Environment-driven intraspecific variation shows coordination of functional traits of deciduous oaks among and within different biological levels

Deciduous oaks(Quercus spp.)are distributed from subalpine to tropical regions in the northern hemi-sphere and have important roles as carbon sinks and in climate change mitigation.Determining variations in plant functional traits at multiple biological levels and linking them to environmental variables across geographical ranges is important for forecasting range-shifts of broadly-distrib-uted species under climate change.We sampled leaves of five deciduous Quercus spp.covering approximately 20°of latitude(~21°N-41°N)and 20 longitude(~99°E-119°E)across China and measured 12 plant functional traits at different biological levels.The traits varied distinctively,either within each biological level or among different levels driven by climatic and edaphic variables.Traits at the organ level were significantly correlated with those at the cellular and tissue levels,while traits at the whole-plant level only correlated with those at the tissue level.The Quercus species responded to changing environments by regulating stomatal size,leaf thickness and the palisade mesophyll thickness to leaf thickness ratios with contrasting degree of effect to adjust the whole-plant functioning,i.e.,intrinsic water use efficiency(iWUE),carbon supply and nitrogen availability.The results suggest that these deciduous Quercus spp.will maintain vigour by increasing iWUE when subjected to large temperature changes and insufficient moisture,and by accu-mulating leaf non-structural carbohydrates under drought conditions.The findings provide new insights into the inher-ent variation and trait coordination of widely distributed tree species in the context of climate change.

Spatiotemporal variations of parameters of internal solitary waves in the northern South China Sea

The dynamic parameters for internal solitary waves(ISWs)derived from the extended Korteweg-de Vries(eKdV)equation play an important role in the understanding and prediction of ISWs.The spatiotemporal variations of the dynamic parameters of the ISWs in the northern South China Sea(SCS)were studied based on the reanalysis of long-term temperature and salinity datasets.The results for spectrum analysis show that there are definite geographical differences for the periodic variation of the parameters:in shallow water,all parameters vary with a wave period of one year,while in deep water wave components of the parameters at other frequencies exist.Using wavelet analysis,the wavelet power spectral densities in deep water exhibited an inter-annual variation pattern.For example,the wave component of the dispersion coefficient with a wave period of about half a year reached its power peak once every two years.Based on previous work,this inter-annual variation pattern was deduced to be caused by dynamic processes.In further work on the regulatory mechanisms,empirical orthogonal function(EOF)decomposition was performed.It was found that the modes of the dispersion coefficient have different geographical distributions,explaining the reason why the wave components in different frequencies appeared in different locations.The numerical simulation results confirm that the variations in the parameters of the ISWs derived from the eKdV equation could affect the waveforms significantly because of changes in the polarity of the ISWs.Therefore,the periodic variations of the dynamic parameters are related to the geographical location because of dynamic processes operating.

Construction and application of a three-dimensional vascular variation-based nephrometry scoring system for completely endophytic renal tumors

Background:Completely endophytic renal tumors(CERT)pose significant challenges due to their anatomical complexity and loss of visual clues about tumor location.A facile scoring model based on three-dimensional(3D)reconstructed images will assist in better assessing tumor location and vascular variations.Methods:In this retrospective study,80 patients diagnosed with CERT were included.Forty cases underwent preoperative assessment using 3D reconstructed imaging(3D-Cohort),while the remaining 40 cases were assessed using two-dimensional imaging(2D-Cohort).Vascular variations were evaluated by ascertaining the presence of renal arteries>1,prehilar branching arteries,and arteries anterior to veins.The proposed scoring system,termed RAL,encompassed three critical components:(R)adius(maximal tumor diameter in cm),(A)rtery(occurrence of arterial variations),and(L)ocation relative to the polar line.Comparison of the RAL scoring system was made with established nephrometry scoring systems.Results:A total of 48(60%)patients exhibited at least one vascular variation.In the 2D-Cohort,patients with vascular variations experienced significantly prolonged operation time,increased bleeding volume,and extended warm ischemia time compared with those without vascular variations.Conversely,the presence of vascular vari-ations did not significantly affect operative parameters in the 3D-Cohort.Furthermore,the 2D-Cohort demon-strated a notable decline in both short-and long-term estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)changes com-pared with the 3D-Cohort,a trend consistent across patients with warm ischemia time≥25 min and those with vascular variations.Notably,the 2D-Cohort exhibited a larger margin of normal renal tissue compared with the 3D-Cohort.Elevated RAL scores correlated with larger tumor size,prolonged operation time,extended warm is-chemia time,and substantial postoperative eGFR decrease.The RAL scoring system displayed superior predictive capabilities in assessing postoperative eGFR changes compared with conventional nephrometry scoring systems.Conclusions:Our proposed 3D vascular variation-based nephrometry scoring system offers heightened proficiency in preoperative assessment,precise prediction of surgical complexity,and more accurate evaluation of postoper-ative renal function in CERT patients.

