Genomic divergence and mutation load in the Begonia masoniana complex from limestone karsts

Understanding genome-wide diversity,inbreeding,and the burden of accumulated deleterious mutations in small and isolated populations is essential for predicting and enhancing population persistence and resilience.However,these effects are rarely studied in limestone karst plants.Here,we re-sequenced the nuclear genomes of 62 individuals of the Begonia masoniana complex(B.liuyanii,B.longgangensis,B.masoniana and B.variegata)and investigated genomic divergence and genetic load for these four species.Our analyses revealed four distinct clusters corresponding to each species within the complex.Notably,there was only limited admixture between B.liuyanii and B.longgangensis occurring in overlapping geographic regions.All species experienced historical bottlenecks during the Pleistocene,which were likely caused by glacial climate fluctuations.We detected an asymmetric historical gene flow between group pairs within this timeframe,highlighting a distinctive pattern of interspecific divergence attributable to karst geographic isolation.We found that isolated populations of B.masoniana have limited gene flow,the smallest recent population size,the highest inbreeding coefficients,and the greatest accumulation of recessive deleterious mutations.These findings underscore the urgency to prioritize conservation efforts for these isolated population.This study is among the first to disentangle the genetic differentiation and specific demographic history of karst Begonia plants at the whole-genome level,shedding light on the potential risks associated with the accumulation of deleterious mutations over generations of inbreeding.Moreover,our findings may facilitate conservation planning by providing critical baseline genetic data and a better understanding of the historical events that have shaped current population structure of rare and endangered karst plants.

Isolated deep convections over the Tibetan Plateau in the rainy season during 2001–2020

The Tibetan Plateau(TP)is a prevalent region for convection systems due to its unique thermodynamic forcing.This study investigated isolated deep convections(IDCs),which have a smaller spatial and temporal size than mesoscale convective systems(MCSs),over the TP in the rainy season(June-September)during 2001–2020.The authors used satellite precipitation and brightness temperature observations from the Global Precipitation Measurement mission.Results show that IDCs mainly concentrate over the southern TP.The IDC number per rainy season decreases from around 140 over the southern TP to around 10 over the northern TP,with an average 54.2.The initiation time of IDCs exhibits an obvious diurnal cycle,with the peak at 1400–1500 LST and the valley at 0900–1000 LST.Most IDCs last less than five hours and more than half appear for only one hour.IDCs generally have a cold cloud area of 7422.9 km^(2),containing a precipitation area of approximately 65%.The larger the IDC,the larger the fraction of intense precipitation it contains.IDCs contribute approximately 20%–30%to total precipitation and approximately 30%–40%to extreme precipitation over the TP,with a larger percentage in July and August than in June and September.In terms of spatial distribution,IDCs contribute more to both total precipitation and extreme precipitation over the TP compared to the surrounding plain regions.IDCs over the TP account for a larger fraction than MCSs,indicating the important role of IDCs over the region.

Study on the Influence of Aspect Ratio on the Seismic Response and Overturning Resistance of a New Staggered Story Isolated Structure

The aspect ratio of the structure has a significant impact on the overall stability of the ultra high-rise building. A large aspect ratio of the structure increases the risk of overturning and reduces the lateral stiffness of the structure, leading to significant tensile and compressive stresses in the isolated bearings. To study the effect of aspect ratio on the seismic response and overturning resistance of a new staggered story isolated structure, three models with different aspect ratios were established. Nonlinear time-history analysis of the three models was conducted using ETABS finite element software. The results indicate that the overturning moment and overturning resistance moment of the superstructure in the new staggered story isolated structure increase with an increasing aspect ratio. However, the increase in the overturning moment of the superstructure is much greater than the increase in the overturning resistance moment, resulting in a decrease in the overturning resistance ratio of the superstructure with an increasing aspect ratio. The overturning moment and overturning resistance moment of the substructure in the new staggered story isolated structure decrease with an increasing aspect ratio. However, the decrease in the overturning moment of the substructure is greater than the decrease in the overturning resistance moment, leading to an increase in the overturning resistance ratio of the substructure with an increasing aspect ratio. The decrease in the overturning resistance ratio of the superstructure in the new staggered story isolated structure is much greater than the increase in the overturning resistance ratio of the substructure. Therefore, as the aspect ratio of the overall structure increases, the overturning resistance ratio of the superstructure and the entire structure decreases.

