Flower morphology of Allium(Amaryllidaceae)and its systematic significance

Allium is a complicated genus that includes approximately 1000 species.Although its morphology is well studied,the taxonomic importance of many morphological traits,including floral traits,are poorly understood.Here,we examined and measured the floral characteristics of 87 accessions of 74 Allium taxa(belonging to 30 sections and nine subgenera)from Central to Eastern Asian countries.We then examined the taxonomic relationships between select flower characteristics and a phylogenetic tree based on ITS sequences.Our results confirm that floral morphology provides key taxonomic information to assess species delimitation in Allium.We found that perianth color is an important characteristic within the subg.Melanocrommyum,Polyprason,and Reticulatobulbosa.In subg.Allium,Cepa,and Rhizirideum,significant characteristics include ovary shape,perianth shape,and inner tepal apex.For species in subg.Angunium,the key taxonomic character is ovule number(only one ovule in per locule).In the subg.Allium,Cepa,Polyprason,and Reticulatobulbosa,which belong to the third evolutionary line of Allium,hood-like appendages occur in the ovary,although these do not occur in subg.Rhizirideum.Our results also indicated that the flower morphology of several species in some sections are not clearly distinguished,e.g.,sect.Sacculiferum(subg.Cepa)and sect.Tenuissima(subg.Rhizirideum).This study provides detailed photographs and descriptions of floral characteristics and information on general distributions,habitats,and phenology of the studied taxa.

Instance Segmentation of Characters Recognized in Palmyrene Aramaic Inscriptions

This study presents a single-class and multi-class instance segmentation approach applied to ancient Palmyrene inscriptions,employing two state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms,namely YOLOv8 and Roboflow 3.0.The goal is to contribute to the preservation and understanding of historical texts,showcasing the potential of modern deep learning methods in archaeological research.Our research culminates in several key findings and scientific contributions.We comprehensively compare the performance of YOLOv8 and Roboflow 3.0 in the context of Palmyrene character segmentation—this comparative analysis mainly focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of each algorithm in this context.We also created and annotated an extensive dataset of Palmyrene inscriptions,a crucial resource for further research in the field.The dataset serves for training and evaluating the segmentation models.We employ comparative evaluation metrics to quantitatively assess the segmentation results,ensuring the reliability and reproducibility of our findings and we present custom visualization tools for predicted segmentation masks.Our study advances the state of the art in semi-automatic reading of Palmyrene inscriptions and establishes a benchmark for future research.The availability of the Palmyrene dataset and the insights into algorithm performance contribute to the broader understanding of historical text analysis.

A Fast Recognition System for Isolated Printed Characters Using Center of Gravity and Principal Axis

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new multi stage algorithm for the recognition of isolated characters. It was similar work done before using only the center of gravity (This paper is extended version of “A fast recognition system for isolated printed characters using center of gravity”, LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing 2011, ISBN: 978-38465-0002-6), but here we add using principal axis in order to make the algorithm rotation invariant. In my previous work which is published in LAP LAMBERT, I face a big problem that when the character is rotated I can’t recognize the character. So this adds constrain on the document to be well oriented but here I use the principal axis in order to unify the orientation of the character set and the characters in the scanned document. The algorithm can be applied for any isolated character such as Latin, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic characters but it has been applied in this paper for Arabic characters. The approach uses normalized and isolated characters of the same size and extracts an image signature based on the center of gravity of the character after making the character principal axis vertical, and then the system compares these values to a set of signatures for typical characters of the set. The system then provides the closeness of match to all other characters in the set.

From Society to Solitude:An In-depth Analysis of Thoreau’s Characters in Walden

With the deterioration of the environment and the unbalanced relationship between man and nature,people are plagued by varieties of social problems and rising spiritual crises.This paper aims to analyze Thoreau’s characters in Walden and attempts to provide the implications for our contemporary life.Combined with Thoreau’s life experience and the background of Walden,the paper starts with the analysis of Thoreau’s characters from three aspects concerning his pursuit of inner serenity,search for true essence of life and abiding passion for life,which constitute his unique and independent characters and provide the enlightenment for contemporary life.We concluded that unique thoughts,attitudes,and spirit embedded in Thoreau’s characters are inextricably connected with our contemporary life.His personal experience and practice of solitary life at Walden Pond is a testimony to the necessity of closing to nature actively and confronting life passionately.

