This research examines the transmission dynamics of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 using SEIQIcRVW and SQIRV models,considering the delay in converting susceptible individuals into infected ones.The significant delay...This research examines the transmission dynamics of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 using SEIQIcRVW and SQIRV models,considering the delay in converting susceptible individuals into infected ones.The significant delays eventually resulted in the pandemic’s containment.To ensure the safety of the host population,this concept integrates quarantine and the COVID-19 vaccine.We investigate the stability of the proposed models.The fundamental reproduction number influences stability conditions.According to our findings,asymptomatic cases considerably impact the prevalence of Omicron infection in the community.The real data of the Omicron variant from Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India,is used to validate the outputs.展开更多
Biodiversity has become a terminology familiar to virtually every citizen in modern societies.It is said that ecology studies the economy of nature,and economy studies the ecology of humans;then measuring biodiversity...Biodiversity has become a terminology familiar to virtually every citizen in modern societies.It is said that ecology studies the economy of nature,and economy studies the ecology of humans;then measuring biodiversity should be similar with measuring national wealth.Indeed,there have been many parallels between ecology and economics,actually beyond analogies.For example,arguably the second most widely used biodiversity metric,Simpson(1949)’s diversity index,is a function of familiar Gini-index in economics.One of the biggest challenges has been the high“diversity”of diversity indexes due to their excessive“speciation”-there are so many indexes,similar to each country’s sovereign currency-leaving confused diversity practitioners in dilemma.In 1973,Hill introduced the concept of“numbers equivalent”,which is based on Renyi entropy and originated in economics,but possibly due to his abstruse interpretation of the concept,his message was not widely received by ecologists until nearly four decades later.What Hill suggested was similar to link the US dollar to gold at the rate of$35 per ounce under the Bretton Woods system.The Hill numbers now are considered most appropriate biodiversity metrics system,unifying Shannon,Simpson and other diversity indexes.Here,we approach to another paradigmatic shift-measuring biodiversity on ecological networks-demonstrated with animal gastrointestinal microbiomes representing four major invertebrate classes and all six vertebrate classes.The network diversity can reveal the diversity of species interactions,which is a necessary step for understanding the spatial and temporal structures and dynamics of biodiversity across environmental gradients.展开更多
In this study,we examine the effects of various shapes of nanoparticles in a steady flow of hybrid nanofluids between two stretchable rotating disks.The steady flow of hybrid nanofluids with transformer oil as the bas...In this study,we examine the effects of various shapes of nanoparticles in a steady flow of hybrid nanofluids between two stretchable rotating disks.The steady flow of hybrid nanofluids with transformer oil as the base fluid and Fe_(3)O_(4)+TiO_(2)as the hybrid nanofluid is considered.Several shapes of Fe_(3)O_(4)+TiO_(2)hybrid nanofluids,including sphere,brick,blade,cylinder,and platelet,are studied.Every shape exists in the same volume of a nanoparticle.The leading equations(partial differential equations(PDEs))are transformed to the nonlinear ordinary differential equations(ODEs)with the help of similarity transformations.The system of equations takes the form of ODEs depending on the boundary conditions,whose solutions are computed numerically by the bvp4c MATLAB solver.The outputs are compared with the previous findings,and an intriguing pattern is discovered,such that the tangential velocity is increased for the rotation parameter,while it is decreased by the stretching values because of the lower disk.For the reaction rate parameter,the concentration boundary layer becomes shorter,and the activation energy component increases the rate at which mass transfers come to the higher disk but have the opposite effect on the bottom disk.The ranges of various parameters taken into account are Pr=6.2,Re=2,M=1.0,φ_(1)=φ_(2)=0.03,K=0.5,S=-0.1,Br=0.3,Sc=2.0,α_(1)=0.2,γ=0.1,E_(n)=2.0,and q=1.0,and the rotation factor K is within the range of 0 to 1.展开更多
We investigate the quantum metric and topological Euler number in a cyclically modulated Su-Schrieffer-Heeger(SSH)model with long-range hopping terms.By computing the quantum geometry tensor,we derive exact expression...We investigate the quantum metric and topological Euler number in a cyclically modulated Su-Schrieffer-Heeger(SSH)model with long-range hopping terms.By computing the quantum geometry tensor,we derive exact expressions for the quantum metric and Berry curvature of the energy band electrons,and we obtain the phase diagram of the model marked by the first Chern number.Furthermore,we also obtain the topological Euler number of the energy band based on the Gauss-Bonnet theorem on the topological characterization of the closed Bloch states manifold in the first Brillouin zone.However,some regions where the Berry curvature is identically zero in the first Brillouin zone result in the degeneracy of the quantum metric,which leads to ill-defined non-integer topological Euler numbers.Nevertheless,the non-integer"Euler number"provides valuable insights and an upper bound for the absolute values of the Chern numbers.展开更多
Increasing effective panicle number per plant(EPN)is one approach to increase yield potential in rice.However,molecular mechanisms underlying EPN remain unclear.In this study,we integrated mapbased cloning and genome-...Increasing effective panicle number per plant(EPN)is one approach to increase yield potential in rice.However,molecular mechanisms underlying EPN remain unclear.In this study,we integrated mapbased cloning and genome-wide association analysis to identify the EPN4 gene,which is allelic to NARROW LEAF1(NAL1).Overexpression lines containing the Teqing allele(TQ)of EPN4 had significantly increased EPN.NIL-EPN4^(TQ) in japonica(geng)cultivar Lemont(LT)exhibited significantly improved EPN but decreased grain number and flag leaf size relative to LT.Haplotype analysis indicated that accessions with EPN4-1 had medium EPN,medium grain number,and medium grain weight,but had the highest grain yield among seven haplotypes,indicating that EPN4-1 is an elite haplotype of EPN4 for positive coordination of the three components of grain yield.Furthermore,accessions carrying the combination of EPN4-1 and haplotype GNP1-6 of GNP1 for grain number per panicle showed higher grain yield than those with other allele combinations.Therefore,pyramiding of EPN4-1 and GNP1-6 could be a preferred approach to obtain high yield potential in breeding.展开更多
