Endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery composed of micro-perc and retrograde intrarenal surgery in the treatment of complex kidney stones in children.

OBJECTIVE: This research aims to explore the efficiency and safety of endoscopic combined intrarenal surgery (Micro-ECIRS) composed of micro-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (Micro-perc) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) in the Galdakao-modified supine Valdivia (GMSV) position for a single session for the treatment of complex nephrolithiasis in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed patients aged < 18 years who underwent Micro-ECIRS in the GMSV position for renal stones larger than 2 cm under ultrasound guidance between August 2020 to May 2022 at our institution. RESULTS: A total of 13 patients (8 males and 5 females) received Micro-ECIRS for renal stones under ultrasound guidancewhile adopting the GMSV position. The average stone size was 2.7 cm (range: 2.1-3.7 cm). Among them, 6 patients had left kidney stones, 5 patients had right kidney stones, and 2 patients had bilateral kidney stones. The mean operative time was 70.5 min (range: 54-93 min). The mean hospital stay was 6.4 days (range: 4-9 days). The mean hemoglobin decrease was 8.2 g/L (range: 5.1-12.4 g/L). The total number of kidneys that had complete stone clearance was 8 kidneys at 48 h postoperatively, 11 kidneys at 2 weeks postoperatively, and 14 kidneys at 1 month postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that Micro-ECIRS while patients are in the GMSV position is a safe and effective method for the treatment of complex children nephrolithiasis. However, all children made three hospital visits and received anesthesia three times. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.

Magnetic-free polarization rotation in an atomic vapor cell.

Magnetic-free nonreciprocal optical devices have attracted great attention in recent years. Here, we investigated the magnetic-free polarization rotation of light in an atom vapor cell. Two mechanisms of magnetic-free nonreciprocity have been realized in ensembles of hot atoms, including electromagnetically induced transparency and optically-induced magnetization. For a linearly polarized input probe light, a rotation angle up to 86.4° has been realized with external control and pump laser powers of 10 mW and is mainly attributed to the optically-induced magnetization effect. Our demonstration offers a new approach to realize nonreciprocal devices, which can be applied to solid-state atom ensembles and may be useful in photonic integrated circuits.

Clonorchis sinensis calcium-binding protein Cs16 causes acute hepatic injury possibly by reprogramming the metabolic pathway of bone marrow-derived monocytes.

Introduction: Clonorchis sinensis infection results in various complications in the liver and biliary systems and is a neglected tropical disease in Eastern Asia. In this study, we report that C. sinensis calcium-binding protein Cs16 activates host immune cells and induces immunopathology in liver. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the localization of Cs16 in C. sinensis adult worms. ELISA was used to detect the serum levels of anti-Cs16 IgG antibody in infected humans and mice. Bile duct injection model was used to figure out the role of Cs16 in vivo. RT-qPCR and ELISA were used to detect the cytokine production from Cs16-treated BMMs in vitro. Seahorse assay was used to detect the metabolic pathway of Cs16-treated BMMs in vitro. Result: Cs16 localizes in the tegument and gut of C. sinensis. Humans and mice with C. sinensis infection exhibited increased levels of anti-Cs16-specific antibody. Using the bile duct injection technique, we found that Cs16 induced obvious inflammation and hepatic necrosis in vivo. Cs16 treatment caused the upregulation of inflammatory cytokines in innate immune cells. Moreover, Cs16-treated monocytes relied more on the glycolytic metabolic pathway. Discussion: Our findings suggest that Cs16 is a potential pathogenic factor derived from C. sinensis adult worm. By reprogramming the metabolic pathway of innate immune cells, Cs16 triggers pro-inflammatory responses in the liver, and therefore, Cs16 is a potential target for the prevention and treatment of clonorchiasis.

Spatio-temporal variation and environmental drivers of chlorophyll a concentration and diatom community in four small urban lakes of Kunming, China.

