were identified as relevant for the review.The analysis revealed 133 different types of AEs and 60 factors that contributed to them.Conclusions:In LTC,various AEs occur,most of which are preventable,while many factors that influence their occurrence could be significantly modifiable.Through an effective analysis of AEs in LTC,it is possible to minimize their occurrence and,at the same time,minimize their negative impact on all par ties concerned.

Long-Term Performance and Microstructural Characterization of Dam Concrete in the Three Gorges Project

This study investigates the long-term performance of laboratory dam concrete in different curing environments over ten years and the microstructure of 17-year-old laboratory concrete and actual concrete cores drilled from the Three Gorges Dam.The mechanical properties of the laboratory dam concrete,whether cured in natural or standard environments,continued to improve over time.Furthermore,the laboratory dam concrete exhibited good resistance to diffusion and a refined microstructure after 17 years.However,curing and long-term exposure to the local natural environment reduced the frost resistance.Microstructural analyses of the laboratory concrete samples demonstrated that moderate-heat cement and fine fly ash(FA)particles were almost fully hydrated to form compact micro structures consisting of large quantities of homogeneous calcium(alumino)silicate hydrate(C-(A)-S-H)gels and a few crystals.No obvious interfacial transition zones were observed in the microstructure owing to the longterm pozzolanic reaction.This dense and homogenous microstructure was the crucial reason for the excellent long-term performance of the dam concrete.A high FA volume also played a significant role in the microstructural densification and performance growth of dam concrete at a later age.The concrete drilled from the dam surface exhibited a loose microstructure with higher microporosity,indicating that concrete directly exposed to the actual service environment suffered degradation caused by water and wind attacks.In this study,both macro-performance and microstructural analyses revealed that the application of moderate-heat cement and FA resulted in a dense and homogenous microstructure,which ensured the excellent long-term performance of concrete from the Three Gorges Dam after 17 years.Long-term exposure to an actual service environment may lead to microstructural degradation of the concrete surface.Therefore,the retained long-term dam concrete samples need to be further researched to better understand its microstructural evolution and development of its properties.

Soil bacterial and fungal communities resilience to long-term nitrogen addition in subtropical forests in China

Atmospheric nitrogen(N)deposition is predicted to increase,especially in the subtropics.However,the responses of soil microorganisms to long-term N addition at the molecular level in N-rich subtropical forests have not been clarified.A long-term nutrient addition experiment was conducted in a subtropical evergreen old-growth forest in China.The four treatments were:control,low N(50 kg N ha^(-1)a^(-1)),high N(100 kg N ha^(-1)a^(-1)),and combined N and phosphorus(P)(100 kg N ha^(-1)a^(-1)+50 kg P ha^(-1)a^(-1)).Metagenomic sequencing characterized diversity and composition of soil microbial communities and used to construct bacterial/fungal co-occurrence networks.Nutrient-treated soils were more acidic and had higher levels of dissolved organic carbon than controls.There were no significant differences in microbial diversity and community composition across treatments.The addition of nutrients increased the abundance of copiotrophic bacteria and potentially beneficial microorganisms(e.g.,Gemmatimonadetes,Chaetomium,and Aureobasidium).Low N addition increased microbiome network connectivity.Three rare fungi were identified as module hubs under nutrient addition,indicating that low abundance fungi were more sensitive to increased nutrients.The results indicate that the overall composition of microbial communities was stable but not static to long-term N addition.Our findings provide new insights that can aid predictions of the response of soil microbial communities to long-term N addition.