A Development of a Knowledge Management System for Water Situation Reports in Thailand

The development of a knowledge management system for the National Hydro Data Center of Thailand was described in this paper. The system was created after the major flood event in 2011 to improve water resource management. It addresses the need for easy access to water situation reports, which are crucial for informed decision-making on water usage, allocation, and reservoir management. The system utilizes Optical Character Recognition technique to convert scanned water situation reports into searchable text. It applied FastText and ElasticSearch for advanced search functionalities. FastText identified the documents related to the search query, even with typos or misspelled words. ElasticSearch allows for efficient searching of text data based on relevance. The system also integrates Google Search for additional information access. Therefore, this knowledge management system provides an efficient way to access and analyze water situation data in Thailand.

An Empirical Study on the Improvement of College Students’Positive Mental Characters through the Sandplay Course

In recent years,psychological crisis events have occurred frequently in colleges.Therefore,cultivating students’rational and calm,positive and upward attitude is the current focus of mental health education in colleges.This study aims to explore the intervention effect of sandplay courses on students’positive mental characters.Through the voluntary registration and matching of the public elective course platform,35 students from a university were selected as subjects,including 17 students in the experimental group and 18 students in the control group.From March to July 2024,16 weeks of sandplay course intervention was carried out in the experimental group,while no intervention was done in the control group.The scores of the Positive Mental Characters Scale for Chinese College Students(PMCSCCS)and the Positive Mental Characters Self-Assessment before and after the intervention were statistically analyzed.Both the scale test(t=-3.62,P<0.01)and self-assessment(t=-3.86,P<0.01)of the experimental group had significant improvement in positive mental characters after the intervention,while the control group had no significant difference in positive mental characters scores before and after the intervention.The sandplay course can effectively improve the level of positive mental characters of college students.Schools and families should pay attention to and explore various channels to actively cultivate positive mental characters of college students,so as to lay a solid foundation for their future development and growth.

Development of Automatic Programming System for NC Laser Cutting of Chinese Characters

This Paper presents an automatic programming system developed for NC laser onning of Chinese charaCterswhich combines AutoCAD with NC Under Windows environment, and generates numerical controlled Programs by extracting outline (stroke) figures of Chinese Characters from outline character base, optimizing cutting routes, transferring them to AutoCAD for editing operations, such as rotation transfer, enlarging an mirroring, the system can transferto a laser cutting machine througy RS-232 series interface to accomplish laser cutting of large Chinese characters.

A revised classification of Dryopteridaceae based on plastome phylogenomics and morphological evidence,with the description of a new genus,Pseudarachniodes

Dryopteridaceae are the largest fern family and include nearly 20%of extant fern diversity,with 24 currently recognized genera.Recognition and delineation of genera within this family have varied greatly.The three-subfamily classification of Dryopteridaceae was based primarily on molecular phylogenetic relationships but lacked morphological evidence,and the phylogenetic relationships of the subfamilies and genera of Dryopteridaceae are only partially resolved.A comprehensive and robust phylogeny is urgently needed.The heterogeneous morphology of the current members of Dryopteridaceae makes the family and its subfamilies difficult to define by single morphological characteristics or even character combinations.We carried out phylogenetic analyses to reconstruct a highly supported phylogeny of Dryopteridaceae.Our analyses recovered 24 strongly supported clades grouped into seven major clades of Dryopteridaceae.Seven morphological characters including habit,rhizome shape,frond morphology,rachis-costae architecture,appendages on stipe base and lamina,and soral arrangement were found to be informative for identifying different major clades and clades in Dryopteridaceae.Based on phylogenetic reconstruction and morphological analysis,we presented an updated infra-familial classification of Dryopteridaceae with seven subfamilies and 24 genera including four newly proposed subfamilies(Ctenitidoideae,Lastreopsidoideae,Pleocnemioideae,and Polystichopsidoideae).Morphological character combinations of each subfamily are summarized,and a key is provided.Most genera sensu PPG I are recognized,with Stigmatopetris reclassified into Dryopteridoideae and Arthrobotrya considered a synonym of Teratophyllum.A new genus Pseudarachniodes is introduced.This revised classification will serve as a foundational framework for future investigations on taxonomy,biogeography,and diversification of the most species-rich Dryopteridaceae in ferns.

Multiparameter generalized universal characters and multiparameter generalized B-type universal characters

We construct the quantum fields presentation of the generalized universal character and the generalized B-type universal character,and by acting the quantum fields presentations to the constant 1,the generating functions are derived.Furthermore,we introduce two integrable systems known as the generalized UC(GUC)hierarchy and the generalized Btype UC(GBUC)hierarchy satisfied by the generalized universal character and the generalized B-type universal character,respectively.Based on infinite sequences of complex numbers,we further establish the multiparameter generalized universal character and the multiparameter generalized B-type universal character,which have been proved to be solutions of the GUC hierarchy and the GBUC hierarchy,respectively.