Background Despite their low abundance in sperm, mitochondria have diverse functions in this cell type, includ-ing energy production, signalling and calcium regulation. In humans, sperm mitochondrial DNA content(mtDNA...Background Despite their low abundance in sperm, mitochondria have diverse functions in this cell type, includ-ing energy production, signalling and calcium regulation. In humans, sperm mitochondrial DNA content(mtDNAc) has been reported to be negatively linked to sperm function and fertility. Yet, the association between mtDNAc and sperm function in livestock remains unexplored. For this reason, this study aimed to shed some light on the link between mtDNAc and sperm function and fertilising potential in pigs. A qPCR method for mtDNAc quantification was optimised for pig sperm, and the association of this parameter with sperm motility, kinematics, mitochondrial activity, and fertility was subsequently interrogated.Results First, the q PCR method was found to be sensitive and efficient for mtDNAc quantification in pig sperm. By using this technique, mtDNAc was observed to be associated to sperm motility, mitochondrial activity and in vivo, but not in vitro, fertility outcomes. Specifically, sperm with low mtDNAc were seen to exhibit greater motility but decreased mitochondrial activity and intracellular reactive oxygen species. Interestingly, samples with lower mtD-NAc showed higher conception and farrowing rates, but similar in vitro fertilisation rates and embryo development, when compared to those with greater mtDNAc.Conclusions These findings enrich our comprehension of the association of mtDNAc with sperm biology, and lay the foundation for future research into employing this parameter as a molecular predictor for sperm function and fer-tility in livestock.展开更多
Background Copy number variants(CNV)hold significant functional and evolutionary importance.Numerous ongoing CNV studies aim to elucidate the etiology of human diseases and gain insights into the population structure ...Background Copy number variants(CNV)hold significant functional and evolutionary importance.Numerous ongoing CNV studies aim to elucidate the etiology of human diseases and gain insights into the population structure of livestock.High-density chips have enabled the detection of CNV with increased resolution,leading to the identification of even small CNV.This study aimed to identify CNV in local Italian chicken breeds and investigate their distribution across the genome.Results Copy number variants were mainly distributed across the first six chromosomes and primarily associated with loss type CNV.The majority of CNV in the investigated breeds were of types 0 and 1,and the minimum length of CNV was significantly larger than that reported in previous studies.Interestingly,a high proportion of the length of chromosome 16 was covered by copy number variation regions(CNVR),with the major histocompatibility complex being the likely cause.Among the genes identified within CNVR,only those present in at least five animals across breeds(n=95)were discussed to reduce the focus on redundant CNV.Some of these genes have been associated to functional traits in chickens.Notably,several CNVR on different chromosomes harbor genes related to muscle development,tissue-specific biological processes,heat stress resistance,and immune response.Quantitative trait loci(QTL)were also analyzed to investigate potential overlapping with the identified CNVR:54 out of the 95 gene-containing regions overlapped with 428 QTL associated to body weight and size,carcass characteristics,egg production,egg components,fat deposition,and feed intake.Conclusions The genomic phenomena reported in this study that can cause changes in the distribution of CNV within the genome over time and the comparison of these differences in CNVR of the local chicken breeds could help in preserving these genetic resources.展开更多
Some haplotypes of the sucrose synthase gene TaSus1 are associated with thousand-grain weight(TGW)in wheat(Triticum aestivum L.).However,no mutations have been identified within the gene to test this association.The e...Some haplotypes of the sucrose synthase gene TaSus1 are associated with thousand-grain weight(TGW)in wheat(Triticum aestivum L.).However,no mutations have been identified within the gene to test this association.The effects of TaSus1 on grain number per spike(GNS)also are largely unknown.Our previous genome-wide association study identified TaSus-A1 as a candidate gene controlling fertile spikelet number per spike(FSN).In the present study,we generated two independent mutants for the three TaSus1 homoeologs by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing.The triple mutants displayed lower FSN,GNS,grain number per spikelet(GNST),and TGW than wild-type plants.In 306 hexaploid wheat accessions,two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in TaSus-A1 contributed differently to GNS.Introgression of the two alleles into a wheat genetic background confirmed their effects.The alleles differed in geographical distribution among the accessions.展开更多
The objective of this investigation is to assess the effect of obstacles on numerical heat transfer and fluid flow momentum in a rectangular microchannel(MC).Two distinct configurations were studied:one without obstac...The objective of this investigation is to assess the effect of obstacles on numerical heat transfer and fluid flow momentum in a rectangular microchannel(MC).Two distinct configurations were studied:one without obstacles and the other with alternating obstacles placed on the upper and lower walls.The research utilized the thermal lattice Boltzmann method(LBM),which solves the energy and momentum equations of fluids with the BGK approximation,implemented in a Python coding environment.Temperature jump and slip velocity conditions were utilized in the simulation for the MC and extended to all obstacle boundaries.The study aims to analyze the rarefaction effect,with Knudsen numbers(Kn)of 0.012,0.02,and 0.05.The outcomes indicate that rarefaction has a significant impact on the velocity and temperature distribution.The presence of nine obstacles led to slower fluid movement inside the microchannel MC,resulting in faster cooling at the outlet.In MCs with obstacles,the rarefaction effect plays a crucial role in decreasing the Nusselt number(Nu)and skin friction coefficient(Cf).Furthermore,the study demonstrated that the obstacles played a crucial role in boosting fluid flow and heat transfer in the MC.The findings suggest that the examined configurations could have potential applications as cooling technologies in micro-electro-mechanical systems and microdevice applications.展开更多
The compressibility of fluids has a profound influence on oscillating bubble dynamics,as characterized by the Mach number.However,current theoretical frameworks for bubbles,whether at the first or second order of the ...The compressibility of fluids has a profound influence on oscillating bubble dynamics,as characterized by the Mach number.However,current theoretical frameworks for bubbles,whether at the first or second order of the Mach number,are primarily confined to scenarios characterized by weak compressibility.Thus,a critical need to elucidate the precise range of applicability for both first-and second-order bubble theories arises.Herein,we investigate the suitability and constraints of bubble theories with different orders through a comparative analysis involving experimental data and numerical simulations.The focal point of our investigation encompasses theories such as the Rayleigh–Plesset,Keller,Herring,and second-order bubble equations.Furthermore,the impact of parameters inherent in the second-order equations is examined.For spherical oscillating bubble dynamics in a free field,our findings reveal that the first-and second-order bubble theories are applicable when Ma≤0.3 and 0.4,respectively.For a single sonoluminescence bubble,we define an instantaneous Mach number,Mai.The second-order theory shows abnormal sensibility when Mai is high,which is negligible when Mai≤0.4.The results of this study can serve as a valuable reference for studying compressible bubble dynamics.展开更多
