Data from: Evolution and phylogeography analysis of diploid and polyploid Misgurnus anguillicaudatus populations across China

The origin and evolution of polyploid organisms have been extensively studied in plants, but this topic remains only partially understood in vertebrates, where polyploidy is relatively rare. In this study, we used Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, a fish that comprises five ploidy levels in nature, as a model animal to improve our understanding of biogeographic history and evolution of polyploid vertebrates. After collecting samples from different geographical populations in China, their ploidy levels were determined using flow cytometry. Two mitochondrial markers (cytb and CR) were then used for phylogeographic analyses to unravel the possible origins of diploids and tetraploids in China. The results showed that different ploidy specimens were not evenly distributed: diploids had wider geographic distribution than tetraploids and triploids. There was no clear allopatric geographical range or boundary to divide diploid and polyploid populations. Rather, the analysis of mtDNA sequences indicated that tetraploids were autopolyploids, with lower genetic diversity than diploids. The results suggest that tetraploids originated from sympatric diploids via multiple polyploidization events. The genetic structure showed similar patterns between diploids and tetraploids, whereas complex genetic differentiation was found among regions. The potential origin of M. anguillicaudatus was deduced to be in the Pearl River basin, which exhibited the highest nucleotide diversity and genetic differentiation. These findings provide insights into the evolution of polyploidy in vertebrates

Misgurnus anguillicaudatus CR and cytb

The partial sequences of CR (control region) an cyt b (cytochrome b) of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus collected in the field of major seven rivers in China. All nucleotide sequences were initially aligned using CLUSTALW implemented in MEGA 6.0

Site Measurement Study on Mechanical Properties of SMW Piles of Building Structures in Sandy Soil Areas

SMW (soil mixing wall) piles have been widely used in soft soil areas such as Jiangsu, Shanghai, Tianjin and so on, and they have many advantages, such as retaining the structures of foundation pits. In order to promote the application of SMW piles in sandy soil areas such as Henan province, SMW piles were used in a deep foundation pit project of a high-rise building in Zhengzhou. Three SMW piles in the middle area of the foundation pit were selected for site measurement to determine the mechanical properties of SMW piles in sandy soil areas. Several typical test sections were determined along the height of the pile. The vibrating string type of the reinforcement dynamometers were set on the H-shaped steel of each test section, and the stress distribution of the H-shaped steel along the depth of the pit was obtained via testing. The axial force, bending moment and shearing force of the H-shaped steel were further calculated, and the affecting factors and development laws of the internal force distribution of the H-shaped steel were analyzed in detail. The research shows that, at the stage of foundation pit excavation, the overall stress of H-shaped steel increases gradually. The axial force of H-shaped steel in an SMW pile is mainly affected by such factors as the weight of the H-shaped steel, the weight of the crown beam and the first support system, the weight of the breast beam and the second support system, and the frictional resistance of the cemented soil. The bending moment and shearing force of H-shaped steel are mainly affected by such factors as the lateral soil pressure and the concentrated forces of the two support systems. When the foundation pit was excavated to the base, the development of and changes in the law of internal force with regard to the H-shaped steel was analyzed. When the overall internal force of the H-shaped steel is at its maximum, the maximum absolute values in terms of the axial force, bending moment and shearing force are −481 KN, 371 KN·m and 123 KN. In the process of foundation pit excavation and backfilling, the point of contraflexure of the H-shaped steel moves down gradually, and the fixed end of corresponding SMW pile also moves down and stabilizes below the base. These results may provide a reference for the design and construction of SMW piles of building structures in sandy soil areas

Precambrian tectonic attribution and evolution of the Songliao terrane revealed by zircon xenocrysts from Cenozoic alkali basalts, Xilinhot region, NE China