Genetic and Correlation Analysis of Grain Characters in Three-line Hybrid Rice

Abst[Objective] This study was to understand the genetic dynamics of three-line hybrid rice, and explore the respective effect of sterile line and restoring line on grain characters of hybrid rica. [Method] Four three-line stedle lines and 27 restoring lines（cultivars） commonly culti- vated in Central China region were regarded as expadmental materials to conduct 4 x27NCII cross design, and the grain characters of three-line hybrid rico were analyzed at genetic and correlation levels. [ Result] Four characters of grain length, grain width, 1 000-grain weight and length- width ratio play the leading role in additive gene effect; these four characters were simultaneously influenced by male parent and female parent, but the effect from male parent was relatively larger. The grain length, grain width, 1 000-grain weight and length-width ratio all have high brood hedtabUities（ respectively 99.65%, 98.31%, 95.27% and 98.81% ）. Correlation analysis showed that grain length was positively correlated with 1 000-grain weight and length-width ratio at extremely significant level; 1 000-grain weight was positively correlated with grain length and length- width ratio at extremely significant level, and was insignificantly correlated with grain width; grain width was negatively correlated with grain length and length-width ratio at extremely significant level. Path analysis showed that the direct path coefficients of grain length, grain width and 1 0（30- grain weight to length-width ratio were 0.624 6, -0.555 9 and -0.015 8, respectively. [ Conclusion] This study systematically analyzed the effects of stedle line and restoring line on grain characters of hybrid rice, which provided theoretical basis for breeding high quality and yield hy- brid dce.

Main Agronomic Characters and Grain Quality of Rice Blast Resistance Gene Pi-d2 Transgenic Rice

[Objective] The aim of this study was to provide metabolic evidence for the analysis of the ecological and safety assessment of Pi-d2-transgenic rice.[Method] The main agronomic characters of Pi-d2-transgenic rice were observed in field experiment and the grain chemical characters and amino acid content were measured.[Results] Introduction of foreign gene Pi-d2 resulted in stably hereditable variation in agronomic characteristics in the descents.Most of the transgenic lines grew normally and orderly.Compared with the control（wild type plants）,about half of transgenic plants showed an increased or reduced plant height.There was no observable difference between transgenic plants and controls in tiller number,length of panicle,panicles per plant,seed-setting rate and 1 000-grain weight.Total amino acid content in transgenic rice was reduced,while the starch content,GC and GT were not altered in comparison with the control.[Conclusion] Introduction of foreign gene Pi-d2 has remarkable influence on plant height,while little on grain chemical characters.

Correlation Analysis of Characters of Indica Hybrid Rice with High Content of Amylose

[Objective] The aim was to research and analyze characters and related correlation of indica hybrid rice containing high amylose. [Method] In the research, major characters of 16 species of groups of {ndica hybrid rice and the correlation were explored in rice belts in Sichuan in 2011. [Result] The variation of chalkiness degree was the highest at 26.8%, followed by rate of head rice at 22.89%; varia- tions of head rice rate and chalkiness degree were lower at 0.72% and 2.61%. In addition, rate of unpolished rice was of significantly negative correlation with chalki- ness degree; rate of chalky rice was of extremely positive correlation with chalkiness degree and gel consistency; chalkiness degree was of significantly positive correla- tion with gel consistency; gel consistency was of significantly negative correlation with protein content; amylose content was of insignificant correlation with gel consis- tency （r=0.166 9） of the 16 hybrid groups. These indicated that gel consistency would be still high as the content of amylose grows （AC≥25%）. For example, when the content of anylose in Chuanxiang 29A/Luhui 37, Kangfeng AJ6684, and Lefeng A/SR536 exceeded 27%, the gel consistency was over 80 mm in the research. [Conclusion] The research provides references for improvement of amylose content in breeding hybrid rice.

Effects of Plastic Film Mulching on Physical Characters of Soil and Yield and Yield Components of Sweet Potato

Field experiments were carried out to study the effects of plastic film mulching on soil physical characters, including soil temperature, soil moisture content and soil bulk density, and yield and yield components of sweet potato. The results showed that plastic filming mulching increased soil temperature. Considering the soil temperature-increasing effect, the treatments ranked as black plastic film treatment 〉 white plastic film treatment 〉 control. However, with the deepening of soil layer, the warming effect of plastic film mulching was weakened. Black or white plastic film mulching was conducive to low T/R value, especially in the early growth stage of sweet potato. Plastic film mulching significantly improved the storage root yield of sweet potato. In terms of yield-improving effect, the treatments ranked as black plastic film treatment 〉 white plastic film treatment 〉 control. The storage root num- ber per plant showed a downward trend, but the weight of single storage root was increased.