Crustal anisotropy of Taihang Mountain Range using azimuthal variation of receiver functions

摘要探讨了利用接收函数方位变化研究各向异性复杂地区速度结构的可能性。详细介绍了具有任意对称轴方向的横向各向同性系统中介质响应的计算过程，并将利用接收函数方位变化研究地壳各向异性的方法应用于华北太行山地区。结果表明，研究台站下方地壳具有明显的各向异性特征，其中地表盖层表现为8％-15％的慢轴型各向异性；深部地壳各向异性略小，表现为3％-5％的快轴型各向异性特征,不同台站获得的各向异性对称轴的方向及深度分布不具有明显的一致性,区域构造环境的变化可能是导致地壳各向异性存在的原斟。

CRANIODENTAL VARIATION OF MACAQUES ( Macaca ): SIZE,FUNCTION AND PHYLOGENY

In order to analyze skull variation in the genus Macaca ,seventy seven craniodental variables were taken from eleven species.They were first defined seven functional units comprising three anatomical regions.Twenty seven variables were finally selected to carry out the morphology of the whole skull.The data,organized in these ways,were examined to discover variations between and within the various species.The methods used were Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA).PCAs of the functional units anatomical regions,and the whole skull provided similar,though not identical,separations of species clusters in both sexes separately.These differences in structure could be related to size,sexual dimorphism,diet,ecology,classification and phylogeny.The question of size should have been easy to settle.Unfortunately,this is not the case.In this study where the raw data are measurements of the specimens,the main differences should be size.However,the size differences seem to occur in both the first and second (independent) multivariate axes.In some analyses the size differences between the species are biggest and appear in the first axis.In other analyses it is the separation between the sexes (and these too are largely size) that are the biggest and appear in the first axis.Yet in other analyses,both of these size separations,though still orthogonal to one another,present in the combination of the first two axes.This certainly implies that a single axis of body size is not present and that shape differences have not been isolated form size differences.It also implies that sexual dimorphism is a complex matter.As a result,the question of the relationships between the species is therefore also complex.One cluster of species that includes M fascicularis,M sinica and M radiata was significantly isolated from all others regardless of level of analysis.This relationship is quite different from that proposed on the anatomy of the reproductive organs (Delson,1980;Fooden,1976,1980).

Crack tip field in functionally gradient material with exponential variation of elastic constants in two directions

This paper presents an exact solution of the crack tip field in functionally gradient material with exponential variation of elastic constants. The dimensionless Poisson＇s ratios v0 of the engineering materials （iron, glass …… ） are far less than one; therefore, neglecting them, one can simplify the basic equation and the exact solution is easy to obtain. Although the exact solution for the case v0 ≠ 0 is also obtained, it is very complicated and the main result is the same with the case v0 = 0 （it will be dealt with in Appendix VII）. It has been found that the exponential term exp（ax ＋ by） in the constitutive equations becomes exp（ ax /2 ＋ by/2- kr /2 ） in the exact solution.