Clinical manifestations,diagnosis and long-term prognosis of adult autoimmune enteropathy:Experience from Peking Union Medical College Hospital

BACKGROUND Autoimmune enteropathy(AIE)is a rare disease whose diagnosis and long-term prognosis remain challenging,especially for adult AIE patients.AIM To improve overall understanding of this disease’s diagnosis and prognosis.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical,endoscopic and histopathological characteristics and prognoses of 16 adult AIE patients in our tertiary medical center between 2011 and 2023,whose diagnosis was based on the 2007 diagnostic criteria.RESULTS Diarrhea in AIE patients was characterized by secretory diarrhea.The common endoscopic manifestations were edema,villous blunting and mucosal hyperemia in the duodenum and ileum.Villous blunting(100%),deep crypt lymphocytic infiltration(67%),apoptotic bodies(50%),and mild intraepithelial lymphocytosis(69%)were observed in the duodenal biopsies.Moreover,there were other remarkable abnormalities,including reduced or absent goblet cells(duodenum 94%,ileum 62%),reduced or absent Paneth cells(duodenum 94%,ileum 69%)and neutrophil infiltration(duodenum 100%,ileum 69%).Our patients also fulfilled the 2018 diagnostic criteria but did not match the 2022 diagnostic criteria due to undetectable anti-enterocyte antibodies.All patients received glucocorticoid therapy as the initial medication,of which 14/16 patients achieved a clinical response in 5(IQR:3-20)days.Immunosuppressants were administered to 9 patients with indications of steroid dependence(6/9),steroid refractory status(2/9),or intensified maintenance medication(1/9).During the median of 20.5 months of followup,2 patients died from multiple organ failure,and 1 was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.The cumulative relapse-free survival rates were 62.5%,55.6%and 37.0%at 6 months,12 months and 48 months,respectively.CONCLUSION Certain histopathological findings,including a decrease or disappearance of goblet and Paneth cells in intestinal biopsies,might be potential diagnostic criteria for adult AIE.The long-term prognosis is still unsatisfactory despite corticosteroid and immunosuppressant medications,which highlights the need for early diagnosis and novel medications.

Development of a new Cox model for predicting long-term survival in hepatitis cirrhosis patients underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts

BACKGROUND Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS)placement is a procedure that can effectively treat complications of portal hypertension,such as variceal bleeding and refractory ascites.However,there have been no specific studies on predicting long-term survival after TIPS placement.AIM To establish a model to predict long-term survival in patients with hepatitis cirrhosis after TIPS.METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of 224 patients who un-derwent TIPS implantation.Through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses,various factors were examined for their ability to predict survival at 6 years after TIPS.Consequently,a composite score was formulated,encompassing the indication,shunt reasonability,portal venous pressure gradient(PPG)after TIPS,percentage decrease in portal venous pressure(PVP),indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min(ICGR15)and total bilirubin(Tbil)level.Furthermore,the performance of the newly developed Cox(NDC)model was evaluated in an in-ternal validation cohort and compared with that of a series of existing models.RESULTS The indication(variceal bleeding or ascites),shunt reasonability(reasonable or unreasonable),ICGR15,post-operative PPG,percentage of PVP decrease and Tbil were found to be independent factors affecting long-term survival after TIPS placement.The NDC model incorporated these parameters and successfully identified patients at high risk,exhibiting a notably elevated mortality rate following the TIPS procedure,as observed in both the training and validation cohorts.Additionally,in terms of predicting the long-term survival rate,the performance of the NDC model was significantly better than that of the other four models[Child-Pugh,model for end-stage liver disease(MELD),MELD-sodium and the Freiburg index of post-TIPS survival].CONCLUSION The NDC model can accurately predict long-term survival after the TIPS procedure in patients with hepatitis cirrhosis,help identify high-risk patients and guide follow-up management after TIPS implantation.