In lithium-sulfur batteries,cell design,specifically electrolyte design,has a key impact on the battery performance.The effect of lithium salt anion donor number(DN)(DN[PF_(6)]^(-)=2.5,DN[N(SO_(2)CF_(3))_(2)]^(-)=5.4,...In lithium-sulfur batteries,cell design,specifically electrolyte design,has a key impact on the battery performance.The effect of lithium salt anion donor number(DN)(DN[PF_(6)]^(-)=2.5,DN[N(SO_(2)CF_(3))_(2)]^(-)=5.4,DN[ClO_(4)]^(-)=8.4,DN[SO_(3)CF_(3)]^(-)=16.9,and DN[NO_(3)]^(-)=21.1)on the patterns of lithium-sulfur batteries and lithium metal electrode performances with sulfola ne-based electrolytes is investigated.An increase in DN of lithium salt anions leads to an increase in the depth and rate of electrochemical reduction of sulfur and long-chain lithium polysulfides and to a decrease in those for medium-and short-chain lithium polysulfides.DN of lithium salt anions has weak effect on the discharge capacity of lithium-sulfur batteries and the Coulomb efficiency during cycling,with the exception of LiSO_(3)CF_(3)and LiNO_(3).An increase in DN of lithium salt anions leads to an increase in the cycling duration of lithium metal anodes and to a decrease in the presence of lithium polysulfides.In sulfolane solutions of LiNO_(3)and LiSO_(3)CF_(3),lithium polysulfides do not affect the cycling duration of lithium metal anodes.展开更多
Cone-disk systems find frequent use such as conical diffusers,medical devices,various rheometric,and viscosimetry applications.In this study,we investigate the three-dimensional flow of a water-based Ag-Mg O hybrid na...Cone-disk systems find frequent use such as conical diffusers,medical devices,various rheometric,and viscosimetry applications.In this study,we investigate the three-dimensional flow of a water-based Ag-Mg O hybrid nanofluid in a static cone-disk system while considering temperature-dependent fluid properties.How the variable fluid properties affect the dynamics and heat transfer features is studied by Reynolds's linearized model for variable viscosity and Chiam's model for variable thermal conductivity.The single-phase nanofluid model is utilized to describe convective heat transfer in hybrid nanofluids,incorporating the experimental data.This model is developed as a coupled system of convective-diffusion equations,encompassing the conservation of momentum and the conservation of thermal energy,in conjunction with an incompressibility condition.A self-similar model is developed by the Lie-group scaling transformations,and the subsequent self-similar equations are then solved numerically.The influence of variable fluid parameters on both swirling and non-swirling flow cases is analyzed.Additionally,the Nusselt number for the disk surface is calculated.It is found that an increase in the temperature-dependent viscosity parameter enhances heat transfer characteristics in the static cone-disk system,while the thermal conductivity parameter has the opposite effect.展开更多
Aggregation of species with similar ecological properties is one of the effective methods to simplify food web researches.However,species aggregation will affect not only the complexity of modeling process but also th...Aggregation of species with similar ecological properties is one of the effective methods to simplify food web researches.However,species aggregation will affect not only the complexity of modeling process but also the accuracy of models’outputs.Selection of aggregation methods and the number of trophospecies are the keys to study the simplification of food web.In this study,three aggregation methods,including taxonomic aggregation(TA),structural equivalence aggregation(SEA),and self-organizing maps(SOM),were analyzed and compared with the linear inverse model–Markov Chain Monte Carlo(LIM-MCMC)model.Impacts of aggregation methods and trophospecies number on food webs were evaluated based on the robustness and unitless of ecological net-work indices.Results showed that aggregation method of SEA performed better than the other two methods in estimating food web structure and function indices.The effects of aggregation methods were driven by the differences in species aggregation principles,which will alter food web structure and function through the redistribution of energy flow.According to the results of mean absolute percentage error(MAPE)which can be applied to evaluate the accuracy of the model,we found that MAPE in food web indices will increase with the reducing trophospecies number,and MAPE in food web function indices were smaller and more stable than those in food web structure indices.Therefore,trade-off between simplifying food webs and reflecting the status of ecosystem should be con-sidered in food web studies.These findings highlight the importance of aggregation methods and trophospecies number in the analy-sis of food web simplification.This study provided a framework to explore the extent to which food web models are affected by dif-ferent species aggregation,and will provide scientific basis for the construction of food webs.展开更多
1 A new type of impact factor The Unique citing documents Journal Impact Factor(Uniq-JIF)is defined as follows:Uniq-JIF=Number of unique citing documents/Number of citable items(1)We note that formula(1)is given in a ...1 A new type of impact factor The Unique citing documents Journal Impact Factor(Uniq-JIF)is defined as follows:Uniq-JIF=Number of unique citing documents/Number of citable items(1)We note that formula(1)is given in a generic form.In concrete applications,one must state the publication for which the Uniq-JIF is calculated(a journal,an edited book,a conference proceedings).展开更多
Water is the key factor limiting dryland wheat grain yield.Mulching affects crop yield and yield components by affecting soil moisture.Further research is needed to determine the relationships between yield components...Water is the key factor limiting dryland wheat grain yield.Mulching affects crop yield and yield components by affecting soil moisture.Further research is needed to determine the relationships between yield components and soil moisture with yield,and to identify the most important factor affecting grain yield under various mulching measures.A long-term 9-yearifeld experiment in the Loess Plateau of Northwest China was carried out with three treatments:no mulch (CK),plastic mulch (M_(P)) and straw mulch (M_(S)).Yield factors and soil moisture were measured,and the relationships between them were explored by correlation analysis,structural equation modeling and significance analysis.The results showed that compared with CK,the average grain yields of M_(P) and M_(S) increased by 13.0and 10.6%,respectively.The average annual grain yield of the M_(P) treatment was 134 kg ha^(–1) higher than the M_(S) treatment.There were no significant differences in yield components among the three treatments (P<0.05).Soil water storage of the M_(S) treatment was greater than the M_(P) treatment,although the