Variation and Cluster Analysis on Leaf Characters from Different Provenance Sources of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb

[Objective] The aim was to study the variation of leaf characters from different provenance sources of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb,as well as to carry out cluster analysis on P.multiflorum from different provenance sources to provide basis for the classification,identification,breeding and improved variety selection of P.multiflorum.[Method] Leaf shape characters of 31 copies of germplasm resources in the major distribution region of the whole country were determined,and the genetic variation of P.multiflorum leaves from different producing areas was analyzed.[Result] The leaf characters of single plant of the same experimental provenance source of P.multiflorum were relatively stable,the variation was mainly found on the single leaf area,1/2 leaf width,leaf width and other indicators;the variation of each leaf character among different provenance sources was obvious,and the variation was mainly found on the single leaf weight,leaf area,1/2 leaf width,leaf length and other indicators.The correlation analysis of each leaf character in P.multiflorum suggested that the single leaf area and single leaf weight showed extremely significant positive correlation with leaf length,1/2 leaf width,leaf width,leaf thickness and leaf stem length,while the single leaf area and single leaf weight showed significant negative correlation with WWR（leaf width/1/2 leaf width）and LWR（leaf length/1/2 leaf length）,in addition,several macroscopic leaf characters such as leaf length,1/2 leaf width,leaf width,leaf stem length showed extremely positive correlation.The main component analysis result suggested that the contribution rate of accumulation variance of the front three main components was up to 97.4%,which could better reflect the comprehensive performance of leaf characters of different provenance sources of P.multiflorum.The cluster analysis showed that the experimental 31 copies of P.multiflorum provenance sources should be divided into three classes,the first class was distributed in the Middle,Western of Guizhou,northwestern of Guangxi and western areas with higher altitude;the second class was distributed in Hunan,Hubei,Sichuan,Guangdong and the most area of Guangxi;the third class was distributed in Anhui,Jiangsu and Henan and Shandong.[Conclusion] Cluster analysis of leaf characters indicated that the kinds of provenance sources which the geographical position was closer could be got together.The study had provided a certain basis for the classification of P.multiflorum.

Physicochemical Characters of rPoIFN-α and Its Antiviral Activity in vitro

[Objective]The research aimed to test and identify the physicochemical characters and antiviral activity in vitro of semi-finished product of the recombinant porcine rPoIFN-α. [Method]HEp-2/VSV system was used to test the antiviral activity of three batches of rPoIFN-α. Using recombinant human IFN-α as reference,the titer of interferon was measured. The semi-finished product of rPoIFN-α with the known titer were treated with 0.25% trypsin,HCl and mouse anti-porcine IFN-α monoclonal antibody. And the anti-viral activity of each batch of rPoIFN-α was detected. The physicochemical characters of rPoIFN-α were evaluated. The inhibition of induced cytopathic effect of rPoIFN-α on PPV （Porcine parvovirus） and PRV （Porcine pseudorabies） on swine kidney cell （PK-15） was determined. And the antiviral activity of rPoIFN-α in vitro was observed. [Result]The titers of semi-finished products of rPoIFN-α titrated by HEp-2/VSV system could reach 1.5×105 IU/ml,with the specific activity of 1.1×106 IU/mg. The residual rate of the tier of rPoIFN-α treated by 0.25% trypsin at 37 ℃ for 1 h was less than 1%. And that treated with HCl （pH of 2.0） for 72 h was up to 95%. And that treated at 56 ℃ for 30 min and that treated by mouse anti-porcine IFN-α monoclonal antibody at 37 ℃ for 1 h were higher than 47% and about 1% respectively. The antiviral test in vitro showed that 50 and 500 IU/ml rPoIFN-α could inhibit the induced cytopathic effect of PRV and PPV on PK-15 cell lines. [Conclusion]rPoIFN-α had the basic physicochemical characters of IFN-α. And it could inhibit the induced cytopathic effect of PRV and PPV on PK-15 cell lines,but there was dosage difference.

