Landscape features influence gene flow as measured by cost-distance and genetic analyses: a case study for giant pandas in the Daxiangling and Xiaoxiangling Mountains

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gene flow maintains genetic diversity within a species and is influenced by individual behavior and the geographical features of the species' habitat. Here, we have characterized the geographical distribution of genetic patterns in giant pandas (<it>Ailuropoda melanoleuca</it>) living in four isolated patches of the Xiaoxiangling and Daxiangling Mountains. Three geographic distance definitions were used with the "isolation by distance theory": Euclidean distance (EUD), least-cost path distance (LCD) defined by food resources, and LCD defined by habitat suitability.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 136 genotypes were obtained from 192 fecal samples and one blood sample, corresponding to 53 unique genotypes. Geographical maps plotted at high resolution using smaller neighborhood radius definitions produced large cost distances, because smaller radii include a finer level of detail in considering each pixel. Mantel tests showed that most correlation indices, particularly bamboo resources defined for different sizes of raster cell, were slightly larger than the correlations calculated for the Euclidean distance, with the exception of Patch C. We found that natural barriers might have decreased gene flow between the Xiaoxiangling and Daxiangling regions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Landscape features were found to partially influence gene flow in the giant panda population. This result is closely linked to the biological character and behavior of giant pandas because, as bamboo feeders, individuals spend most of their lives eating bamboo or moving within the bamboo forest. Landscape-based genetic analysis suggests that gene flow will be enhanced if the connectivity between currently fragmented bamboo forests is increased.</p

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) provides insights into the evolution of bone plates and ostracitoxin secretion

The Ostracion cubicus, commonly known as the yellow boxfish, is a remarkable species with a body encased in a bone plate and the ability to produce an ostracitoxin from their skin when under stress. However, the genetic basis of those effective defense traits is still largely unknown due to the lack of genomic resources. Here, we assembled the first chromosome-level genome of O. cubicus with 867.50 Mb in genome size and 34.86 Mb N50 scaffold length by HiFi and Hi-C sequencing. Twenty-five pseudo-chromosomes, numbered according to size, covered 94.13% of the total assembled sequences. A total of 23,224 protein-coding genes were predicted, with a BUSCO completeness of 98.6%. Positive selection or rapid evolution was observed in genes related to scale and bone development (acsl4a, casr, keap1a, tbx1), and up-regulation of transcription was found in the skin of boxfish (bmp1, bmp2k, bmp4, bmp7, smad5, suco, prelp, mitf), likely associated with the bone plates evolution in the yellow boxfish. An expansion of the solute carrier family 22, a cluster of genes in solute carrier (SLCs) family, transmembrane protein family (TMEMs), vesicle trafficking (SECs), ATP-binding cassette (ABCs) and apolipoproteins (APOs) were identified under positive selection, rapid evolution, or up-regulated in the skin of boxfish, likely associated with the ostracitoxin secretion in the yellow boxfish. Our study not only presents a high-quality boxfish genome but also provides insights into bone plates evolution and ostracitoxin secretion of O. cubicus

Reasoning in Conversation: Solving Subjective Tasks through Dialogue Simulation for Large Language Models

Large Language Models (LLMs) have achieved remarkable performance in objective tasks such as open-domain question answering and mathematical reasoning, which can often be solved through recalling learned factual knowledge or chain-of-thought style reasoning. However, we find that the performance of LLMs in subjective tasks is still unsatisfactory, such as metaphor recognition, dark humor detection, etc. Compared to objective tasks, subjective tasks focus more on interpretation or emotional response rather than a universally accepted reasoning pathway. Based on the characteristics of the tasks and the strong dialogue-generation capabilities of LLMs, we propose RiC (Reasoning in Conversation), a method that focuses on solving subjective tasks through dialogue simulation. The motivation of RiC is to mine useful contextual information by simulating dialogues instead of supplying chain-of-thought style rationales, thereby offering potential useful knowledge behind dialogues for giving the final answers. We evaluate both API-based and open-source LLMs including GPT-4, ChatGPT, and OpenChat across twelve tasks. Experimental results show that RiC can yield significant improvement compared with various baselines

A comparative study on dynamic mechanical performance of concrete and rock

Recently, engineering blasting is widely applied in projects such as rock mineral mining, construction of underground cavities and field-leveling excavation. Dynamic mechanical performance of rocks has been gradually attached importance both in China and abroad. Concrete and rock are two kinds of the most frequently used engineering materials and also frequently used as experimental objects currently. To compare dynamic mechanical performance of these two materials, this study performed dynamic compression test with five different strain rates on concrete and rock using Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) to obtain basic dynamic mechanical parameters of them and then summarized the relationship of dynamic compressive strength, peak strain and strain rate of two materials. Moreover, specific energy absorption is introduced to confirm dynamic damage mechanisms of concrete and rock materials. This work can not only help to improve working efficiency to the largest extent but also ensure the smooth development of engineering, providing rich theoretical guidance for development of related engineering in the future

Complex population genetic and demographic history of the Salangid, Neosalanx taihuensis, based on cytochrome b sequences

