Non-serial Quantization-aware Deep Optics for Snapshot Hyperspectral Imaging.

Deep optics has been endeavoring to capture hyperspectral images of dynamic scenes, where the optical encoder plays an essential role in deciding the imaging performance. Our key insight is that the optical encoder of a deep optics system is expected to keep fabrication-friendliness and decoder-friendliness, to be faithfully realized in the implementation phase and fully interacted with the decoder in the design phase, respectively. In this paper, we propose the non-serial quantization-aware deep optics (NSQDO), which consists of the fabrication-friendly quantization-aware model (QAM) and the decoder-friendly non-serial manner (NSM). The QAM integrates the quantization process into the optimization and adaptively adjusts the physical height of each quantization level, reducing the deviation of the physical encoder from the numerical simulation through the awareness of and adaptation to the quantization operation of the DOE physical structure. The NSM bridges the encoder and the decoder with full interaction through bidirectional hint connections and flexibilize the connections with a gating mechanism, boosting the power of joint optimization in deep optics. The proposed NSQDO improves the fabrication-friendliness and decoder-friendliness of the encoder and develops the deep optics framework to be more practical and powerful. Extensive synthetic simulation and real hardware experiments demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method.

Effect of Adding Yeast Cultures to High-Grain Conditions on Production Performance, Rumen Fermentation Profile, Microbial Abundance, and Immunity in Goats.

It is a common practice among farmers to utilize high-grain diets with the intention of promoting ruminant growth. However, this approach bears the risk of inducing rumen disorders and nutrient metabolism diseases. Yeast culture (YC) showed advantages in ruminant applications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding two different types of YC to high-grain conditions on production performance, rumen fermentation profile, microbial abundance, and immunity in goats. A total of 30 male goats with similar body condition were randomly distributed into 3 dietary treatments with 10 replicates per treatment as follows: basic diet group (CON); basic diet + 0.5% yeast culture 1 (YC1) group; basic diet + 0.5% yeast culture 2 (YC2) group. The trial lasted for 36 days. The results demonstrated that dietary YC supplementation led to an increase in the average daily gain and a reduction in feed intake and weight gain ratio in goats. It increased the apparent digestibility of crude protein, NDF, and ADF (p < 0.05). The serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in the control group were significantly higher than those of the YC groups (p < 0.05). The serum concentrations of Immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG in the control group were significantly lower than those in the YC groups (p < 0.05). The rumen concentration of microbial protein (MCP) in the control group was significantly lower than that in the YC groups (p < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the concentration of IL-10 and Bacteroidota, Spirochaetota, and Succinivibrio, while there was a positive correlation between concentrations of IL-10 and Firmicutes. Nevertheless, discrepancies were observed in the impact of the two different types of YC on the physiological and biochemical indicators of the animals. The concentration of triglyceride in the YC1 group was significantly higher than that of the CON and YC2 groups, while the concentration of urea in the YC2 group was significantly higher than that of the CON and YC1 groups (p < 0.05). At the phylum level, the addition of YC2 to the diet significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidota and Fibrobacterota and significantly decreased Firmicutes compared to the control. At the genus level, the addition of YC1 to the HGD significantly reduced the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, while the addition of YC2 to the HGD significantly increased the relative abundance of Prevotellace-ae_UCG-001, Fibrobacter, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 (p < 0.05). The addition of YC significantly improved growth performance, increased nutrient digestibility, beneficially manipulated ruminal fermentation and microbial diversity, and improved immune function. The choice of yeast cultures can be customized according to specific production conditions.

Elastic-Plastic Fully π-Conjugated Polymer with Excellent Energy Dissipation Capacity for Ultra-Deep-Blue Flexible Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes with CIEy = 0.04.