differences were not statistically signifiant.Soil water storage during the summer fallow period (SWSSF) and soil water storage before sowing (SWSS) of M_(S) were significantly higher than in CK,which increased by 38.5 and 13.6%,respectively.The relationship between M_(P) and CK was not statistically significant for SWSSF,but the SWSS in M_(P) was significantly higher than in CK.In terms of soil water storage after harvest (SWSH) and water consumption in the growth period(ET),there were no signi?cant differences among the three treatments.Based on the three analysis methods,we found that spike number and ET were positively correlated with grain yield.However,the relative importance of spike number to yield was the greatest in the M_(P )and M_(S) treatments,while that of ET was the greatest in CK.Suifcient SWSSF could indirectly increase spike number and ET in the three treatments.Based on these results,mulch can improve yield and soil water storage.The most important factor affecting the grain yield of dryland wheat was spike number under mulching,and ET with CK.These findings may help us to understand the main factors influencing dryland wheat grain yield under mulching conditions compared to CK.展开更多
Genomic selection (GS) has the potential to improve selection efficiency and shorten the breeding cycle in fruit tree breeding. In this study,we evaluated the effect of prediction methods, marker density and the train...Genomic selection (GS) has the potential to improve selection efficiency and shorten the breeding cycle in fruit tree breeding. In this study,we evaluated the effect of prediction methods, marker density and the training population (TP) size on pear GS for improving its performance and reducing cost. We evaluated GS under two scenarios:(1) five-fold cross-validation in an interspecific pear family;(2) independent validation. Based on the cross-validation scheme, the prediction accuracy (PA) of eight fruit traits varied between 0.33 (fruit core vertical diameter)and 0.65 (stone cell content). Except for single fruit weight, a slightly better prediction accuracy (PA) was observed for the five parametrical methods compared with the two non-parametrical methods. In our TP of 310 individuals, 2 000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were sufficient to make reasonably accurate predictions. PAs for different traits increased by 18.21%-46.98%when the TP size increased from 50to 100, but the increment was smaller (-4.13%-33.91%) when the TP size increased from 200 to 250. For independent validation, the PAs ranged from 0.11 to 0.45 using rrBLUP method. In summary, our results showed that the TP size and SNP numbers had a greater impact on the PA than prediction methods. Furthermore, relatedness among the training and validation sets, and the complexity of traits should be considered when designing a TP to predict the test panel.展开更多
Nitrogen(N)fertilization is critical for spike and floret development,which affects the number of fertile florets per spike(NFFs).However,the physiological regulation of the floret development process by N fertilizati...Nitrogen(N)fertilization is critical for spike and floret development,which affects the number of fertile florets per spike(NFFs).However,the physiological regulation of the floret development process by N fertilization is largely unknown.A high temporal-resolution investigation of floret primordia number and morphology,dry matter,and N availability was conducted under three N fertilization levels:0(N0),120(N1)and 240(N2)kg ha^(−1).Interestingly,fertile florets at anthesis stage were determined by those floret primordia with meiotic ability at booting stage:meiotic ability was a threshold that predicted whether a floret primordium became fertile or abortive florets.Because the developmental rate of the 4th floret primordium in the central spikelet was accelerated and then they acquired meiotic ability,the NFFs increased gradually as N application increased,but the increase range decreased under N2.There were no differences in spike N concentration among treatments,but leaf N concentration was increased in the N1 and N2 treatments.Correspondingly,dry matter accumulation and N content of the leaf and spike in the N1 and N2 treatments was increased as compared to N0.Clearly,optimal N fertilization increased leaf N availability and transport of assimilates to spikes,and allowed more floret primordia to acquire meiotic ability and become fertile florets,finally increasing NFFs.There was no difference in leaf N concentration between N1 and N2 treatment,whereas soil N concentration at 0–60 cm soil layers was higher in N2 than in N1 treatment,implying that there was still some N fertilization that remained unused.Therefore,improving the leaf’s ability to further use N fertilizer is vital for greater NFFs.展开更多
Background In the modern sheep production systems,the reproductive performance of ewes determines the economic profitability of farming.Revealing the genetic mechanisms underlying differences in the litter size is imp...Background In the modern sheep production systems,the reproductive performance of ewes determines the economic profitability of farming.Revealing the genetic mechanisms underlying differences in the litter size is important for the selection and breeding of highly prolific ewes.Hu sheep,a high-quality Chinese sheep breed,is known for its high fecundity and is often used as a model to study prolificacy traits.In the current study,animals were divided into two groups according to their delivery rates in three consecutive lambing seasons(namely,the high and low reproductive groups with≥3 lambs and one lamb per season,n=3,respectively).The ewes were slaughtered within 12 h of estrus,and unilateral ovarian tissues were collected and analyzed by 10×Genomics single-cell RNA sequencing.Results A total of 5 types of somatic cells were identified and corresponding expression profiles were mapped in the ovaries of each group.Noticeably,the differences in the ovary somatic cell expression profiles between the high and low reproductive groups were mainly clustered in the granulosa cells.Furthermore,four granulosa cell subtypes were identified.GeneSwitches analysis revealed that the abundance of JPH1 expression and the reduction of LOC101112291 expression could lead to different evolutionary directions of the granulosa cells.Additionally,the expression levels of FTH1 and FTL in mural granulosa cells of the highly reproductive group were significantly higher.These genes inhibit necroptosis and ferroptosis of mural granulosa cells,which helps prevent follicular atresia.Conclusions This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the high fecundity of Hu sheep.The differences in gene expression profiles,particularly in the granulosa cells,suggest that these cells play a critical role in female prolificacy.The findings also highlight the importance of genes such as JPH1,LOC101112291,FTH1,and FTL in regulating granulosa cell function and follicular development.展开更多
基金supported via funding from Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University Project Number(PSAU/2023/R/1444)The first author is partially supported by the University Research Fellowship(PU/AD-3/URF/21F37237/2021 dated 09.11.2021)of PeriyarUniversity,SalemThe second author is supported by the fund for improvement of Science and Technology Infrastructure(FIST)of DST(SR/FST/MSI-115/2016).