Celebrate Chinese New Year Together with the World

On December 22,the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution officially listing the Chinese New Year(also known as the Spring Festival),as a United Nations(UN)floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings,starting from 2024.

Chinese Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Belief in a Just World Scale for College Students

This study aims to revise the Belief in a Just World Scale(BJWS)for Chinese college students and test its reliability and validity(construct validity,convergent and divergent validity).Two samples of 546 and 595 college students were selected,respectively,using stratified cluster random sampling.Item analysis,exploratory factor analysis(EFA),confirmatory factor analysis(CFA),reliability analysis and convergent and divergent validity tests were carried out.The results showed that the 13 items of the BJWS have good item discrimination.The corrected item–total correlation in the general belief in a just world subscale was found to range from 0.464 to 0.655,and that in the personal belief in a just world subscale was 0.553 to 0.715.The internal consistency coefficients of the revised version of the BJWS and its subscales are good.The EFA and CFA results show that the structure and items of the revised scale are the same as those of the original scale.Belief in a just world was found to have significant positive correlations with gratitude and empathy,and has a significant negative correlation with anxiety,thereby exhibiting good convergent and divergent validity.Therefore,the Chinese revised version of the BJWS has good reliability and validity.

Irrigating Shared Prosperity The World Water Forum convened to explore solutions for the future of global water governance

Consensus was reached by delegates to the 10th World Water Forum that global water-related challenges remain acute,water resources are under serious threat,and wisdom,contributions,and cooperation from around the world are urgently required for water security and shared prosperity.

Making the World a Better Place for All

In bidding farewell to 2023,Chinese President Xi Jinping’s New Year message,with its commitment to advance Chinese modernization,deliver a better life for the people,and build a community with a shared future for mankind,effectively ushered in a new year brimming with hope.

World Class Elite Breaststrokers Downward Kick EMG Muscle Activity of the Gluteus Maximus, Quadriceps Femoris, Hamstring, Gastrocnemius Medialis, Rectus Abdominal, and Erector Spinae

This study analyzed the difference between using a downward breaststroke kick and a horizontal breaststroke kick in a sample of world class elite swimmers.We compared average muscle activity of the gluteus maximus,quadriceps femoris(vastus medialis and rectus femoris),hamstring/long head of the biceps femoris,gastrocnemius medialis,rectus abdominal,and erector spinae when using the downward breaststroke kick technique.We find that when this sample of swimmers utilized the downward breaststroke kick,max speed and velocity per stroke increased,measured by 12,788 EMG samples,where the results are highly correlated to duration of the aerodynamic buoyant force in breaststroke kick technique.The increases in performance observed from measuring the world class elite swimmers is highly correlated to the duration of the kick aerodynamic buoyant force.Among this sample of elite swimmers,the longer a swimmer demonstrates a buoyant force breaststroke kick,the lower the time in a 100 breaststroke.

Study on the Protection of Sites of“Maritime Silk Road”in Haikou from the Perspective of World Cultural Heritage

The sites of Maritime Silk Road in Haikou City are composed of sites of navigation and trade,religious temples and stone monuments,urban construction and coastal defense scattered on the south bank of the Qiongzhou Strait.They played a key role in the formation and shaping of the settlements in Haikou City,recorded the process of intercommunication and integration between Chinese civilization and other regional cultures,and witnessed the germination,flourishing and inheritance of Haikou’s unique marine culture.The mixture of points,lines and planes blends with the urban area and coastline of Haikou City in spatial distribution.In this paper,from the perspective of world cultural heritage,some suggestions for the protection planning of sites of Maritime Silk Road in Haikou City were proposed based on the analysis of historical and geographical background,comparison of domestic and foreign similar sites,and evaluation of cultural heritage value.