Emerging intrinsically flexible fully π-conjugated polymers (FπCPs) are a promising functional material for flexible optoelectronics, attributed to their potential interchain interpenetration and entanglement. However, the challenge remains in obtaining elastic-plastic FπCPs with intrinsic robust optoelectronic property and excellent long-term and cycling deformation stability simultaneously for applications in deep-blue flexible polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). This study, demonstrates a series of elastic-plastic FπCPs (P1-P4) with an excellent energy dissipation capacity via side-chain internal plasticization for the ultra-deep-blue flexible PLEDs. First, the freestanding P1 film exhibited a maximum fracture strain of 34.6%. More interestingly, the elastic behavior is observed with a low strain (≤10%), and the stretched film with a high deformation (>10%) attributed to plastic processing revealed the robust capacity to realize energy absorption and release. The elastic-plastic P1 film exhibits outstanding ultra-deep-blue emission, with an efficiency of 56.38%. Subsequently, efficient PLEDs are fabricated with an ultra-deep-blue emission of CIE (0.16, 0.04) and a maximum external quantum efficiency of 1.73%. Finally, stable and efficient ultra-deep-blue electroluminescence are obtained from PLEDs based on stretchable films with different strains and cycling deformations, suggesting excellent elastic-plastic behavior and deformation stability for flexible electronics.

Effects of Transportation on Blood Indices, Oxidative Stress, Rumen Fermentation Parameters and Rumen Microbiota in Goats.

The objective of this experiment was to delve into the impacts of transportation on goats. Sixteen healthy goats were selected as experimental animals; these goats were transported at a speed ranging from 35 to 45 km/h for 20 h. The changes in the physiological indexes, blood physiological indexes, biochemical indexes, rumen fermentation indexes, and rumen microbial structure composition of goats before and after transportation were measured. The results showed that after transportation, the contents of IgM, IgA, IgG, and Thyroxine decreased very significantly, while the contents of propionic acid, Hemoglobin and Epinephrine significantly increased, and the contents of VFA, acetic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid, LPS, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, Major Acute Phase Protein, protein carbonyl, and cortisol increased very significantly. There was no significant difference in α-diversity and ß-diversity, and the relative abundance of rumen microorganisms was not significantly different at either phylum or genus levels. The experimental findings revealed that continuous transportation for a duration of 20 h can induce a severe stress response in goats, leading to compromised immune function, diminished antioxidant capacity, escalated inflammatory response, and altered rumen fermentation indices. However, the experiment did not reveal any significant impact on the structure and composition of the rumen microbiota.

Establishment of an immortalized yak granulosa cell line: in vitro tool for understanding the molecular processes of ovarian follicle development.

The yak, a unique species of cattle found exclusively on the western plateau of China, is a valuable source of livelihood for local residents. However, their low fecundity restricts the expansion of yak farming, whereas regional factors limit studies on yak breeding. Granulosa cells (GCs), which provide essential steroid hormones and growth factors for oocytes, have been the focus of many studies on the mechanisms of follicular growth and atresia. This study aimed to establish an immortalized cell line model that could serve as a tool for future studies on the mechanisms of ovarian follicle development in yaks. First, we isolated primary yak granulosa cells (yGCs) and evaluated their replicative senescence after continuous in vitro subculturing. Subsequently, an immortalized culture method for primary yGC was explored, and a new cell line model was established to study the mechanism of follicular development in vitro. We used a mammalian gene expression lentivirus vector to transfer the simian virus 40 large T antigen (SV40T) into primary yGC to obtain an immortalized cell line. The immortalized yGCs were morphologically identical to the primary yGCs, and cell proliferation and growth were normal within a limited number of generations. Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), a specific marker for GCs, was positively expressed in immortalized yGCs. Furthermore, the immortalized yGCs retained the ability of GCs to synthesize estradiol and progesterone and expressed genes related to steroid synthesis. The establishment of immortalized yGC opens up a myriad of possibilities for advancing our understanding of yak reproductive biology and improving yak breeding strategies.

UV-Triggered Drug Release from Mesoporous Titanium Nanoparticles Loaded with Berberine Hydrochloride: Enhanced Antibacterial Activity.