Chlorophyll a (Chla) and diatom community structure are two indicators of lake water quality. In this study, we investigated the environmental parameters, chlorophyll a, and diatom community of four small urban lakes in Kunming (Beitan, Beihu, Nanhu and Longtan lakes in the campus of Yunnan Normal University) between March 2017 and December 2019. The results showed that the concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and Chla in the four lakes showed significant seasonal fluctuation. The Chla concentration in Nanhu Lake, which had the highest nutrient level among the four lakes, was significantly higher than that in the other three lakes and largely affected by TN. In comparison, water temperature significantly contributed to the increases in Chla concentration in the other three lakes. Water temperature and TN were significantly correlated with Chla across the four lakes. Diatom assemblages in Beitan, Nanhu, and Longtan lakes were dominated by planktonic diatoms, and benthic diatoms were dominant in the shallowest lake Beihu, suggesting that water depth significantly affected the proportion of planktonic diatoms and dominant taxa. Water depth, TN, TP, transparency, and water temperature affected the spatio-temporal changes of diatom community structure, with water temperature as the major factor in causing the seasonal variation in diatom community, and TN and TP as the major drivers for community variation among lakes within the same season.

Single-center experience of micro-perc in the treatment of children with 1.0-2.0 cm sized kidney stones in the Galdakao-modified supine Valdivia position.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the applicability and safety of micro-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (micro-perc) in the treatment of children with kidney stones in the Galdakao-modified supine Valdivia (GMSV) position under the guidance of whole-course ultrasound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were aged < 18 years in the GMSV position who underwent micro-perc for kidney stones under ultrasound guidance between August 2020 and May 2022 at our institution were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 23 patients, 15 males and 8 females, received micro-perc. The average stone size was 1.6 cm (range 1.1-2.0 cm). Among them, 12 patients had left kidney stones, 10 patients had right kidney stones, and 1 patient had bilateral kidney stones. The mean operative time was 55.3 min (range 35-86 min). The mean hospital stay was 2.9 days (range 2-4 days). The mean hemoglobin decrease was 1.7 g/L (range 0.9-3.2 g/L). A total of 17 patients had complete stone clearance at 48 h postoperatively. A total of 22 patients had complete stone clearance at 2 weeks postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that micro-perc under ultrasound guidance is a safe and effective method for the treatment of children with kidney stones in the GMSV position. Further research is warranted to confirm these results.

The significance of recent diversification in the Northern Hemisphere in shaping the modern global flora revealed from the herbaceous tribe of Rubieae (Rubiaceae).

The global herbaceous flora is probably shaped by both ancient and/or recent diversification, companied with the impacts from geographic differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Therefore, its biogeographic pattern with respect to temporal and spatial divergence is far from full understanding. Tribe Rubieae, the largest herbaceous tribe in the woody-dominant Rubiaceae, provides an excellent opportunity for studying the macroevolution of worldwide colonization. Here, we aim to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Rubieae with regard to climate fluctuation and geological history in the Cenozoic. A total of 204 samples of Rubieae representing all the distribution areas of the tribe were used to infer its phylogenetic and biogeographic histories based on two nrDNA and six cpDNA regions. The ancestral area of Rubieae was reconstructed using a time-calibrated phylogeny in RASP and diversification rates were inferred using Bayesian analysis of macroevolutionary mixtures (BAMM). Our results show Rubieae probably originated in European region during the middle Oligocene, with the two subtribes separating at 26.8 million years ago (Ma). All the genera in Rubieae formed separate clades between 24.79 and 6.23 Ma. The ancestral area of the subtribe Rubiinae was the Madrean-Tethyan plant belt and the North Atlantic land bridge (NALB) provided passage between North America and Europe for Rubiinae. The subtribe Galiinae clade originated in Europe/central Asia during the late Oligocene. Two diversification shifts were detected within Rubieae in the late Neogene. Most extant Rubieae species diverged recently during the Neogene within clades that generally were established during the late Paleogene. The tribe shows complex migration/dispersal patterns within the North Hemisphere combined with multiple recent dispersals into Southern Hemisphere. Our results highlighted the important role of recent biogeographic diversification in the Northern Hemisphere in shaping the modern global herbaceous flora during the latest and rapid worldwide expansion in the Neogene.