Framework to Model User Request Access Patterns in the World Wide Web

In this paper, we present a novel approach to model user request patterns in the World Wide Web. Instead of focusing on the user traffic for web pages, we capture the user interaction at the object level of the web pages. Our framework model consists of three sub-models: one for user file access, one for web pages, and one for storage servers. Web pages are assumed to consist of different types and sizes of objects, which are characterized using several categories: articles, media, and mosaics. The model is implemented with a discrete event simulation and then used to investigate the performance of our system over a variety of parameters in our model. Our performance measure of choice is mean response time and by varying the composition of web pages through our categories, we find that our framework model is able to capture a wide range of conditions that serve as a basis for generating a variety of user request patterns. In addition, we are able to establish a set of parameters that can be used as base cases. One of the goals of this research is for the framework model to be general enough that the parameters can be varied such that it can serve as input for investigating other distributed applications that require the generation of user request access patterns.

Classificatory updates in verrucous and cuniculatum carcinomas:Insights from the 5^(th) edition of WHO-IARC head and neck tumor classification

The International Agency for Research on Cancer(IARC)and World Health Organization(WHO)collaboratively produce the'WHO Blue Books'essential tools standardizing the diagnostic process for human cancers.Regular updates in this classification accommodate emerging molecular discoveries,advances in immunohistochemical techniques,and evolving clinical insights.The 5th edition of the WHO/IARC classification of head and neck tumors refines the'Oral Cavity and Mobile Tongue'chapter,including sections for non-neoplastic lesions,epithelial tumors,and tumors of uncertain histogenesis.Notably,the epithelial tumors section is rearranged by tumor behavior,starting with benign squamous papillomas and progressing through potentially malignant oral disorders to oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC).The section on OSCC reflects recent information on epidemiology,pathogenesis,and histological prognostic factors.Noteworthy is the specific categorization of verrucous carcinoma(VC)and carcinoma cuniculatum(CC),both associated with the oral cavity and distinct in clinical and histologic characteristics.This classification adjustment emphasizes the oral cavity as their predominant site in the head and neck.Designating specific sections for VC and CC aims to provide comprehensive insights into these unique subtypes,elucidating their clinical features,distinct histological characteristics,prevalence,significance,and clinical relevance.By categorizing these subtypes into specific sections,the 5th edition of the WHO classification aims to provide a more nuanced and detailed account,enhancing our understanding of these specific variants within the broader spectrum of head and neck tumors.

A World of Ice and Snow Being also Invaluable Asset:A Case Study of the"Snow Village"

Based on field visit and interview,the current situation of snow village in China is summarized from four aspects:core scenic spots in snow village,skiing industry in snow village,film and television industry in snow village,and ice and snow agritainment.The investigation found that there are still significant problems in homogenization,scenic area infrastructure,and government regulation in snow village.Targeted solutions are proposed from four aspects:tapping internal advantages,strengthening top-level design and infrastructure construction,promoting tourism industry upgrading,and collaborating to innovate the ice and snow tourism supply chain,in order to further promote the economic development of snow village.