Mesoporous titanium nanoparticles (MTN) have always been a concern and are considered to have great potential for overcoming antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In our study, MTN modified with functionalized UV-responsive ethylene imine polymer (PEI) was synthesized. The characterization of all products was performed by different analyses, including SEM, TEM, FT-IR, TGA, XRD, XPS, and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. The typical antibacterial drug berberine hydrochloride (BH) was encapsulated in MTN-PEI. The process exhibited a high drug loading capacity (22.71 ± 1.12%) and encapsulation rate (46.56 ± 0.52%) due to its high specific surface area of 238.43 m2/g. Moreover, UV-controlled drug release was achieved by utilizing the photocatalytic performance of MTN. The antibacterial effect of BH@MTN-PEI was investigated, which showed that it could be controlled to release BH and achieve a corresponding antibacterial effect by UV illumination for different lengths of time, with bacterial lethality reaching 37.76% after only 8 min of irradiation. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the nanoparticles have also been studied. The MIC of BH@MTN-PEI was confirmed as 1 mg/mL against Escherichia coli (E. coli), at which the growth of bacteria was completely inhibited during 24 h and the concentration of 5 mg/mL for BH@MTN-PEI was regarded as MBC against E. coli. Although this proof-of-concept study is far from a real-life application, it provides a possible route to the discovery and application of antimicrobial drugs.

Factors affecting the rumen fluid foaming performance in goat fed high concentrate diet.

Feeding high concentrate diets is highly prone to rumen bloat in ruminants, which is very common in production. This study explored the factors responsible for the occurrence of foamy rumen bloat. The experiment was conducted using goats as test animals, fed high concentrate diets and scored for rumen distension into high, medium and low bloat score groups. Rumen fluid was collected from 6 goats in each group separately. The foaming production, foam persistence, pH value, viscosity and the content of protein, total saccharide and mineral elements in rumen original fluid (ROL) were measured, and the protein and total saccharide content in rumen foam liquid (RFL) and rumen residual liquid (RRL) were determined. The results showed that the protein content in rumen original fluid and rumen foam liquid was significantly higher than that in rumen residual liquid (p < 0.05), and the protein content in rumen foam liquid was 10.81% higher than that in rumen original fluid. The higher the rumen bloat score, the higher the foam production, foam persistence, viscosity, protein, Ni, Mg, Ca, and K concentrations of the rumen original fluid, and the lower the PH and Na concentrations of the rumen original fluid; correlation analysis showed that the viscosity of the rumen original fluid was significantly and positively correlated with the foam production and foam persistence (p < 0.05). Foaming production and foam persistence of rumen original fluid were significantly and positively correlated with the contents of protein, total saccharide, K, Ca, Mg and Ni (p < 0.05). and negatively correlated with the content of Na (p < 0.05); after controlling other components those were significantly related to the foaming performance of rumen original fluid only protein still was significantly positively correlated with the foam persistence of rumen original fluid (P<0.05). In summary, the contents of protein, total saccharide and mineral elements in the rumen fluid had a significant effect on the foaming performance of rumen in ruminants, with protein playing a decisive role and the other components playing a supporting role. Reducing the content of protein in the diet in production is beneficial to reduce the occurrence of rumen bloat in ruminants.

Environmental parameters factors exploration on lettuce seed germination with hydrogel.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) germination is sensitive to environmental conditions. Recently, hydrogel has received increased attention as an alternative media to soil for seed germination. Compared to soil seeding, hydrogel-aided germination provides more controlled seeding environments. However, there are still challenges preventing hydrogel-aided seed germination from being widely used in industry production or academic studies, such as hydrogel formulation variations, seeding operation standardization, and germination evaluation. In this study, we tested how the combination of multiple environmental conditions affect lettuce seed germination time, which is measured as the time needed for the first pair of leaves to appear (leaf emergence) or, alternatively, the third leaf to appear (leaf development). We found that germination time and success rate of two lettuce varieties (Iceberg A and Butter Crunch) showed different sensitivities to pH, Hoagland formulations and concentrations, light intensity, and hydrogel content. We have conducted statistical analysis on the correlation between germination time and these environmental conditions.

Acyl carrier protein OsMTACP2 confers rice cold tolerance at the booting stage.