Clonorchis sinensis infection modulates key cytokines for essential immune response impacted by sex.

Infection with helminths can modulate the host immune response, which ultimately shape morbidity and mortality of the associated diseases. We studied key cytokines for essential immune response in sera from 229 southeastern China individuals infected with Clonorchis sinensis and 60 individuals without C. sinensis infection, and measured serum specific IgG and IgE against worms in these people. Individuals infected with C. sinensis had significantly higher antigen-specific IgG and IgE levels, which were positively correlated with egg counts in feces. However, less enhancement of IgE antibody was observed in females when compared to males with similar infection levels. C. sinensis infection caused diminished Th1 cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-12p70, IFN-γ and TNF-α), Th2 cytokine (IL-4), as well as Th17 cytokine (IL-17A) in sera, which showed decreasing trend by infection intensity. Notably, these phenotypes were more significant in females than those in males. Although C. sinensis infection is associated with the development of hepatobiliary diseases, there was no significant correlation between the dampened cytokine profiles and the hepatobiliary morbidities. Our study indicates C. sinensis infection is strongly related to the immune suppression in human. Sex differences shape the immune milieus of clonorchiasis. This study provides a better understanding of how worms affect immune responses and cause a long-term immune alternation in humans with C. sinensis infection.

Surgical management and molecular diagnosis of persistent Müllerian duct syndrome in Chinese patients.

Persistent Müllerian duct syndrome (PMDS) is a rare clinically and genetically overlapping disorder caused by mutations in the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) gene or the anti-Müllerian hormone receptor type 2 (AMHR2) gene. Affected individuals present uterus and tubes in normally virilized males and are discovered unexpectedly during other surgeries. Since it is rare and complex, a definitive clinical diagnosis can be missed, and there are no guidelines regarding how to deal with the uterus. In the present study, exome sequencing and Sanger verification were performed for causal variants in 12 PMDS patients. Preoperative diagnoses were made by positive exome sequencing in 8 patients. Of them, 7 patients evoked on the basis of ultrasound indicating bilateral testes on the same side of the body. Twelve different AMH variants (2 frameshift/nonsense, 1 deletion, 8 missense, and 1 in-frame) in 9 patients and 6 different AMHR2 variants (5 missense and 1 splicing) in 3 patients were identified. Seven variants were classified as "pathogenic" or "likely pathogenic", and 4 of them were novel. All but two patients with AMH defects showed low serum AMH concentrations, but all patients with AMHR2 defects showed elevated AMH levels. During surgery, an abnormal vas deferens was observed in half of the patients. Eight patients underwent orchidopexy with uterine preservation. Of them, 2 patients presented complications including irreducible cryptorchidism, and 3 patients developed Müllerian remnant cysts. Three patients underwent subtotal hysterectomy. Of them, one patient had complication of injury to the vas deferens, and one had hemorrhage after operation. This is the first report of PMDS involving a large Chinese population. The present study not only expands the variation spectrum but also provides clinical experience about the management of the uterus.

[Seasonal variations and driving factors of phytoplankton community shift in Datun Lake with long-term stress of arsenic contamination.] / é•¿æœŸç ·èƒè¿«ä¸‹å¤§å±¯æµ·æµ®æ¸¸æ¤ç‰©ç¾¤è½çš„å­£èŠ‚æ€§ç‰¹å¾åŠå ¶é©±åŠ¨å› å­.