Long-Term Mortality of Children with Congenital Heart Disease Admitted to the Departmental University Hospital of Borgou/Alibori from 2011 to 2022

Background: Congenital heart disease is a public health issue due to its incidence and mortality rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term mortality of children with congenital heart disease admitted to the Departmental University Hospital of Borgou/Alibori (CHUD-B/A) from 2011 to 2022. Methods: This descriptive longitudinal study with analytical aims covered 11 years (April 1, 2011 to December 31, 2022). It consisted of a review of the records of children under 15 years of age with echocardiographically confirmed congenital heart disease. This was followed by an interview with the parents to assess the children’s current condition. Data were entered using Kobocollect software and analyzed using R Studio 4.2.2. software. Results: A total of 143 complete files were retained. The median age at diagnosis was 14 months (IIQ: Q1 = 4;Q3 = 60) with a range of 2 days and 175 months, and the sex-ratio (M/F) was 0.96. Left-to-right shunts were the most frequent cardiopathy group (62.9%). Only 35 children (24.5%) benefited from restorative treatment. The mortality rate was 31.5%. Median survival under the maximum bias assumption was 114 months and 216 months under the assumption of minimum bias. Survival was significantly better in children with right-to-left shunts (p = 0.0049) under the assumption of minimum bias. The death risk factors were: age at diagnosis less than 12 months (aHR = 7.58;95% CI = 3.36 - 17.24;p Conclusion: The long-term mortality of congenital heart disease is high and favoured by the absence of restorative treatment. Local correction of congenital heart disease and medical follow-up will help to reduce this mortality.

Long-term performance of recycled asphalt mixtures containing high RAP and RAS

The application of reclaimed asphalt pavement(RAP)and reclaimed asphalt shingles(RAS)on asphalt pavement can reduce the asphalt paving cost,conserve energy and protect the environment.However,the use of high contents of RAP and RAS in asphalt pavement may lead to durability issues,especially the fatigue cracking and thermal cracking.It is necessary to conduct a series of analyses on asphalt mixtures containing high RAP and RAS,and seek methods to enhance their long-term performance.This paper provides a comprehensive over-view of the long-term performance of recycled asphalt mixtures containing high contents of RAP and RAS.The findings in this research show that rutting resistance of high recycled asphalt mixtures is not a concern,whereas their resistance to fatigue and thermal cracking is not conclusive.Recycling agents can be used to improve the thermal cracking resistance of high recycled asphalt mixtures.An optimum decision on recycling agents will improve the durability properties of high recycled asphalt mixtures.It is recommended that to use a balanced mixture design approach with testing of the blended asphalt binders will provide better understanding of long-term performance of recycled asphalt mixtures containing high RAP and RAS.

Characteristics of early gastric tumors with different differentiation and predictors of long-term outcomes after endoscopic submucosal dissection

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract,and endosco-pic submucosal dissection(ESD)is the preferred treatment for early-stage gastric cancer.The analysis of the epidemiological characteristics of gastric mucosal tumors with different differentiation degrees and the influencing factors of long-term ESD efficacy may have certain significance for revealing the development of gastric cancer and ESD.AIM To analyze the features of gastric mucosal tumors at different differentiation levels,and to explore the prognostic factors of ESD.METHODS We retrospectively studied 301 lesions in 285 patients at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from 2014 to 2021,according to the latest Japanese guidelines(sixth edition),and divided them into low-grade intrae-pithelial neoplasia(LGIN),high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia(HGIN),and computed tomography at 3,6 and 12 months after ESD.We compared clinicopathologic characteristics,ESD efficacy,and complications with different degrees of differentiation,and analyzed the related factors associated with ESD.RESULTS HGIN and differentiated carcinoma patients were significantly older compared with LGIN patients(P<0.001)and accounted for more 0-IIc(P<0.001),atrophic gastritis was common(P<0.001),and irregular microvascular patterns(IMVPs)and demarcation lines(DLs)were more obvious(P<0.001).There was more infiltration in the undifferentiated carcinoma tissue(P<0.001),more abnormal folds and poorer mucosal peristalsis(P<0.001),and more obvious IMVPs,irregular microsurface patterns and DLs(P<0.05)than in the LGIN and HGIN tissues.The disease-free survival rates at 2,5,and 8 years after ESD were 95.0%,90.1%,and 86.9%,respectively.Undifferen-tiated lesions(HR 5.066),white moss(HR 7.187),incomplete resection(HR 3.658),and multiple primary cancers(HR 2.462)were significantly associated with poor prognosis.CONCLUSION Differentiations of gastric mucosal tumors have different epidemiological and endoscopic characteristics,which are closely related to the safety and efficacy of ESD.

