Micro-topographies formed by erosion can drive seedling emergence by rebuilding micro-habitats on weathered waste dumps in northeastern China

Restoring vegetation on waste dumps is imperative because soil erosion heavily impacts these areas and creates erosion micro-topographies, including bare slopes, rills, ephemeral gullies, and deposit bodies. These micro-topographies may affect seedling emergence by forming special micro-habitats, although the mechanism is vague. This study determined the substrate chemical (i.e., pH and electrical conductivity) and physical (i.e., capillary porosity, capillary water content, and mechanical composition) properties of different micro-topographies. In addition, the temporal dynamics of micro-climates (i.e., air temperature and air humidity), substrate hydrothermal conditions (i.e., substrate temperature and water content), and seedling emergence were investigated. Redundancy analysis (RDA), random forest (RF), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were then used to identify the main factors affecting seedling emergence and clarify the relationships among the environmental conditions. Our results demonstrate that seedling densities in the rill, ephemeral gully, and deposit body were 1.78 times, 3.42 times, and 3.97 times higher than those on the bare slope, respectively. More species were found in the rill, ephemeral gully, and deposit body (Artemisia annua, Salsola collina, Setaria viridis, and Tribulus terrestris) than on the bare slope (Salsola collina). The main factors affecting seedling emergence were air humidity, substrate temperature, and substrate water content. The mechanical composition may have affected substrate water content during the initial stage of seedling emergence and substrate temperature during the entire period. We demonstrate that the ephemeral gully and deposit body may provide micro-habitats with a lower substrate temperature and higher substrate water content, which are favorable to seedling emergence, thus guiding vegetation restoration on waste dumps or other disturbed areas

Unveiling the mechanism of photothermal therapy in acne man-agement: targeting sebaceous gland ferroptosis via umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell membrane-encapsulated Au-Ag-PDA

BackgroundBranched gold and silver nanoparticles coated with polydopamine (Au-Ag-PDA) demonstrate high photothermal conversion efficiency. Utilizing umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell membranes (MSCM) as an effective drug delivery system, our preliminary studies investigated the suppression of sebum secretion in sebaceous glands using MSCM-coated Au-Ag-PDA nano-particles (Au-Ag-PDA@MSCM) combined with 808 nm laser irradiation, showing potential for dermatological applications in acne treatment.MethodsThis study employs proteomic analysis, complemented by subsequent techniques such as Western blotting (WB), small interfering RNA (siRNA), and transmission electron microscopy, to further investigate the differential mechanisms by which Au-Ag-PDA and Au-Ag-PDA@MSCM-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) suppress sebum secretion.ResultsOur proteomic analysis indicated mitochondrial respiratory chain damage in sebaceous gland tissues post-PTT, with further validation revealing ferroptosis in sebaceous cells and tissues. Acyl-CoA Synthetase Long-Chain Family Member 4 (Acsl4) has been identified as a critical target, with Au-Ag-PDA@MSCM demonstrating enhanced ferroptotic effects.ConclusionThese findings significantly advance our understanding of how PTT mediated by Au-Ag-PDA@MSCM nanoparticles reduces sebum secretion and underscore the pivotal role of MSCM in inducing ferroptosis in sebaceous glands, thus providing a robust theoretical foundation for employing PTT via specific molecular pathways in acne treatment

Outbred genome sequencing and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in butterflies

Butterflies are exceptionally diverse but their potential as an experimental system has been limited by the difficulty of deciphering heterozygous genomes and a lack of genetic manipulation technology. Here we use a hybrid assembly approach to construct high-quality reference genomes for Papilio xuthus (contig and scaffold N50: 492 kb, 3.4 Mb) and Papilio machaon (contig and scaffold N50: 81 kb, 1.15 Mb), highly heterozygous species that differ in host plant affiliations, and adult and larval colour patterns. Integrating comparative genomics and analyses of gene expression yields multiple insights into butterfly evolution, including potential roles of specific genes in recent diversification. To functionally test gene function, we develop an efficient (up to 92.5%) CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing method that yields obvious phenotypes with three genes, Abdominal-B, ebony and frizzled. Our results provide valuable genomic and technological resources for butterflies and unlock their potential as a genetic model system

#3-regular bipartite planar vertex cover is #p-complete

Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Software, Univ Leeds, Univ Wisconsin, Natl Nat Sci Fdn ChinaWe generalize the polynomial interpolation method by giving a sufficient condition, which guarantees that the coefficients of a polynomial are uniquely determined by its values on a recurrence sequence. Using this method, we show that #3-Regu

Node Early-Fixing: A Practical Speedup Technique for A* Algorithms

Given a graph G with nonnegative edge lengths, asource vertex s and a destination vertex d, the Point-to-PointShortest Path Problem asks to find a shortest path from s tod. For this problem, A* is a popular framework of practicalalgorithms, including the well-known Dijkstra’s algorithm (1959),a recent ALT algorithm (Goldberg and Harrelson, SODA’05) andothers. This paper presents a practical speed-up technique NodeEarly-Fixing for A* algorithms. Experiments with real networksshow that it can speedup the calculation by efficiently reduce thenumber of unnecessary updates of distance labels in practice