U-Pb dating and Hf isotopic analyses were carried out on xenocrystic zircons from the Cenozoic alkali basalts in the Xilinhot region, NE China, to constrain the nature and evolution of the underlying Songliao terrane, and its role in the assembly of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Our data show a wide range of U-Pb age distributions, with Precambrian clusters of ca. 2500Ma, 2400-2200Ma, 2000-1700Ma, 1500Ma, 1000-800Ma, 700-500Ma, and Phanerozoic peaks at 494Ma, 411Ma, 312Ma, 263Ma, 214Ma, 140Ma and 44Ma. The Phanerozoic age peaks are well-recognized in supracrustal rocks in the Songliao terrane or near the sample location. Although most Phanerozoic zircons have positive εHf(t) values, which is consistent with many locations throughout the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, some Phanerozoic ones have negative εHf(t) values and Tcrust up to ca. 2.5Ga, indicating the involvement of old crustal components during the Phanerozoic thermal events. More importantly, zircons with ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages between ca. 2500Ma and 1700Ma have Tcrust of 2.5-3.5Ga, revealing the possible occurrence of unexposed Archean crustal remnants beneath the Songliao terrane, where no known supracrustal rocks are older than Neoproterozoic. Integrating the U-Pb and Hf isotopic results, we interpret the Songliao terrane as ancient in nature and with a complex crustal evolution history, including the addition of juvenile materials at ~2.5Ga, reworking of pre-existing crustal components at 2.4-2.2Ga, 2.0-1.8Ga, 1.8-1.7Ga, 1.0Ga, 0.7-0.6Ga, and massive crustal growth during the Phanerozoic. Comparing these data with the Precambrian zircon age distributions of other cratons or micro-continents, we suggest the Songliao terrane shows an affinity to both Monglia and NE Gondwana.16 page(s

Interface Engineering with Ultralow Ruthenium Loading for Efficient Water Splitting

Developing high-performance and cost-effective bifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting is the key to large-scale hydrogen production. How to achieve higher performance with a lower amount of noble metal is still a major challenge. Herein, using a facile wet-chemistry strategy, we report the ultralow amount loading of ruthenium (Ru) on porous nickel foam (NF) as a highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting. Theoretical simulations reveal that the coupling effect of Ru and Ni can significantly reduce the d-band center of the composite. The Ru-modified NF exhibits a very high level of HER activity with only 0.3 wt% of Ru, far surpassing commercial Pt/C. It only requires an extremely low overpotential (eta(10)) of 10 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm(-2). in alkaline solution and a quite low Tafel slope of 34 mV dec(-1). This catalyst also shows remarkable performance for overall water splitting with a low voltage of 1.56 V at 10 mA cm(-2). These findings indicate the potential of this material in water-alkali electrolyzers, providing a new approach for fabrication of low-cost advanced electrocatalysts

GL9 from Oryza glumaepatula controls grain size and chalkiness in rice

Grain size is a key factor influencing grain yield and appearance quality in rice. We identified twelve quantitative trait loci (QTL) for grain length (GL), nine for grain width (GW), and nine for 1000-kernel weight (TKW) using GLU-SSSLs, which are single-segment substitution lines with Oryza glumaepatula as donor parent and Huajingxian 74 (HJX74) as recipient parent. Among the QTL, qGL1-2, qGL1-4, qGL9-2, qGW2-2, qGW9-1 and qTKW9-2 contributed to high grain yield. GL9 was identified as a candidate gene for qGL9-2 by map-based cloning and sequencing, and is a novel allele of GS9. The kernel of NIL-gl9 was slenderer and longer than that of HJX74, and the TKW and grain yield per plant of NIL-gl9 were higher than those of HJX74. The proportion of grain chalkiness of NIL-gl9 was much lower than that of HJX74. Thus, gl9 increased grain yield and appearance quality simultaneously. Three pyramid lines, NIL-gs3/gl9, NIL-GW7/gl9 and NIL-gw8/gl9, were developed and the kernel of each was longer than that of the corresponding recipient parent lines. The gl9 allele may be beneficial for breeding rice varieties with high grain yield and good appearance quality