文摘This research examines the transmission dynamics of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 using SEIQIcRVW and SQIRV models,considering the delay in converting susceptible individuals into infected ones.The significant delays eventually resulted in the pandemic’s containment.To ensure the safety of the host population,this concept integrates quarantine and the COVID-19 vaccine.We investigate the stability of the proposed models.The fundamental reproduction number influences stability conditions.According to our findings,asymptomatic cases considerably impact the prevalence of Omicron infection in the community.The real data of the Omicron variant from Chennai,Tamil Nadu,India,is used to validate the outputs.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31970116,72274192)。
文摘Biodiversity has become a terminology familiar to virtually every citizen in modern societies.It is said that ecology studies the economy of nature,and economy studies the ecology of humans;then measuring biodiversity should be similar with measuring national wealth.Indeed,there have been many parallels between ecology and economics,actually beyond analogies.For example,arguably the second most widely used biodiversity metric,Simpson(1949)’s diversity index,is a function of familiar Gini-index in economics.One of the biggest challenges has been the high“diversity”of diversity indexes due to their excessive“speciation”-there are so many indexes,similar to each country’s sovereign currency-leaving confused diversity practitioners in dilemma.In 1973,Hill introduced the concept of“numbers equivalent”,which is based on Renyi entropy and originated in economics,but possibly due to his abstruse interpretation of the concept,his message was not widely received by ecologists until nearly four decades later.What Hill suggested was similar to link the US dollar to gold at the rate of$35 per ounce under the Bretton Woods system.The Hill numbers now are considered most appropriate biodiversity metrics system,unifying Shannon,Simpson and other diversity indexes.Here,we approach to another paradigmatic shift-measuring biodiversity on ecological networks-demonstrated with animal gastrointestinal microbiomes representing four major invertebrate classes and all six vertebrate classes.The network diversity can reveal the diversity of species interactions,which is a necessary step for understanding the spatial and temporal structures and dynamics of biodiversity across environmental gradients.
文摘In this study,we examine the effects of various shapes of nanoparticles in a steady flow of hybrid nanofluids between two stretchable rotating disks.The steady flow of hybrid nanofluids with transformer oil as the base fluid and Fe_(3)O_(4)+TiO_(2)as the hybrid nanofluid is considered.Several shapes of Fe_(3)O_(4)+TiO_(2)hybrid nanofluids,including sphere,brick,blade,cylinder,and platelet,are studied.Every shape exists in the same volume of a nanoparticle.The leading equations(partial differential equations(PDEs))are transformed to the nonlinear ordinary differential equations(ODEs)with the help of similarity transformations.The system of equations takes the form of ODEs depending on the boundary conditions,whose solutions are computed numerically by the bvp4c MATLAB solver.The outputs are compared with the previous findings,and an intriguing pattern is discovered,such that the tangential velocity is increased for the rotation parameter,while it is decreased by the stretching values because of the lower disk.For the reaction rate parameter,the concentration boundary layer becomes shorter,and the activation energy component increases the rate at which mass transfers come to the higher disk but have the opposite effect on the bottom disk.The ranges of various parameters taken into account are Pr=6.2,Re=2,M=1.0,φ_(1)=φ_(2)=0.03,K=0.5,S=-0.1,Br=0.3,Sc=2.0,α_(1)=0.2,γ=0.1,E_(n)=2.0,and q=1.0,and the rotation factor K is within the range of 0 to 1.
基金Project supported by the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(Grant No.1232026)the Qinxin Talents Program of BISTU(Grant No.QXTCP C201711)+2 种基金the R&D Program of Beijing Municipal Education Commission(Grant No.KM202011232017)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.12304190)the Research fund of BISTU(Grant No.2022XJJ32).
文摘We investigate the quantum metric and topological Euler number in a cyclically modulated Su-Schrieffer-Heeger(SSH)model with long-range hopping terms.By computing the quantum geometry tensor,we derive exact expressions for the quantum metric and Berry curvature of the energy band electrons,and we obtain the phase diagram of the model marked by the first Chern number.Furthermore,we also obtain the topological Euler number of the energy band based on the Gauss-Bonnet theorem on the topological characterization of the closed Bloch states manifold in the first Brillouin zone.However,some regions where the Berry curvature is identically zero in the first Brillouin zone result in the degeneracy of the quantum metric,which leads to ill-defined non-integer topological Euler numbers.Nevertheless,the non-integer"Euler number"provides valuable insights and an upper bound for the absolute values of the Chern numbers.
基金This work was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2023YFF1000404)the Shenzhen Basic Research and Development Key Program of China(JCYJ20200109150713553)Hainan Key Research and Development in Modern Agriculture of China(ZDYF2021Y128).