Generation of quasi-chirp-free isolated attosecond pulses from atoms under the action of orthogonal two-color combined pulse of fundamental frequency and higher intensity second harmonic fields

The intrinsic chirp of high-order harmonic generation is an important factor limiting the production of ultrashort attosecond pulses.Based on numerically solving the time-dependent Schrodinger equation,the generation process of highorder harmonic from the He atom under the action of orthogonal two-color combined pulse of fundamental frequency and higher intensity second harmonic fields is studied.In this paper,we propose to achieve quasi-chirp-free isolated attosecond pulses by superimposing a higher second-harmonic field on the orthogonal direction of the fundamental frequency field.It is found that the high-energy part of its harmonic emission exhibits small chirp characteristics,which can be used to synthesize isolated attosecond pulses.Through the analysis of the wave packets evolution and the classical motion trajectories of the electron,it is demonstrated that the quasi-chirp-free harmonic can be attributed to the simultaneous return of electrons ionized at different times to the parent particle.The influence of the relative phase of the two pulses on the harmonics is further analyzed,and it is observed that this phenomenon is sensitive to the relative phase,but it can still generate isolated attosecond pulses within a certain phase.

Seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas under long-period earthquakes

At present,there is not much research on mid-story isolated structures in mountainous areas.In this study,a model of a mid-story isolated structure considering soil-structure interaction(SSI)in mountainous areas is established along with a model that does not consider SSI.Eight long-period earthquake waves and two ordinary earthquake waves are selected as inputs for the dynamic time history analysis of the structure.The results show that the seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas can be amplified when compared with a structure that does not consider SSI.The structure response under long-period earthquakes is larger than that of ordinary earthquakes.The structure response under far-field harmonic-like earthquakes is larger than that of near-fault pulse-type earthquakes.The structure response under near-fault pulse-type earthquakes is larger than that of far-field non-harmonic earthquakes.When subjected to long-period earthquakes,the displacement of the isolated bearings exceeded the limit value,which led to instability and overturning of the structure.The structure with dampers in the isolated story could adequately control the nonlinear response of the structure,effectively reduce the displacement of the isolated bearings,and provide a convenient,efficient and economic method not only for new construction but also to retrofit existing structures.

Mental health in the virtual world:Challenges and opportunities in the metaverse era

Current rates of mental illness are worrisome.Mental illness mainly affects females and younger age groups.The use of the internet to deliver mental health care has been growing since 2020 and includes the implementation of novel mental health treatments using virtual reality,augmented reality,and artificial intelligence.A new three dimensional digital environment,known as the metaverse,has emerged as the next version of the Internet.Artificial intelligence,augmented reality,and virtual reality will create fully immersive,experiential,and interactive online environments in the metaverse.People will use a unique avatar to do anything they do in their“real”lives,including seeking and receiving mental health care.In this opinion review,we reflect on how the metaverse could reshape how we deliver mental health treatment,its opportunities,and its challenges.

From the Beginning of the World to the Beginning of Life on Earth

Hypersphere World-Universe Model (WUM) is, in fact, a Paradigm Shift in Cosmology [1]. In this paper, we provide seven Pillars of WUM: Medium of the World;Inter-Connectivity of Primary Cosmological Parameters;Creation of Matter;Multicomponent Dark Matter;Macroobjects;Volcanic Rotational Fission;Dark Matter Reactors. We describe the evolution of the World from the Beginning up to the birth of the Solar System and discuss the condition of the Early Earth before the beginning of life on it.

Modeling the System for Hybrid Renewable Energy Using Highly Efficient Converters and Generator

High-efficient isolated DC/DC converters with a high-efficiency synchronous reluctance generator(SRG)are the ultimate solutions in DC microgrid systems.The design and modeling of isolated DC/DC converters with the performance of SRG are carried out.On the generator side,reactive and active powers are used as pulse width modulation(PWM)control variables.Further,the flux estimator is used.Three-phase PWM rectifier is used by applying space vector modulation(SVM)with a constant switching frequency for direct power control.Further,the paper also includes the experimental validation of the results.The paper also proposes that highly efficient power converters and synchronous reluctance generators are required to achieve high performance for hybrid renewable energy systems applications.