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Salangid icefish <it>Neosalanx taihuensis </it>(Salangidae) is an economically important fish, which is endemic to China, restricted to large freshwater systems (e.g. lakes, large rivers and estuaries) and typically exhibit low vagility. The continuous distribution ranges from the temperate region of the Huai and Yellow River basins to the subtropical region of the Pearl River basin. This wide ranging distribution makes the species an ideal model for the study of palaeoclimatic effects on population genetic structure and phylogeography. Here, we aim to analyze population genetic differentiation within and between river basins and demographic history in order to understand how this species responded to severe climatic oscillations, decline of the sea levels during the Pleistocene ice ages and tectonic activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We obtained the complete mtDNA cytochrome <it>b </it>sequences (1141 bp) of 354 individuals from 13 populations in the Pearl River, the Yangze River and the Huai River basin. Thirty-six haplotypes were detected. Haplotype frequency distributions were strongly skewed, with most haplotypes (n = 24) represented only in single samples each and thus restricted to a single population. The most common haplotype (H36) was found in 49.15% of all individuals. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed a random pattern in the distribution of genetic diversity, which is inconsistent with contemporary hydrological structure. Significant levels of genetic subdivision were detected among populations within basins rather than between the three basins. Demographic analysis revealed that the population size in the Pearl River basin has remained relatively constant whereas the populations in the Yangze River and the Huai River basins expanded about 221 and 190 kyr ago, respectively, with the majority of mutations occurring after the last glacial maximum (LGM).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The observed complex genetic pattern of <it>N. taihuensis </it>is coherent with a scenario of multiple unrelated founding events by long-distance colonization and dispersal combined with contiguous population expansion and locally restricted gene flow. We also found that this species was likely severely impacted by past glaciations. More favourable climate and the formation of large suitable habitations together facilitated population expansion after the late Quaternary (especially the LGM). We proposed that all populations should be managed and conserved separately, especially for habitat protection.</p

Online preparation of high-quality BN coatings with atomic diffusion based on carbon-free water-soluble precursor

Efficient and environmentally friendly production of high-quality continuous fiber coatings using current preparation methods is highly challenging due to issues such as scale and batch processing restrictions, low deposition rate, high energy consumption, and utilization of multiple environmentally hazardous steps. To address these challenges, we propose a stable and efficient wet chemical deposition coating method for high-throughput online continuous preparation of boron nitride (BN) coatings on ceramic fibers under an ambient environment. Our process involves surface modification, in-situ wet chemical deposition, and heat treatment, and all seamlessly connecting with the ceramic fiber preparation process through continuous stretching. Hydrophilic groups were introduced via surface modification enhancing wettability of the fiber surface with impregnating solution. An in-situ reaction and atom migration improve uniformity and binding of the coating. As a result, outstanding impregnation and adhesion properties are achieved. A comprehensive analysis to evaluate the impact of the BN coatings was conducted, which demonstrates that the BN-coated fibers exhibit a remarkable 36% increase in tensile strength, a 133% increase in fracture toughness, and enhanced temperature resistance of up to 1600 ℃. It provides a secure and efficient platform for cost-effective production of functional and high-quality coatings through targeted surface modification and rapid stretching impregnation

Karriere-Handbuch

We design and synthesize four fused-ring electron acceptors based on 6,6,12,12-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)- indacenobis(dithieno[3,2-b;2′,3′-d]thiophene) as the electron- rich unit and 1,1-dicyanomethylene-3-indanones with 0− 2 fluorine substituents as the electron-deficient units. These four molecules exhibit broad (550−850 nm) and strong absorption with high extinction coefficients of (2.1−2.5) × 105 M−1 cm−1. Fluorine substitution downshifts the LUMO energy level, red-shifts the absorption spectrum, and enhances electron mobility. The polymer solar cells based on the fluorinated electron acceptors exhibit power conversion efficiencies as high as 11.5%, much higher than that of their nonfluorinated counterpart (7.7%). We investigate the effects of the fluorine atom number and position on electronic properties, charge transport, film morphology, and photovoltaic properties

Single-Junction Binary-Blend Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cells with 12.1% Efficiency

A new fluorinated nonfullerene acceptor, ITIC-Th1, has been designed and synthesized by introducing fluorine (F) atoms onto the end-capping group 1,1-dicyanomethylene-3-indanone (IC). On the one hand, incorporation of F would improve intramolecular interaction, enhance the push–pull effect between the donor unit indacenodithieno[3,2-b]thiophene and the acceptor unit IC due to electron-withdrawing effect of F, and finally adjust energy levels and reduce bandgap, which is beneficial to light harvesting and enhancing short-circuit current density (JSC). On the other hand, incorporation of F would improve intermolecular interactions through C-F···S, C-F···H, and C-F···π noncovalent interactions and enhance electron mobility, which is beneficial to enhancing JSC and fill factor. Indeed, the results show that fluorinated ITIC-Th1 exhibits redshifted absorption, smaller optical bandgap, and higher electron mobility than the nonfluorinated ITIC-Th. Furthermore, nonfullerene organic solar cells (OSCs) based on fluorinated ITIC-Th1 electron acceptor and a wide-bandgap polymer donor FTAZ based on benzodithiophene and benzotriazole exhibit power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 12.1%, significantly higher than that of nonfluorinated ITIC-Th (8.88%). The PCE of 12.1% is the highest in fullerene and nonfullerene-based single-junction binary-blend OSCs. Moreover, the OSCs based on FTAZ:ITIC-Th1 show much better efficiency and better stability than the control devices based on FTAZ:PC71BM (PCE = 5.22%)