Vertical root distribution characters of Robinia pseudoacacia on the Loess Plateau in China

On the Loess Plateau, water is the main limiting factors for vegetation growth. Root distribution characters have special ecological meaning as it reflected the utilizations of trees to the environments. Even-aged stands ofRobinia pseudoacacia on slope lands facing south and north were selected as sampling plots for root distribution investigation. Investigatiing results showed that indicated that on all sites, root biomass decreased with depth, and the distribution depth of fine root was deeper than that of coarser root. The results of variance analysis indicated that there were great differences in root biomass among different diameter classes, and coarser root was the main sources of variance, and the root biomass, especially fine root (?<3mm) biomass on northern exposition sites was bigger than that on southern exposition sites. Analysis of the vertical root distribution parameters, root extinction coefficient, β indicated that the value of β on northern exposition was more than 0.982, while the value of β on southern exposition was less than 0.982, which indicated that the vertical root distribution depth ofRobinia pseudoacacia on southern exposition was deeper than that on southern exposition. And the distribution depth of fine roots (Φ<1mm) was deeper than that of thicker roots(Φ<3mm), which was in favor of the uptake of water and nutrients from deeper layers, helped the trees to adapt the arid environment, and promoted the growth of the upper parts of the tree. Keywords Root diameter classes - Variance analysis - Root extinction coefficient - Vertical distribution characters - Site conditions - Loess Plateau CLC number S792.27.01 Document code A Foundation Item: This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (30371150 and 40371075).Biography: LI Peng (1974-) male, post: Ph. D. in Northwest Scientific & Technological University of Agriculture and Forestry, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi Province, P. R. China. Tel: 029-82312651.Responsible editor: Chai Ruihal

Effects of Vermicompost on Agronomic Characters and Yield and Quality of Flue-cured Tobacco

The effects of vermicompost on the agronomic characters and yield and quality of flue-cured tobacco were investigated. The results showed that, the field growth periods of various treatments were 117-118 d, 1-2 days longer than that of the CK. The numbers of effective leaves of the treatments applied with vermicompost were 0.1-0.3 leaf more than the CK. The highest yield and the highest proportion of high-grade tobacco occurred in treatment 3 as 2 095.5 kg/m^2 and 49%, respectively, which were higher than those in the CK by 6.58 kg and 5.3%. In conclusion, the treatment with the application of vermicompost at 7 500-10 500 kg/hm^2 was the best.

Analysis on the Main Botanical Characters of 41 Cucurbita moschata Varieties

In order to scientifically evaluate the values of Cucurbita moschata cultivars, main botanical characters including the initial flowering date, the first fruiting node, fruit length, fruit stem length, stem diameter, internode length, the transverse and longitudinal diameters of the largest leaf, single fruit weight, flesh thickness and soluble solid content of 41 cultivars were measured for conducting diversity, correlation and cluster analysis. The results revealed that the pumpkin cultivars showed large variations in fruit stem length, single fruit weight, fruit length and flesh thickness, but small variations in initial flowering date. Significant, even highly significant correlations were found among the tested traits. Cluster analysis demonstrated that the 41 old Cucurbita moschata cultivars were divided into three groups, of which multiple traits of Group 1 were better than those in the other two groups. High similarities existed in three groups and the cultivars in each group. This research provided basis for selecting excellent traits and parents for the breeding of hybrids.

Effects of Nitrogen Quantity on Grain-filling Characters of Two-line Hybrid Rice with Large Ear

[Objective] The aim was to research effects of N quantity on grain-filling characters of two-line hybrid rice cultivars with large ears. [Method] Peiza 67 and 88, two-line hybridized rice with large ears, were made use of to study on effects of N fertilizer in different quantities （LN： 90 kg/hm2;MN： 180 kg/hm2;HN： 270 kg/hm2） on plumpness and grain-filling characters. [Result] When N fertilizers were excessive, for inferior grains, grain-filling rate decreased and grain-filling time extended, resulting in plumpness decline after degradation of leaves＇ function. When N fertilizers were inadequate, maximal and average grain-filling rates decreased and the differences between superior and inferior grains in grain-filling rate increased, leading to decline of grain＇s weight and plumpness degree. On the other hand, quantity of N fertilizers had little effect on superior grains in plumpness. [Conclusion] The research provided references for reasonable use of N fertilizer and improvement of rice yield and N use.

Supply-demand Evolution about Main Characters of Wheat Varieties in China

Using the data of wheat varieties with year-sown area of 6 666.7 hm^2 or more from 1982 to 2006 in China, the evolution of wheat varieties was studied from both supply and demand. Results showed that although various characters of wheat varieties grown by peasants in production were improved obviously in China, the demand for variety yield was still the main demand by peasants; there was no significant difference between the supply and demand of crude protein content by peasants; the demand for disease resistance has been lower than the supply recently; the demand for full growth stage at every stage was less than the supply; and while there was a larger demand for plant height by peasants.