Trait variation and functional diversity maintenance of understory herbaceous species coexisting along an elevational gradient in Yulong Mountain,Southwest China

Characterizing trait variation across different ecological scales in plant communities has been viewed as a way to gain insights into the mechanisms driving species coexistence.However,little is known about how changes in intraspecific and interspecific traits across sites influence species richness and community assembly,especially in understory herbaceous communities.Here we partitioned the variance of four functional traits(maximum height,leaf thickness,leaf area and specific leaf area)across four nested biological scales:individual,species,plot,and elevation to quantify the scale-dependent distributions of understory herbaceous trait variance.We also integrated the comparison of the trait variance ratios to null models to investigate the effects of different ecological processes on community assembly and functional diversity along a 1200-m elevational gradient in Yulong Mountain.We found interspecific trait variation was the main trait variation component for leaf traits,although intraspecific trait variation ranged from 10% to 28% of total variation.In particular,maximum height exhibited high plasticity,and intraspecific variation accounted for 44% of the total variation.Despite the fact that species composition varied across elevation and species richness decreased dramatically along the elevational gradient,there was little variance at our largest(elevation)scale in leaf traits and functional diversity remained constant along the elevational gradient,indicating that traits responded to smaller scale influences.External filtering was only observed at high elevations.However,strong internal filtering was detected along the entire elevational gradient in understory herbaceous communities,possibly due to competition.Our results provide evidence that species coexistence in understory herbaceous communities might be structured by differential niche-assembled processes.This approach ee integrating different biological scales of trait variation ee may provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the structure of communities.

On the Variational Problems of the Functionals with Derivatives of Higher Orders and Undetermined Boundary

According to the necessary condition of the functional taking the extremum, that is its first variation is equal to zero, the variational problems of the functionals for the undetermined boundary in the calculus of variations are researched, the functionals depend on single argument, arbitrary unknown functions and their derivatives of higher orders. A new view point is posed and demonstrated, i.e. when the first variation of the functional is equal to zero, all the variational terms are not independent to each other, and at least one of them is equal to zero. Some theorems and corollaries of the variational problems of the functionals are obtained.

SYNTHESIS OF THERMAL RESPONSE FACTORS AND Z-TRANSFER FUNCTION COEFFICIENTS FOR CALCULATION OF ROOM TEMPERATURE VARIATION

A new method is presented for getting the general thermal response factors and z-transfer functioncoefficients of a room by synthesizing them from the thermal response factors of different parts of the thermalinsulation structure. How to use the general thermal response factors and z-transfer function coefficients toca1culate the indoor air temperature variation directly is also studied. It is shown through practical use that it iseasy to program with the methods presented in this paper and the calculated results are reliable.

Complements to the Theory of Higher-Order Types of Asymptotic Variation for Differentiable Functions

The purpose of this paper is to add some complements to the general theory of higher-order types of asymptotic variation developed in two previous papers so as to complete our elementary (but not too much!) theory in view of applications to the theory of finite asymptotic expansions in the real domain, the asymptotic study of ordinary differential equations and the like. The main results concern: 1) a detailed study of the types of asymptotic variation of an infinite series so extending the results known for the sole power series;2) the type of asymptotic variation of a Wronskian completing the many already-published results on the asymptotic behaviors of Wronskians;3) a comparison between the two main standard approaches to the concept of “type of asymptotic variation”: via an asymptotic differential equation or an asymptotic functional equation;4) a discussion about the simple concept of logarithmic variation making explicit and completing the results which, in the literature, are hidden in a quite-complicated general theory.

A NOTE ON MEYER-KONIG AND ZELLER OPERATORS FOR FUNCTIONS OF BOUNDED VARIATION

In the present note we give the correct and improved estimate on the rate of convergence of integrated Meyer-Konig and Zetter operators for function of bounded variation.

Multiquadric Radial Basis Function Approximation Scheme for Solution of Total Variation Based Multiplicative Noise Removal Model

This article introduces a fastmeshless algorithm for the numerical solution nonlinear partial differential equations(PDE)by Radial Basis Functions(RBFs)approximation connected with the Total Variation(TV)-basedminimization functional and to show its application to image denoising containing multiplicative noise.These capabilities used within the proposed algorithm have not only the quality of image denoising,edge preservation but also the property of minimization of staircase effect which results in blocky effects in the images.It is worth mentioning that the recommended method can be easily employed for nonlinear problems due to the lack of dependence on a mesh or integration procedure.The numerical investigations and corresponding examples prove the effectiveness of the recommended algorithm regarding the robustness and visual improvement as well as peak-signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR),signal-to-noise ratio(SNR),and structural similarity index(SSIM)corresponded to the current conventional TV-based schemes.