Long-term outcomes after endoscopic removal of malignant colorectal polyps:Results from a 10-year cohort

BACKGROUND Choosing an optimal post-polypectomy management strategy of malignant colorectal polyps is challenging,and evidence regarding a surveillance-only strategy is limited.AIM To evaluate long-term outcomes after endoscopic removal of malignant colorectal polyps.METHODS A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate outcomes after endoscopic removal of malignant colorectal polyps between 2010 and 2020.Residual disease rate and nodal metastases after secondary surgery and local and distant recurrence rate for those with at least 1 year of follow-up were invest-igated.Event rates for categorical variables and means for continuous variables with 95%confidence intervals were calculated,and Fisher’s exact test and Mann-Whitney test were performed.Potential risk factors of adverse outcomes were RESULTS In total,135 lesions(mean size:22.1 mm;location:42%rectal)from 129 patients(mean age:67.7 years;56%male)were enrolled.The proportion of pedunculated and non-pedunculated lesions was similar,with en bloc resection in 82%and 47%of lesions,respectively.Tumor differentiation,distance from resection margins,depth of submucosal invasion,lymphovascular invasion,and budding were reported at 89.6%,45.2%,58.5%,31.9%,and 25.2%,respectively.Residual tumor was found in 10 patients,and nodal metastasis was found in 4 of 41 patients who underwent secondary surgical resection.Univariate analysis identified piecemeal resection as a risk factor for residual malignancy(odds ratio:1.74;P=0.042).At least 1 year of follow-up was available for 117 lesions from 111 patients(mean follow-up period:5.59 years).Overall,54%,30%,30%,11%,and 16%of patients presented at the 1-year,3-year,5-year,7-year,and 9-10-year surveillance examinations.Adverse outcomes occurred in 9.0%(local recurrence and dissemination in 4 patients and 9 patients,respectively),with no difference between patients undergoing secondary surgery and surveillance only.CONCLUSION Reporting of histological features and adherence to surveillance colonoscopy needs improvement.Long-term adverse outcome rates might be higher than previously reported,irrespective of whether secondary surgery was performed.

Long-term trends in the abundance and breeding performance in Adélie penguins:the Argentine Ecosystem Monitoring Program

In this work,we report long-term trends in the abundance and breeding performance of Adélie penguins(Pygoscelis adeliae)nesting in three Antarctic colonies(i.e.,at Martin Point,South Orkneys Islands;Stranger Point/Cabo Funes,South Shetland Islands;and Esperanza/Hope Bay in the Antarctic Peninsula)from 1995/96 to 2022/23.Using yearly count data of breeding groups selected,we observed a decline in the number of breeding pairs and chicks in crèche at all colonies studied.However,the magnitude of change was higher at Stranger Point than that in the remaining colonies.Moreover,the index of breeding success,which was calculated as the ratio of chicks in crèche to breeding pairs,exhibited no apparent trend throughout the study period.However,it displayed greater variability at Martin Point compared to the other two colonies under investigation.Although the number of chicks in crèche of Adélie penguins showed a declining pattern,the average breeding performance was similar to that reported in gentoo penguin colonies,specifically,those undergoing a population increase(even in sympatric colonies facing similar local conditions).Consequently,it is plausible to assume a reduction of the over-winter survival as a likely cause of the declining trend observed,at least in the Stranger Point and Esperanza colonies.However,we cannot rule out local effects during the breeding season affecting the Adélie population of Martin Point.