Sedimentary build-ups of pre-salt isolated carbonate platforms and formation of deep-water giant oil fields in Santos Basin,Brazil

In response to the problems of unclear distribution of deep-water pre-salt carbonate reservoirs and formation conditions of large oil fields in the Santos passive continental margin basin,based on comprehensive utilization of geological,seismic,and core data,and reconstruction of Early Cretaceous prototype basin and lithofacies paleogeography,it is proposed for the first time that the construction of pre-salt carbonate build-ups was controlled by two types of isolated platforms:inter-depression fault-uplift and intra-depression fault-high.The inter-depression fault-uplift isolated platforms are distributed on the present-day pre-salt uplifted zones between depressions,and are built on half-and fault-horst blocks that were inherited and developed in the early intra-continental and inter-continental rift stages.The late intra-continental rift coquinas of the ITP Formation and the early inter-continental rift microbial limestones of the BVE Formation are continuously constructed;intra-depression fault-high isolated platforms are distributed in the current pre-salt depression zones,built on the uplifted zones formed by volcanic rock build-ups in the early prototype stage of intra-continental rifts,and only the BVE microbial limestones are developed.Both types of limestones formed into mound-shoal bodies,that have the characteristics of large reservoir thickness and good physical properties.Based on the dissection of large pre-salt oil fields discovered in the Santos Basin,it has been found that both types of platforms could form large-scale combined structural-stratigraphic traps,surrounded by high-quality lacustrine and lagoon source rocks at the periphery,and efficiently sealed by thick high-quality evaporite rocks above,forming the optimal combination of source,reservoir and cap in the form of“lower generation,middle storage,and upper cap”,with a high degree of oil and gas enrichment.It has been found that the large oil fields are all bottom water massive oil fields with a unified pressure system,and they are all filled to the spill-point.The future exploration is recommended to focus on the inter-depression fault-uplift isolated platforms in the western uplift zone and the southern section of eastern uplift zones,as well as intra-depression fault-high isolated platforms in the central depression zone.The result not only provides an important basis for the advanced selection of potential play fairways,bidding of new blocks,and deployment of awarded exploration blocks in the Santos Basin,but also provides a reference for the global selection of deep-water exploration blocks in passive continental margin basins.

Effects of galactooligosaccharide glycation on the functional properties of soy protein isolate and its application in noodles

Soybean protein has high nutritional value, but its functional properties are easily affected by external factors,which limits its application in food industry. In the study, soybean protein isolate(SPI) was modified by dry heat glycation of galactooligosaccharides(GOS). The gel properties, antioxidant properties and structural changes of SPI-GOS conjugates were investigated. The application of SPI-GOS conjugates in noodles was also explored. The results observed that the glycation degree of SPI increased with the increasing reaction time. SDS-PAGE and spectral analysis showed the changes of spatial conformation of SPI after glycation. The antioxidant activity of SPI increased after glycation and DPPH radical scavenging activity of SPI-GOS peaked at 48 h of reaction. The hardness, elasticity and resilience of soybean protein gel reached their relative maximum at 48 h, 48 h and 12 h of glycation reaction, respectively. Moreover, the appropriate addition of glycated SPI improved the quality of noodles. The noodles with 4% addition of SPI-GOS had higher hardness, elasticity and tensile properties. This study will provide an effective method to modify soybean protein and expand the use of soybean protein in food industry.

Optimal design for rubber concrete layered periodic foundations based on the analytical approximations of band gaps and mapping relations

The seismic performance of rubber concrete-layered periodic foundations are significantly influenced by their design,in which the band gaps play a paramount role.Aiming at providing better designs for these foundations,this study first proposes and validates the analytical formulas to approximate the bounds of the first few band gaps.In addition,the mapping relations linking the frequencies of different band gaps are presented.Furthermore,an optimal design method for these foundations is developed,which is validated through an engineering example.It is demonstrated that ensuring the superstructure’s resonance zones are completely covered by the corresponding periodic foundation’s band gaps can achieve satisfactory vibration attenuation effects,which is a good strategy for the design of rubber concrete layered periodic foundations.