A SHARP ESTIMATE ON THE DEGREE OF APPROXIMATION TO FUNCTIONS OF BOUNDED VARIATION BY CERTAIN OPERATORS

Recently Guo introduced integrated Meyer -Konig and Zeller operators and studied the rate of convergence for function of bounded variation. In this note we give a sharp estimate for these operators.

Generalized gap functions and error bounds for generalized variational inequalities

We consider some classes of generalized gap functions for two kinds of generalized variational inequality problems. We obtain error bounds for the underlying variational inequalities using the generalized gap functions under the condition that the involved mapping F is g-strongly monotone with respect to the solution, but not necessarily continuous differentiable, even not locally Lipschitz.

Numerical Green’s function method:Application to quantifying ground motion variations of M7 earthquakes

The concept of ＂numerical Green’s functions＂ （NGF or Green’s function database） is developed. The basic idea is： a large seismic fault is divided into subfaults of appropriate size, for which synthetic Green’s functions at the surface （NGF） are calculated and stored. Consequently, ground motions from arbitrary kinematic sources can be simulated, rapidly, for the whole fault or parts of it by superposition. The target fault is a simplified, vertical model of the Newport-Inglewood fault in the Los Angeles basin. This approach and its functionality are illustrated by investigating the variations of ground motions （e.g. peak ground velocity and synthetic seismograms） due to the source complexity. The source complexities are considered with two respects： hypocenter location and slip history. The results show a complex behavior, with dependence of absolute peak ground velocity and their variation on source process directionality, hypocenter location, local structure, and static slip asperity location. We concluded that combining effect due to 3-D structure and finite-source is necessary to quan- tify ground motion characteristics and their variations. Our results will facilitate the earthquake hazard assessment projects.

Research on variation and significance of immune cells, inflammatory factors and coagulation functions in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Objective:To investigate variation of T lymphocyte subsets, inflammatory factors and coagulation functional indexes at different stages for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and significance of discussion and treatment on mechanism of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods:48 cases of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis at progressive stage treated in our hospital were selected as the progression group, and 50 cases of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis at remission stage were selected as the remission group. Meanwhile, 48 cases of healthy population in our hospital were selected as the control group. Variations and significances of T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+), inflammatory factors [interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)] and coagulation function [Fg (fibrinogen), TT (thrombin time), PLT (platelet) and D-D (D-dimer)] were analyzed.Results: Coagulation function (Fg, TT, PLT and D-D), T lymphocyte subsets CD8+ and inflammatory factors (IL-2, IL-10 and TNF-α) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in progression group were significantly higher than in healthy population of control group (P<0.05). T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+ andCD4+/CD8+) and IFN-γ were significantly lower than in healthy population of control group (P<0.05). Coagulation function (Fg, TT, PLT and D-D), T lymphocyte subsets CD8+ and inflammatory factors (IL-2, IL-10 and TNF-α) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in remission group were significantly lower than in patients of progression group (P<0.05), but significantly higher than in healthy population of control group (P<0.05). T lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+) and IFN-γ in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in remission group were significantly higher than in patients of progression group (P<0.05), but significantly lower than in healthy population of control group (P<0.05).Conclusions:Significant variations appeared on T lymphocyte subsets, inflammatory factors and coagulation functional indexes at different stages for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, which had important significance on discussion and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis mechanism.

Nemytskii Operator in the Space of Set-Valued Functions of Bounded <i>φ</i>-Variation

In this paper we consider the Nemytskii operator, i.e., the composition operator defined by (Nf)(t)=H(t,f(t)), where H is a given set-valued function. It is shown that if the operator N maps the space of functions bounded φ1-variation in the sense of Riesz with respect to the weight function αinto the space of set-valued functions of bounded φ2-variation in the sense of Riesz with respect to the weight, if it is globally Lipschitzian, then it has to be of the form (Nf)(t)=A(t)f(t)+B(t), where A(t) is a linear continuous set-valued function and B is a set-valued function of bounded φ2-variation in the sense of Riesz with respect to the weight.