文摘Increasing effective panicle number per plant(EPN)is one approach to increase yield potential in rice.However,molecular mechanisms underlying EPN remain unclear.In this study,we integrated mapbased cloning and genome-wide association analysis to identify the EPN4 gene,which is allelic to NARROW LEAF1(NAL1).Overexpression lines containing the Teqing allele(TQ)of EPN4 had significantly increased EPN.NIL-EPN4^(TQ) in japonica(geng)cultivar Lemont(LT)exhibited significantly improved EPN but decreased grain number and flag leaf size relative to LT.Haplotype analysis indicated that accessions with EPN4-1 had medium EPN,medium grain number,and medium grain weight,but had the highest grain yield among seven haplotypes,indicating that EPN4-1 is an elite haplotype of EPN4 for positive coordination of the three components of grain yield.Furthermore,accessions carrying the combination of EPN4-1 and haplotype GNP1-6 of GNP1 for grain number per panicle showed higher grain yield than those with other allele combinations.Therefore,pyramiding of EPN4-1 and GNP1-6 could be a preferred approach to obtain high yield potential in breeding.
基金funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation,Spain (AGL2017-88329-R, FPU18/00666 and PID2020-113320RB-I00)the Regional Government of Catalonia,Spain (2017-SGR-1229, 2020-FI-B-00412 and 2020-SGR-0900)the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA)。
文摘Background Despite their low abundance in sperm, mitochondria have diverse functions in this cell type, includ-ing energy production, signalling and calcium regulation. In humans, sperm mitochondrial DNA content(mtDNAc) has been reported to be negatively linked to sperm function and fertility. Yet, the association between mtDNAc and sperm function in livestock remains unexplored. For this reason, this study aimed to shed some light on the link between mtDNAc and sperm function and fertilising potential in pigs. A qPCR method for mtDNAc quantification was optimised for pig sperm, and the association of this parameter with sperm motility, kinematics, mitochondrial activity, and fertility was subsequently interrogated.Results First, the q PCR method was found to be sensitive and efficient for mtDNAc quantification in pig sperm. By using this technique, mtDNAc was observed to be associated to sperm motility, mitochondrial activity and in vivo, but not in vitro, fertility outcomes. Specifically, sperm with low mtDNAc were seen to exhibit greater motility but decreased mitochondrial activity and intracellular reactive oxygen species. Interestingly, samples with lower mtD-NAc showed higher conception and farrowing rates, but similar in vitro fertilisation rates and embryo development, when compared to those with greater mtDNAc.Conclusions These findings enrich our comprehension of the association of mtDNAc with sperm biology, and lay the foundation for future research into employing this parameter as a molecular predictor for sperm function and fer-tility in livestock.
基金supported by the project“Protection of biodiversity of Italian poultry breeds—TuBAvI”,funded in the framework of the PSRN 2014–2020,submeasure 10.2“Support for sustainable conservation,use and development of genetic resources in agriculture”.
文摘Background Copy number variants(CNV)hold significant functional and evolutionary importance.Numerous ongoing CNV studies aim to elucidate the etiology of human diseases and gain insights into the population structure of livestock.High-density chips have enabled the detection of CNV with increased resolution,leading to the identification of even small CNV.This study aimed to identify CNV in local Italian chicken breeds and investigate their distribution across the genome.Results Copy number variants were mainly distributed across the first six chromosomes and primarily associated with loss type CNV.The majority of CNV in the investigated breeds were of types 0 and 1,and the minimum length of CNV was significantly larger than that reported in previous studies.Interestingly,a high proportion of the length of chromosome 16 was covered by copy number variation regions(CNVR),with the major histocompatibility complex being the likely cause.Among the genes identified within CNVR,only those present in at least five animals across breeds(n=95)were discussed to reduce the focus on redundant CNV.Some of these genes have been associated to functional traits in chickens.Notably,several CNVR on different chromosomes harbor genes related to muscle development,tissue-specific biological processes,heat stress resistance,and immune response.Quantitative trait loci(QTL)were also analyzed to investigate potential overlapping with the identified CNVR:54 out of the 95 gene-containing regions overlapped with 428 QTL associated to body weight and size,carcass characteristics,egg production,egg components,fat deposition,and feed intake.Conclusions The genomic phenomena reported in this study that can cause changes in the distribution of CNV within the genome over time and the comparison of these differences in CNVR of the local chicken breeds could help in preserving these genetic resources.
基金This work was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDA24010104-2).
文摘Some haplotypes of the sucrose synthase gene TaSus1 are associated with thousand-grain weight(TGW)in wheat(Triticum aestivum L.).However,no mutations have been identified within the gene to test this association.The effects of TaSus1 on grain number per spike(GNS)also are largely unknown.Our previous genome-wide association study identified TaSus-A1 as a candidate gene controlling fertile spikelet number per spike(FSN).In the present study,we generated two independent mutants for the three TaSus1 homoeologs by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing.The triple mutants displayed lower FSN,GNS,grain number per spikelet(GNST),and TGW than wild-type plants.In 306 hexaploid wheat accessions,two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in TaSus-A1 contributed differently to GNS.Introgression of the two alleles into a wheat genetic background confirmed their effects.The alleles differed in geographical distribution among the accessions.
文摘The objective of this investigation is to assess the effect of obstacles on numerical heat transfer and fluid flow momentum in a rectangular microchannel(MC).Two distinct configurations were studied:one without obstacles and the other with alternating obstacles placed on the upper and lower walls.The research utilized the thermal lattice Boltzmann method(LBM),which solves the energy and momentum equations of fluids with the BGK approximation,implemented in a Python coding environment.Temperature jump and slip velocity conditions were utilized in the simulation for the MC and extended to all obstacle boundaries.The study aims to analyze the rarefaction effect,with Knudsen numbers(Kn)of 0.012,0.02,and 0.05.The outcomes indicate that rarefaction has a significant impact on the velocity and temperature distribution.The presence of nine obstacles led to slower fluid movement inside the microchannel MC,resulting in faster cooling at the outlet.In MCs with obstacles,the rarefaction effect plays a crucial role in decreasing the Nusselt number(Nu)and skin friction coefficient(Cf).Furthermore,the study demonstrated that the obstacles played a crucial role in boosting fluid flow and heat transfer in the MC.The findings suggest that the examined configurations could have potential applications as cooling technologies in micro-electro-mechanical systems and microdevice applications.