Pseudoaneurysm formation following transarterial embolization of traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula with detachable balloon:An institutional cohort long-term study

BACKGROUND The goal of therapy for traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula(TCCF)is the elimination of fistula while maintaining patency of the parent artery.The treatment for TCCF has evolved from surgery to endovascular management using detachable balloons,coils,liquid embolic agents,covered stents,or flow-diverter stent through arterial or venous approaches.Despite the withdrawal of detachable balloons from the market in the United States since 2004,transarterial embolization with detachable balloons has currently remained the best initial treatment for TCCF in several countries.However,the pseudoaneurysm formation following transarterial detachable balloon embolization has rarely been observed in long-term follow-up.AIM To determine the occurrence and long-term follow-up of pseudoaneurysm after transarterial detachable balloon for TCCF.METHODS Between January 2009 and December 2019,79 patients diagnosed with TCCF were treated using detachable latex balloons(GOLDBAL)of four sizes.Pseudoaneurysm sizes were stratified into five grades for analysis.Initial and follow-up assessments involved computed tomography angiography at 1 month,6 month,1 year,and longer intervals for significant cases.Clinical follow-ups occurred semi-annually for 2 years,then annually.Factors analyzed included sex,age,fistula size and location,and balloon size.RESULTS In our cohort of 79 patients treated for TCCF,pseudoaneurysms formed in 67.1%,with classifications ranging from grade 0 to grade 3;no grade 4 or giant pseudoaneurysms were observed.The majority of pseudoaneurysms did not progress in size,and some regressed spontaneously.Calcifications developed in most large pseudoaneurysms over 5-10 years.Parent artery occlusion occurred in 7.6%and recurrent fistulas in 16.5%.The primary risk factors for pseudoaneurysm formation were identified as the use of specific balloon sizes,with balloon SP and No.6 significantly associated with its occurrence(P=0.005 and P=0.002,respectively),whereas sex,age,fistula size,location,and the number of balloons used were not significant predictors.CONCLUSION Pseudoaneurysm formation following detachable balloon embolization for TCCF is common,primarily influenced by the size of the balloon used.Despite this,all patients with pseudoaneurysms remained asymptomatic during long-term follow-up.

A Trajectory Privacy Protection Method to Resist Long-Term Observation Attacks

Users face the threat of trajectory privacy leakage when using location-based service applications, especially when their behavior is collected and stored for a long period of time. This accumulated information is exploited by opponents, greatly increasing the risk of trajectory privacy leakage. This attack method is called a long-term observation attack. On the premise of ensuring lower time overhead and higher cache contribution rate, the existing methods cannot utilize cache to answer subsequent queries while also resisting long-term observation attacks. So this article proposes a trajectory privacy protection method to resist long-term observation attacks. This method combines caching technology and improves the existing differential privacy mechanism, while incorporating randomization factors that are difficult for attackers to recognize after long-term observation to enhance privacy. Search for locations in the cache of both the mobile client and edge server that can replace the user’s actual location. If there are replacement users in the cache, the query results can be obtained more quickly. Simultaneously obfuscating the spatiotemporal correlation of actual trajectories by generating confusion regions. If it does not exist, the obfuscated location generation method that resists long-term observation attacks is executed to generate the real anonymous area and send it to the service provider. The above steps can comprehensively protect the user’s trajectory privacy. The experimental results show that this method can protect user trajectories from long-term observation attacks while ensuring low time overhead and a high cache contribution rate.

Exploring the Long-Term Mechanism of the Construction of College Teachers’Ethics in the New Era Under the Concept of“Sanquan Education”

This paper takes the long-term mechanism exploration of the construction of teachers’ethics in the new era under the concept of“Sanquan education,”aiming to explore how to establish a long-term mechanism of the construction to meet the needs of college education development under the background of the new era.A series of targeted measures and suggestions are put forward,including improving the system and mechanism,strengthening the education and training of teachers’ethics,and establishing the evaluation and assessment mechanism.The implementation of these measures can promote the formation of the long-term mechanism of the construction of teachers’ethics in colleges and universities,improve teachers’ethics and behavior quality,and provide strong support for the development of education in colleges and universities.