SPREAD SPECTRUM COMMUNICATION SCHEME USING PHASESHIFTING SEQUENCE AND ITS PROPERTIES

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 26-29, 1998 / Town & Country Resort Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, CaliforniaThis paper analyzes the pseudo-random characteristic of m-sequence and proposes a spread spectrum communication scheme in which the phase-shifting sequences of msequence can be used as the spread spectrum code under given condition. Therefore, the available spread spectrum code set is expanded. It is theoretically proved that there are some advantages in using phase-shifting sequences instead of the conventional msequences or GOLD-sequences in spread spectrum communication system.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection

Optimization of Construction Parameters and Deformation Characteristics of Large-Section Loess Tunnel: A Case Study from Xi’an Metro

Loess geological tunnels are characterized by weak geological structure and poor self-stability of surrounding rock, so effectively controlling the excavation face distances of different caverns is of great significance for guiding the safe construction of large-section tunnels. Based on the excavation of large-section loess tunnel from Xi’an Metro Line 4, the optimal excavation face distance is determined based on Midas numerical model. Then, the surface settlement and horizontal deformation are analyzed based on monitoring data, and, finally, the rationality of excavation face distance is verified. The results show that the influence of excavation face distance on surface settlement, vault settlement, and horizontal deformation is consistent. The surface settlement mainly occurs in the range of −20∼20 m from the tunnel centerline and the settlement trough formed has asymmetric characteristics. The vault settlement and horizontal deformation undergo first a rapid settlement and then a slow settlement. The connection between initial support and middle partition is mainly tensile stress and the middle and bottom parts of the supporting structure are mainly compressive stress. Numerical results suggest that the optimal excavation faces distance of L1, L2, and L3 which can be 4, 9, and 9 m, respectively. Construction monitoring data show that the double-sides heading method has a significant effect on surface settlement, vault settlement, and horizontal deformation. The surface settlement occurs within the range of −17∼6 m from the tunnel centerline. The maximum vault settlement and horizontal deformation are 73.00% and 65.50% of the maximum allowable. It can be seen that the actual excavation parameters optimized by Midas numerical model have high reliability

Stability Analysis of TBM Tunnel Undercrossing Existing High-Speed Railway Tunnel: A Case Study from Yangtaishan Tunnel of Shenzhen Metro Line 6

During the construction of the underpass of a new tunnel, the excavation unloading effect disturbs surrounding rock masses and promotes surrounding rock deformation, inevitably changing stress and displacement in the existing tunnel. Taking Yangtaishan tunnel excavation of Shenzhen Metro Line 6 as an engineering example, effects of excavation programs of left and right lines on the deformation characteristics of newly excavated and existing tunnels were evaluated based on Midas numerical model and priority excavation advantages of the left line were determined. The settlement and horizontal deformation characteristics of the existing tunnel were analyzed using the construction monitoring method. Results showed that maximum settlement and horizontal deformation of the existing tunnel were 1.35 and 0.23 mm, respectively. Settlement of invert and inverted top along axis direction was from growth to decline, and then a V-shaped settlement trough was formed with maximum settlement values of 1.36 and 0.97 mm, respectively. Maximum settlement and uplift of the newly built tunnel appeared on the upper and bottom parts of invert, respectively. In the newly built tunnel segments, the top settlement was dominated and deformation was mainly distributed in both side areas. At the top of the existing tunnel segment, convergence settlement was 3.09 mm and settlement rate was slow first which was accelerated, then stabilized, and finally slowed down again which was opposite to the uplift development trend of the bottom of tunnel segment. The top of the existing tunnel segment showed four settlement stages, slow, rapid, stable, and slow settlement stages. Compared with the right line, preferential excavation of the left line had obvious advantages in terms of tunnel stability. The unloading effect of TBM excavation created vault settlement in the existing tunnels where actual settlement values were 1.12 and 1.13 times, which theoretically calculated settlement. The horizontal deformation of the existing tunnel was varied first linearly and then nonlinearly with maximum deformation in the convergence stage of 1.47 mm

Bioinspired Double‐Broadband Switchable Microwave Absorbing Grid Structures with Inflatable Kresling Origami Actuators

Abstract Tunable radar stealth structures are critical components for future military equipment because of their potential to further enhance the design space and performance. Some previous investigations have utilized simple origami structures as the basic adjusting components but failed to achieve the desired broadband microwave absorbing characteristic. Herein, a novel double‐broadband switchable microwave absorbing grid structure has been developed with the actuators of inflatable Kresling origami structures. Geometric constraints are derived to endow a bistable feature with this origami configuration, and the stable states are switched by adjusting the internal pressure. An ultra‐broadband microwave absorbing structure is proposed with a couple of complementary microwave stealth bands, and optimized by a particle swarm optimization algorithm. The superior electromagnetic performance results from the mode switch activating different absorbing components at corresponding frequencies. A digital adjusting strategy is applied, which effectively achieves a continuously adjusting effect. Further investigations show that the proposed structure possesses superior robustness. In addition, minimal interactions are found between adjacent grid units, and the electromagnetic performance is mainly related to the duty ratio of the units in different states. They have enhanced the microwave absorbing performance of grid structures through a tunable design, a provided a feasible paradigm for other tunable absorbers