Relationship between variation of HBV preS function domains and clinical consequences of HBV infection

Objective:To investigate the relationship between variation of HBV preS genes and clinical consequencesof HBV infection. Methods: We selected 3 groups (3 in each) of HBV infected individuals including those of acuteinfection with complete recovery, chronic HBV carriers and chronic severe hepatitis B. The preS genes were amplified from serum samples with half nested PCR. The PCR products were cloned into M13 vectors and 10 cloneswere randomly selected for each individual and sequenced with standard methods. A total of 90 clones were sequenced and analyzed by DNA homological comparison. Results: The characteristics of the preS genes were significantly different in HBV-infected individuals with different clinical consequences.①As for acute hepatitis B, thepreS function domains were stable and no changes in epitopes for T and B cells were found. ②For chronic HBVcarriers, the function domains within preS proteins showed potentially changes with epitope drifts of T and B cellsbecause of the high variation of HBV preS genes. ③For chronic severe hepatitis B, there were special changes inthe function domains of B cells. The abnormally high immune response would cause severe liver injury in these individuals. Conclusion: This study provides experimental evidence for researches about the possible association ofvariation of preS1/S2 functional regions with clinical consequences.

Genome-wide association studies reveal the genetic basis of amino acid content variation in tea plants

Tea is one of the most popular non-alcoholic beverages in the world,and free amino acids,especially theanine,make a major contribution to the umami taste of tea.However,the genetic basis of the variation in amino acid content in tea plants remains largely unknown.Here,we measured the free amino acid content in fresh leaves of 174 tea accessions over two years using a targeted metabolomics approach and obtained genotype data via RNA sequencing.Genome-wide association studies were conducted to investigate loci affecting the content of free amino acids.A total of 69 quantitative trait loci(–log10(P-value)>5)were identified.Functional annotation revealed that branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase,glutamine synthetase,nitrate transporter,and glutamate decarboxylase might be important for amino acid metabolism.Two significant loci,glutamine synthetase(Glu1,P=3.71×10^(−4);Arg1,P=4.61×10^(−5))and branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase(Val1,P=4.67×10^(−5);I_Leu1,P=3.56×10^(−6)),were identified,respectively.Based on the genotyping result,two alleles of CsGS(CsGS-L and CsGS-H)and CsBCAT(CsBCAT-L and CsBCAT-H)were selected to perform function verification.Overexpression of CsGS-L and CsGS-H enhanced the contents of glutamate and arginine in transgenic plants,and overexpression of CsBCAT-L and CsBCAT-H promoted the accumulation of valine,isoleucine and leucine.Enzyme activity assay uncovered that SNP1054 is important for CsGS catalyzing glutamate into glutamine.Furthermore,CsGS-L and CsGS-H differentially regulated the accumulation of glutamine,and CsBCAT-L and CsBCAT-H differentially regulated the accumulation of branched-chain amino acids.In summary,the findings in our study would provide new insights into the genetic basis of amino acids contents variation in tea plants and facilitate the identification of elite genes to enhance amino acids content.

Stream Function Wave Derived by Unified Variational Principle of Water Gravity Wave

Based on the linear wave, solitary wave and fifth order stokes wave derived by use of the Unified Variational Principle of Water Gravity Wave (UVPWGW), this paper derives stream function wave theory by using UVPWGW. This paper will handle the Kinematic Free Surface Boundary Condition (KFSBC) and Dynamic Free Surface Boundary Condition (DFSBC) directly and give the optimum solution, instead of the conditions Sigma(Q(av) - Q(i))(2) = min, and the related equations of stational condition. When the wave height H, period T and water depth D are given, the original stream function wave will be determined, and can not be adjusted if it does not agree with the real case; in the present method, the adjustment can be done by adding several constraint conditions, for example, the wave profile can be adjusted according to the condition of accurate peak position. The examples given in this paper show that for the original stream function wave, the DFSBC can be fairly well satisfied, but the KFSBC can not; however, the stream function wave derived by UVPWGW is better than the original one in the sense of minimum error squares in the aspect of the level at which KFSBC and DFSBC are satisfied.