Low temperatures occurring at the booting stage in rice (Oryza sativa L.) often result in yield loss by impeding male reproductive development. However, the underlying mechanisms by which rice responds to cold at this stage remain largely unknown. Here, we identified MITOCHONDRIAL ACYL CARRIER PROTEIN 2 (OsMTACP2), the encoded protein of which mediates lipid metabolism involved in the cold response at the booting stage. Loss of OsMTACP2 function compromised cold tolerance, hindering anther cuticle and pollen wall development, resulting in abnormal anther morphology, lower pollen fertility, and seed setting. OsMTACP2 was highly expressed in tapetal cells and microspores during anther development, with the encoded protein localizing to both mitochondria and the cytoplasm. Comparative transcriptomic analysis revealed differential expression of genes related to lipid metabolism between the wild type and the Osmtacp2-1 mutant in response to cold. Through a lipidomic analysis, we demonstrated that wax esters, which are the primary lipid components of the anther cuticle and pollen walls, function as cold-responsive lipids. Their levels increased dramatically in the wild type but not in Osmtacp2-1 when exposed to cold. Additionally, mutants of two cold-induced genes of wax ester biosynthesis, ECERIFERUM1 and WAX CRYSTAL-SPARSE LEAF2, showed decreased cold tolerance. These results suggest that OsMTACP2-mediated wax ester biosynthesis is essential for cold tolerance in rice at the booting stage.

Triphenylamine Spirofunctionalized Light-Emitting Conjugated Polymer with an Ultradeep-Blue Narrowband Emission for Large-Area Printed Display.

Emerging printed large-area polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) are essential for manufacturing flat-panel displays and solid lighting devices. However, it is challenging to obtain large-area and stable ultradeep-blue PLEDs because of the lack of light-emitting conjugated polymers (LCPs) with robust deep-blue emissions, excellent morphological stabilities, and high charging abilities. Here, a novel unsymmetrically substituted polydiarylfluorene (POPSAF) is obtained with stable narrowband emission for large-area printed displays via triphenylamine (TPA) spirofunctionalization of LCPs. POPSAF films show narrowband and stable ultradeep-blue emission with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 36 nm, associated with their intrachain excitonic behavior without obvious polaron formation. Compared to controlled poly[4-(octyloxy)-9,9-diphenylfluoren-2,7-diyl]-co-[5-(octyloxy)-9,9-diphenylfluoren-2,7-diyl] (PODPF), excellent charge transport is observed in the POPSAF films because of the intrinsic hole transport ability of the TPA units. Large-area PLEDs are fabricated via blade-coating with an emission area of 9 cm2, which exhibit uniform ultradeep-blue emission with an FWHM of 36 nm and corresponding Commission internationale de l'éclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.155, 0.072). These findings are attributed to the synergistic effects of robust emission, stable morphology, and printing capacity. Finally, preliminary printed passive matrix (PM) PLED displays with 20 × 20 pixels monochromes are fabricated, confirmed the effectiveness of spirofunctionalization in optoelectronics.

GT-HAD: Gated Transformer for Hyperspectral Anomaly Detection.

Hyperspectral anomaly detection (HAD) aims to distinguish between the background and anomalies in a scene, which has been widely adopted in various applications. Deep neural network (DNN)-based methods have emerged as the predominant solution, wherein the standard paradigm is to discern the background and anomalies based on the error of self-supervised hyperspectral image (HSI) reconstruction. However, current DNN-based methods cannot guarantee correspondence between the background, anomalies, and reconstruction error, which limits the performance of HAD. In this article, we propose a novel gated transformer network for HAD (GT-HAD). Our key observation is that the spatial-spectral similarity in HSI can effectively distinguish between the background and anomalies, which aligns with the fundamental definition of HAD. Consequently, we develop GT-HAD to exploit the spatial-spectral similarity during HSI reconstruction. GT-HAD consists of two distinct branches that model the features of the background and anomalies, respectively, with content similarity as constraints. Furthermore, we introduce an adaptive gating unit to regulate the activation states of these two branches based on a content-matching method (CMM). Extensive experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of GT-HAD. The original code is publicly available at https://github.com/jeline0110/ GT-HAD, along with a comprehensive benchmark of state-of-the-art HAD methods.