Photoelectric State with Long-Term Relaxation in CdTe:(Ag, Cu, Cd) and Sb2Se3:Se Photovoltaic Films

The results of an experimental study of long-term relaxation of the photoelectret state of polycrystalline CdTe:(Ag, Cu, Cd) and Sb2Se3:Se films with an anomalous photovoltaic property are presented. In such films, the residual photovoltage is caused by the separation of photocarriers by the built-in electrostatic field of the near-surface region of space charges and their asymmetric capture by deep levels of impurities or complexes, including impurity atoms and intrinsic defects, both in the bulk and on the surface of crystal grains. It has been shown that in activated films, a two-step exponential temporary relaxation of the initial photovoltage of the order of VAPV ≈ (500-600) V is detected, and only 10% of it experiences long-term relaxation (t ≈ 100-120 min).

Therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture combined with neuromuscular joint facilitation in treatment of hemiplegic shoulder pain

BACKGROUND Stroke is a type of cerebrovascular disease with high prevalence,mortality,and onset of disability.As a neurodevelopmental therapy,neuromuscular joint facilitation(NJF)is widely used in the treatment of orthopedic and neurological disorders in the clinical practice.It is mainly used for central nervous system diseases or orthopedic diseases,movement disorders,and pain rehabilitation.According to related studies,NJF can also be used as a rehabilitation treatment in patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain(HSP).AIM To investigate the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with NJF in patients with HSP.METHODS Forty patients with HSP were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group.The treatment group was treated with acupuncture combined with NJF and the control group was treated with acupuncture alone.All patients were assessed by using the visual analogue scale(VAS),Fugl-Meyer assessment(FMA),Barthel index(BI),and passive range of motion(PROM)before and after the training.All the clinical data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 statistical software.RESULTS There was no statistical difference in the general characteristics between the two groups.In the terms of duration of treatment,age,and pre-treatment indicators,the two groups were comparable(P>0.05).After the treatment,VAS,PROM,BI,and FMA scores were significantly improved in the two groups of patients(P<0.05).The VAS,PROM and FMA scores were significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control group(P<0.05).However,there was no significant difference in BI scores between the two groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION Both acupuncture alone and acupuncture combined with NJF in the treatment of HSP are effective,and can improve the clinical symptoms of patients.Acupuncture combined with NJF can improve the upper limb motor function,relieve pain,and increase joint mobility in patients with HSP.The combination therapy is better than acupuncture alone.However,there is no significant difference in improving the score of patients’self-care ability.

Response of root traits of Reaumuria soongorica and Salsola passerina to facilitation

C3 plant Reaumuria soongorica and C4 plant Salsola passerina are super xerophytes and coexist in a mixed community in either isolated or associated growth, and interspecific facilitation occurs in associated growth. In the present study, the root traits including root distribution, root length（RL）, root surface area（RSA）, root weight（RW） and specific root length（SRL） of both species in two growth forms were investigated to clarify their response to facilitation in associated growth. Six isolated plants of each species, as well as six associated plants similar in size and development were selected during the plant growing season, and their roots were excavated at 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40 and 40–50 cm soil depths at the end of the growing season. All the roots of each plant were separated into the two categories of fine roots（2 mm diameter） and coarse roots（≥2 mm diameter）. Root traits such as RL and RSA in the fine and coarse roots were obtained by the root analyzing system WinRHIZO. Most of the coarse roots in R. soongorica and S. passerina were distributed in the top 10 cm of the soil in both growth forms, whereas the fine roots of the two plant species were found mainly in the 10–20 and 20–30 cm soil depths in isolated growth, respectively. However, the fine roots of both species were mostly overlapped in 10–20 cm soil depth in associated growth. The root/canopy ratios of both species reduced, whereas the ratios of their fine roots to coarse roots in RL increased, and both species had an increased SRL in the fine roots in associated growth. In addition, there was the increase in RL of fine roots and content of root N for S. passerina in associated growth. Taken together, the root growth of S. passerina was facilitated for water and nutrient exploration under the interaction of the overlapped roots in both species in associated growth, and higher SRL allowed both species to more effectively adapt to the infertile soil in the desert ecosystem.