基金Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.12372239the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province under Grant No.YQ2022E017。
文摘The compressibility of fluids has a profound influence on oscillating bubble dynamics,as characterized by the Mach number.However,current theoretical frameworks for bubbles,whether at the first or second order of the Mach number,are primarily confined to scenarios characterized by weak compressibility.Thus,a critical need to elucidate the precise range of applicability for both first-and second-order bubble theories arises.Herein,we investigate the suitability and constraints of bubble theories with different orders through a comparative analysis involving experimental data and numerical simulations.The focal point of our investigation encompasses theories such as the Rayleigh–Plesset,Keller,Herring,and second-order bubble equations.Furthermore,the impact of parameters inherent in the second-order equations is examined.For spherical oscillating bubble dynamics in a free field,our findings reveal that the first-and second-order bubble theories are applicable when Ma≤0.3 and 0.4,respectively.For a single sonoluminescence bubble,we define an instantaneous Mach number,Mai.The second-order theory shows abnormal sensibility when Mai is high,which is negligible when Mai≤0.4.The results of this study can serve as a valuable reference for studying compressible bubble dynamics.
基金supported by the Russian Science Foundation as part of joint project of RSF-NSFC no.21-43-00006“Polysulfide IonSolvent Complexes and Their Electrochemical Behavior in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries”with the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22061132002)。
文摘In lithium-sulfur batteries,cell design,specifically electrolyte design,has a key impact on the battery performance.The effect of lithium salt anion donor number(DN)(DN[PF_(6)]^(-)=2.5,DN[N(SO_(2)CF_(3))_(2)]^(-)=5.4,DN[ClO_(4)]^(-)=8.4,DN[SO_(3)CF_(3)]^(-)=16.9,and DN[NO_(3)]^(-)=21.1)on the patterns of lithium-sulfur batteries and lithium metal electrode performances with sulfola ne-based electrolytes is investigated.An increase in DN of lithium salt anions leads to an increase in the depth and rate of electrochemical reduction of sulfur and long-chain lithium polysulfides and to a decrease in those for medium-and short-chain lithium polysulfides.DN of lithium salt anions has weak effect on the discharge capacity of lithium-sulfur batteries and the Coulomb efficiency during cycling,with the exception of LiSO_(3)CF_(3)and LiNO_(3).An increase in DN of lithium salt anions leads to an increase in the cycling duration of lithium metal anodes and to a decrease in the presence of lithium polysulfides.In sulfolane solutions of LiNO_(3)and LiSO_(3)CF_(3),lithium polysulfides do not affect the cycling duration of lithium metal anodes.
文摘Cone-disk systems find frequent use such as conical diffusers,medical devices,various rheometric,and viscosimetry applications.In this study,we investigate the three-dimensional flow of a water-based Ag-Mg O hybrid nanofluid in a static cone-disk system while considering temperature-dependent fluid properties.How the variable fluid properties affect the dynamics and heat transfer features is studied by Reynolds's linearized model for variable viscosity and Chiam's model for variable thermal conductivity.The single-phase nanofluid model is utilized to describe convective heat transfer in hybrid nanofluids,incorporating the experimental data.This model is developed as a coupled system of convective-diffusion equations,encompassing the conservation of momentum and the conservation of thermal energy,in conjunction with an incompressibility condition.A self-similar model is developed by the Lie-group scaling transformations,and the subsequent self-similar equations are then solved numerically.The influence of variable fluid parameters on both swirling and non-swirling flow cases is analyzed.Additionally,the Nusselt number for the disk surface is calculated.It is found that an increase in the temperature-dependent viscosity parameter enhances heat transfer characteristics in the static cone-disk system,while the thermal conductivity parameter has the opposite effect.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Nos.2019YFD0901204,2019YFD 0901205).
文摘Aggregation of species with similar ecological properties is one of the effective methods to simplify food web researches.However,species aggregation will affect not only the complexity of modeling process but also the accuracy of models’outputs.Selection of aggregation methods and the number of trophospecies are the keys to study the simplification of food web.In this study,three aggregation methods,including taxonomic aggregation(TA),structural equivalence aggregation(SEA),and self-organizing maps(SOM),were analyzed and compared with the linear inverse model–Markov Chain Monte Carlo(LIM-MCMC)model.Impacts of aggregation methods and trophospecies number on food webs were evaluated based on the robustness and unitless of ecological net-work indices.Results showed that aggregation method of SEA performed better than the other two methods in estimating food web structure and function indices.The effects of aggregation methods were driven by the differences in species aggregation principles,which will alter food web structure and function through the redistribution of energy flow.According to the results of mean absolute percentage error(MAPE)which can be applied to evaluate the accuracy of the model,we found that MAPE in food web indices will increase with the reducing trophospecies number,and MAPE in food web function indices were smaller and more stable than those in food web structure indices.Therefore,trade-off between simplifying food webs and reflecting the status of ecosystem should be con-sidered in food web studies.These findings highlight the importance of aggregation methods and trophospecies number in the analy-sis of food web simplification.This study provided a framework to explore the extent to which food web models are affected by dif-ferent species aggregation,and will provide scientific basis for the construction of food webs.
文摘1 A new type of impact factor The Unique citing documents Journal Impact Factor(Uniq-JIF)is defined as follows:Uniq-JIF=Number of unique citing documents/Number of citable items(1)We note that formula(1)is given in a generic form.In concrete applications,one must state the publication for which the Uniq-JIF is calculated(a journal,an edited book,a conference proceedings).