Flexible molecular crystals for optoelectronic applications.

The cornerstones of the advancement of flexible optoelectronics are the design, preparation, and utilization of novel materials with favorable mechanical and advanced optoelectronic properties. Molecular crystalline materials have emerged as a class of underexplored yet promising materials due to the reduced grain boundaries and defects anticipated to provide enhanced photoelectric characteristics. An inherent drawback that has precluded wider implementation of molecular crystals thus far, however, has been their brittleness, which renders them incapable of ensuring mechanical compliance required for even simple elastic or plastic deformation of the device. It is perplexing that despite a plethora of reports that have in the meantime become available underpinning the flexibility of molecular crystals, the "discovery" of elastically or plastically deformable crystals remains limited to cases of serendipitous and laborious trial-and-error approaches, a situation that calls for a systematic and thorough assessment of these properties and their correlation with the structure. This review provides a comprehensive and concise overview of the current understanding of the origins of crystal flexibility, the working mechanisms of deformations such as plastic and elastic bending behaviors, and insights into the examples of flexible molecular crystals, specifically concerning photoelectronic changes that occur in deformed crystals. We hope this summary will provide a reference for future experimental and computational efforts with flexible molecular crystals aimed towards improving their mechanical behavior and optoelectronic properties, ultimately intending to advance the flexible optoelectronic technology.

Risk assessment for biopharmaceutical single-use manufacturing: A case study of upstream continuous processing.

In the current transition to intensified upstream processing, the risks of adopting traditional single-use systems for high-titer, long-duration perfusion cultures, have thus far not been considered. This case study uses the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) method to evaluate the risks associated with implementing upstream single-use technology. The simulated model process was used to compare the risk level of single-use technology for a traditional fed-batch cell culture with that for perfusion culture, under the same annual protein production conditions. To provide a reasonable source of potential risk for FMEA, all single-use upstream operations for both fed-batch and perfusion processes were investigated using an analytical method developed to quantify the impact of process parameters and operating conditions on single-use system specifications and to ensure objectivity. Many of the risks and their levels, were similar in long-duration perfusion cultures and fed-batch cultures. However, differences were observed for high-risk components such as daily sampling and installation. The result of this analysis indicates that the reasons for risk are different for fed-batch cultures and perfusion cultures such as larger bioreactors in fed-batch and longer runs in perfusion, respectively. This risk assessment method could identify additional control measures and be part of a holistic contamination control strategy and help visualize their effectiveness.

Synergistic photocatalytic oxidation and adsorption boost arsenic removal by in-situ carbon-doped TiO2 and nitrogen deficiency C3N4 heterojunction.

The efficient removal of arsenic from wastewater is still a challenge. In this paper, a heterojunction consisting of in-situ carbon-doped TiO2 and nitrogen deficiency g-C3N4 (C/TiO2@ND-C3N4) has been constructed, which can completely oxidize As(III) (10,000 µg/L, 40 mL) to As(V) within 12 min under visible light and simultaneously adsorb total As (95.0%) with the pseudo-secondary kinetic equation, superior than in-situ carbon-doped TiO2 (75.0%) and nitrogen deficiency g-C3N4 (50.5%). The good photocatalytic oxidation and adsorption performances of C/TiO2@ND-C3N4 on As(III) removal can be attributed to the successful synthesis of heterojunction. On one hand, the building of C-O-Ti interfacial chemical bonds enable rapid electron transfer and improve the efficiency of photocatalytic oxidation. On the other hand, the decreased As(V) adsorption energy resulted from the synthesized heterojunction boost the adsorption capability of As(V), which was completed by the generation of O-As bonds with oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of TiO2 and hydrogen bonds with high content pyrrole nitrogen derived from ND-C3N4, respectively. The results manifest that the preparation of bifunctional materials with both photocatalytic oxidation and adsorption properties provides a new strategy to achieve the removal of As.

Emission factors of oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from ships in China.

The rapid growth of maritime traffic, transportation, and fishery activities has increased shipping emissions and degraded the air quality in coastal areas. As a result, controlling ocean-based pollution sources have become increasingly important. This study investigated the real-world emission characteristics of oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OPAHs, a group of highly toxic semi-volatile organic compounds) from five types of offshore ships using diesel oil: small and medium fishing ships, tug boats, ferry, and engineering ships, under various driving mode. Both gaseous and particle emission factors (EF) of four specific OPAHs were determined in our study. Among the OPAHs species emitted from ships, 9-fluorenone (9FO; 72%) and anthrathrace-9,10-quinone (ATQ; 25%) were the most abundant. The arithmetic mean of the sum of gaseous OPAHs EFs for all ships in this study was 2.5 ± 4.4 mg/kg fuel burned, and the mean particulate OPAHs EF was 4.7 ± 7.9 mg/kg. Small fishing ships had the highest total OPAHs EFs (31.0 ± 17.0 mg/kg). Apart from small fishing ships, there was no significant difference in the total EF of OPAHs for the other four types of ships. The emissions of the four OPAHs are predominantly in the particulate phase. There were no significant differences in the emissions of the four OPAHs under different driving mode. According to estimates, the annual OPAH emissions from the four types of ships in Hainan in 2017 were approximately 4.2 (range: 2.7-7.0) tons, dwarfing the OPAH emissions from diesel-powered on-road vehicles in China (23.5 kg).

Comprehensive analysis unveils altered binding kinetics of 5-/6-methylCytosine/adenine modifications in R2R3-DNA system.

Recent studies have shown that DNA methylation is an important epigenetic marker. Two prominent forms are methylation of the C5 position of cytosine and methylation of the C6 position of adenine. Given the vital significance of DNA methylation, investigating the mechanisms that influence protein binding remains a compelling pursuit. This study used molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the binding patterns of R2R3 protein and four differentially methylated DNAs. The alanine scanning combined with interaction entropy method was used to identify key residues that respond to different methylation patterns. The order of protein binding ability to DNA is as follows: unmethylated DNA > A11 methylation (5'-A6mAC-3') (6m2A system) > A10 methylation (5'-6mAAC-3') (6m1A system) > both A10 and A11 methylation (5'-6mA6mAC-3') (6mAA system) > C12 methylation (5'-AA5mC-3') (5mC system). All methylation systems lead to the sixth α helix (H6) (residues D105 to L116) moving away from the binding interface, and in the 5mC and 6m1A systems, the third α helix (H3) (residues G54 to L65) exhibits a similar trend. When the positively charged amino acids in H3 and H6 move away from the binding interface, their electrostatic and van der Waals interactions with the negatively charged DNA are weakened. Structural changes induced by methylation contributed to the destabilization of the hydrogen bond network near the original binding site, except for the 6m2A system. Moreover, there is a positive correlation between the number of methylated sites and the probability of distorting the DNA structure. Our study explores how different methylation patterns affect binding and structural adaptability, and have implications for drug discovery and understanding diseases related to abnormal methylation.

Numerical Investigation of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in High-Temperature Wavy Microchannels with Different Shaped Fins Cooled by Liquid Metal.

The microchannel heat sink has been recognized as an excellent solution in high-density heat flux devices for its high efficiency in heat removal with limited spaces; however, the most effective structure of microchannels for heat dissipation is still unknown. In this study, the fluid flow and heat transfer in high-temperature wavy microchannels with various shaped fins, including the bare wavy channel, and the wavy channel with circular, square, and diamond-shaped fins, are numerically investigated. The liquid metal-cooled characteristics of the proposed microchannels are compared with that of the smooth straight channel, with respect to the pressure drop, average Nusselt number, and overall performance factor. The results indicate that the wavy structure and fin shape have a significant effect on the heat sink performance. Heat transfer augmentation is observed in the wavy channels, especially coupled with different shaped fins; however, a large penalty of pressure drops is also found in these channels. The diamond-shaped fins yield the best heat transfer augmentation but the worst pumping performance, followed by the square-, and circular-shaped fins. When the Re number increases from 117 to 410, the Nu number increases by 61.7% for the diamond fins, while the ∆p increases as much as 7.5 times.