基金supported financially by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFD1900703)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31272250)。
文摘Water is the key factor limiting dryland wheat grain yield.Mulching affects crop yield and yield components by affecting soil moisture.Further research is needed to determine the relationships between yield components and soil moisture with yield,and to identify the most important factor affecting grain yield under various mulching measures.A long-term 9-yearifeld experiment in the Loess Plateau of Northwest China was carried out with three treatments:no mulch (CK),plastic mulch (M_(P)) and straw mulch (M_(S)).Yield factors and soil moisture were measured,and the relationships between them were explored by correlation analysis,structural equation modeling and significance analysis.The results showed that compared with CK,the average grain yields of M_(P) and M_(S) increased by 13.0and 10.6%,respectively.The average annual grain yield of the M_(P) treatment was 134 kg ha^(–1) higher than the M_(S) treatment.There were no significant differences in yield components among the three treatments (P<0.05).Soil water storage of the M_(S) treatment was greater than the M_(P) treatment,although the differences were not statistically signifiant.Soil water storage during the summer fallow period (SWSSF) and soil water storage before sowing (SWSS) of M_(S) were significantly higher than in CK,which increased by 38.5 and 13.6%,respectively.The relationship between M_(P) and CK was not statistically significant for SWSSF,but the SWSS in M_(P) was significantly higher than in CK.In terms of soil water storage after harvest (SWSH) and water consumption in the growth period(ET),there were no signi?cant differences among the three treatments.Based on the three analysis methods,we found that spike number and ET were positively correlated with grain yield.However,the relative importance of spike number to yield was the greatest in the M_(P )and M_(S) treatments,while that of ET was the greatest in CK.Suifcient SWSSF could indirectly increase spike number and ET in the three treatments.Based on these results,mulch can improve yield and soil water storage.The most important factor affecting the grain yield of dryland wheat was spike number under mulching,and ET with CK.These findings may help us to understand the main factors influencing dryland wheat grain yield under mulching conditions compared to CK.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (Grant No.2022YFD1200503)Jiangsu Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Fund [Grant No.CX(22)3043]+1 种基金the Earmarked Fund for China Agriculture Research System (Grant No.CARS-28)the Earmarked Fund for Jiangsu Agricultural Industry Technology System (Grant No.JATS [2022]454)。
文摘Genomic selection (GS) has the potential to improve selection efficiency and shorten the breeding cycle in fruit tree breeding. In this study,we evaluated the effect of prediction methods, marker density and the training population (TP) size on pear GS for improving its performance and reducing cost. We evaluated GS under two scenarios:(1) five-fold cross-validation in an interspecific pear family;(2) independent validation. Based on the cross-validation scheme, the prediction accuracy (PA) of eight fruit traits varied between 0.33 (fruit core vertical diameter)and 0.65 (stone cell content). Except for single fruit weight, a slightly better prediction accuracy (PA) was observed for the five parametrical methods compared with the two non-parametrical methods. In our TP of 310 individuals, 2 000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were sufficient to make reasonably accurate predictions. PAs for different traits increased by 18.21%-46.98%when the TP size increased from 50to 100, but the increment was smaller (-4.13%-33.91%) when the TP size increased from 200 to 250. For independent validation, the PAs ranged from 0.11 to 0.45 using rrBLUP method. In summary, our results showed that the TP size and SNP numbers had a greater impact on the PA than prediction methods. Furthermore, relatedness among the training and validation sets, and the complexity of traits should be considered when designing a TP to predict the test panel.
基金This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFD1900703,2022YFD2300802)the Earmarked Fund for CARS(CARS-3)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31871563)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2022M723437).
文摘Nitrogen(N)fertilization is critical for spike and floret development,which affects the number of fertile florets per spike(NFFs).However,the physiological regulation of the floret development process by N fertilization is largely unknown.A high temporal-resolution investigation of floret primordia number and morphology,dry matter,and N availability was conducted under three N fertilization levels:0(N0),120(N1)and 240(N2)kg ha^(−1).Interestingly,fertile florets at anthesis stage were determined by those floret primordia with meiotic ability at booting stage:meiotic ability was a threshold that predicted whether a floret primordium became fertile or abortive florets.Because the developmental rate of the 4th floret primordium in the central spikelet was accelerated and then they acquired meiotic ability,the NFFs increased gradually as N application increased,but the increase range decreased under N2.There were no differences in spike N concentration among treatments,but leaf N concentration was increased in the N1 and N2 treatments.Correspondingly,dry matter accumulation and N content of the leaf and spike in the N1 and N2 treatments was increased as compared to N0.Clearly,optimal N fertilization increased leaf N availability and transport of assimilates to spikes,and allowed more floret primordia to acquire meiotic ability and become fertile florets,finally increasing NFFs.There was no difference in leaf N concentration between N1 and N2 treatment,whereas soil N concentration at 0–60 cm soil layers was higher in N2 than in N1 treatment,implying that there was still some N fertilization that remained unused.Therefore,improving the leaf’s ability to further use N fertilizer is vital for greater NFFs.
基金supported by the mutton sheep industry technology system construction project of Shaanxi Province(NYKJ-2021-YL(XN)43).
文摘Background In the modern sheep production systems,the reproductive performance of ewes determines the economic profitability of farming.Revealing the genetic mechanisms underlying differences in the litter size is important for the selection and breeding of highly prolific ewes.Hu sheep,a high-quality Chinese sheep breed,is known for its high fecundity and is often used as a model to study prolificacy traits.In the current study,animals were divided into two groups according to their delivery rates in three consecutive lambing seasons(namely,the high and low reproductive groups with≥3 lambs and one lamb per season,n=3,respectively).The ewes were slaughtered within 12 h of estrus,and unilateral ovarian tissues were collected and analyzed by 10×Genomics single-cell RNA sequencing.Results A total of 5 types of somatic cells were identified and corresponding expression profiles were mapped in the ovaries of each group.Noticeably,the differences in the ovary somatic cell expression profiles between the high and low reproductive groups were mainly clustered in the granulosa cells.Furthermore,four granulosa cell subtypes were identified.GeneSwitches analysis revealed that the abundance of JPH1 expression and the reduction of LOC101112291 expression could lead to different evolutionary directions of the granulosa cells.Additionally,the expression levels of FTH1 and FTL in mural granulosa cells of the highly reproductive group were significantly higher.These genes inhibit necroptosis and ferroptosis of mural granulosa cells,which helps prevent follicular atresia.Conclusions This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the high fecundity of Hu sheep.The differences in gene expression profiles,particularly in the granulosa cells,suggest that these cells play a critical role in female prolificacy.The findings also highlight the importance of genes such as JPH1,LOC101112291,FTH1,and FTL in regulating granulosa cell function and follicular development.