A simulation framework for reciprocal recurrent selection-based hybrid breeding under transparent and opaque simulators.

Hybrid breeding is an established and effective process to improve offspring performance, while it is resource-intensive and time-consuming for the recurrent process in reality. To enable breeders and researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of competing decision-making strategies, we present a modular simulation framework for reciprocal recurrent selection-based hybrid breeding. Consisting of multiple modules such as heterotic separation, genomic prediction, and genomic selection, this simulation framework allows breeders to efficiently simulate the hybrid breeding process with multiple options of simulators and decision-making strategies. We also integrate the recently proposed concepts of transparent and opaque simulators into the framework in order to reflect the breeding process more realistically. Simulation results show the performance comparison among different breeding strategies under the two simulators.

Potential ecological risks of heavy metals and Cd accumulation characteristics of Suaeda salsa under different Cd input and water logging conditions in the Yellow River estuary, China.

To improve the remediation of heavy metal pollution by typical wetland vegetation and maintain the health of wetland ecosystems under the water-sediment regulation scheme (WSRS) application, we evaluated the potential ecological risk of heavy metals in surface sediment in the Yellow River estuary affected by the WSRS. The ranges of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb content in surface sediment were 52.44-100.80 mg·kg-1 dry weight (DW), 16.38-21.19 mg·kg-1 DW, 64.77-255.50 mg·kg-1 DW, 0.12-0.24 mg·kg-1 DW, and 5.40-8.63 mg·kg-1 DW, respectively, and potential ecological risk coefficients showed that Cd was associated with moderate potential risk. We further examined effects of Cd in a greenhouse experiment to explore the influence of short-term Cd input and water logging condition changes induced by WSRS on the Cd absorption characteristics of Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall in the Yellow River estuary. The results showed that total biomass decreased but Cd content in tissue of S. salsa increased with increasing Cd input and the accumulation factor reached maximum values at 100 µg·L-1 of Cd, indicating that S. salsa efficiently accumulated Cd. Water logging depth significantly affected S. salsa growth and Cd absorption with deeper water logging being detrimental to growth. The interaction effect of Cd input and water logging depth on Cd content and accumulation factor was significant. These results suggest that WSRS caused short-term heavy metal input and changes in water conditions affect wetland vegetation growth and heavy metal absorption in the downstream estuary.

Response of nutrient loss to natural erosive rainfall events under typical tillage practices of contour ridge system in the rocky mountain areas of Northern China.

Changes in natural rainfall characterized by heavy precipitation and high rainfall intensity would increase the risks and uncertainty of nutrients losses. Losses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) with water erosion from agriculture-related activities has become the principal nutrients resulting the eutrophication of water bodies. However, a little attention has been paid to the loss characteristic of N and P responding to natural rainfall in widely used contour ridge systems. To explore the loss mechanism of N and P in contour ridge system, nutrient loss associated with runoff and sediment yield was observed in in situ runoff plots of sweet potato (SP) and peanut (PT) contour ridges under natural rainfall. Rainfall events were divided into light rain, moderate rain, heavy rain, rainstorm, large rainstorm, and extreme rainstorm level, and rainfall characteristics for each rainfall level were recorded. Results showed that rainstorm, accounting for 46.27% of the total precipitation, played a destructive role in inducing runoff, sediment yield, and nutrient loss. The average contribution of rainstorm to sediment yield (52.30%) was higher than that to runoff production (38.06%). Rainstorm respectively generated 43.65-44.05% of N loss and 40.71-52.42% of P loss, although light rain induced the greatest enrichment value for total nitrogen (TN, 2.44-4.08) and PO4-P (5.40). N and P losses were dominated by sediment, and up to 95.70% of the total phosphorus and 66.08% of TN occurred in sediment. Nutrient loss exhibited the highest sensitivity to sediment yield compared to runoff and rainfall variables, and a significant positive linear relationship was observed between nutrient loss and sediment yield. SP contour ridge presented higher nutrient loss than that in PT contour ridge, especially for P loss. Findings gained in this study provide references for the response strategies of nutrient loss control to natural rainfall change in contour ridge system.