Heavy metal is an important environmental stress that threatens water quality and ecological health of surface waters. Therefore, it is vital to identify the responses of lake community to long-term pollution for sustainable ecological restoration of polluted lakes. From June 2017 to March 2018, we conducted a seasonal survey of phytoplankton and environmental factors in Datun Lake, which had a decadal history of tailing-related arsenic contamination. Consistent with results from previous studies, phytoplankton were dominated by As-tolerant taxa such as Cyanophyta. Results of the analysis of similarities and analysis of variance showed that there were significant temporal variations in phytoplankton community structure and biomass, but without spatial variation. Results of the Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated that the total phytoplankton biomass was positively related to lake-water soluble orthophosphate and arsenic, which was consistent with the differential effect of arsenic on algae growth (e.g. promotion at low concentration and suppression at high concentration). The increases of phosphate might alleviate the toxic impacts of arsenic on phytoplankton. Redundancy analysis showed that the soluble nutrients and arsenic were significant factors driving phytoplankton community variations. The results of variation partitioning demonstrated that nutrients and water temperature explained 17.6% and 3.8% of community variations, respectively, with strong interaction with arsenic (15.1%). Arsenic did not affect phytoplankton community assembly, indicating that the dominant algae were tolerant to arsenic and thus highly insensitive to the arsenic stress. Therefore, the seasonal variations of phytoplankton dominated by As-tolerant algae in Datun demonstrated that the low-As promotion effect on phytoplankton should be considered in ecological restoration of polluted lakes.

Noiseless photonic non-reciprocity via optically-induced magnetization.

The realization of optical non-reciprocity is crucial for many applications, and also of fundamental importance for manipulating and protecting the photons with desired time-reversal symmetry. Recently, various new mechanisms of magnetic-free non-reciprocity have been proposed and implemented, avoiding the limitation of the strong magnetic field imposed by the Faraday effect. However, due to the difficulties in separating the signal photons from the drive laser and the noise photons induced by the drive laser, these devices exhibit limited isolation performances and their quantum noise properties are rarely studied. Here, we demonstrate an approach of magnetic-free non-reciprocity by optically-induced magnetization in an atom ensemble. Excellent isolation (highest isolation ratio is [Formula: see text]) is observed over a power dynamic range of 7 orders of magnitude, with the noiseless property verified by quantum statistics measurements. The approach is applicable to other atoms and atom-like emitters, paving the way for future studies of integrated photonic non-reciprocal devices.

Long-term succession of diatom community under hydro-climatic fluctuations in Taiping Reservoir, Yunnan Province, China.

Under the background of regional climate warming, frequent fluctuation of water level caused by drought events and pollutant influx due to catchment development can directly threaten the ecological safety of reservoirs. Through the analysis of physical (particle size, loss on ignition), chemical (carbon, nitrogen), biological (diatom community) and other substitute indicators of sediment, combined with monitoring data and investigation data, we reconstructed the environmental changes in Taiping Reservoir in Yunnan Province from 1937 to 2018, and analyzed the succession characteristics of diatom community and its environmental impact factors. The grain size records indicated that the hydrodynamic condition of Taiping Reservoir was increased during the impounding period (1956-1984) and was steadily reduced thereafter, corresponding well with the documented history of reservoir construction and hydrologic regulation. Changes of total nitrogen, total carbon and organic matter contents indicated the decline of water nutrient level during the construction of the reservoir and the rising process of primary productivity and endogenous organic matter after the completion of the reservoir. The dominant taxa of diatom community shifted from planktonic species to benthic species and then to planktonic ones. The main factors driving the succession of diatom community in Taiping Reservoir were climate change, hydrodynamic condition, and nutrient level. Under the background of long-term climate warming, strict controlling exogenous nutrition input, and reasonable hydrological regulation would be the important premise to maintain ecological health and environmental safety of reservoir water.

[Long-term pattern of lake ecosystem in response to eutrophication and water regulation in Chenghai Lake, Yunnan, China]. / äº‘å—ç¨‹æµ·æ¹–æ³Šç³»ç»Ÿå“åº”å¯Œè¥å »åŒ–ä¸Žæ°´æ–‡è°ƒæŽ§çš„é•¿æœŸæ¨¡å¼.

In the context of catchment development and climate change, anthropogenic activities have significantly altered the succession and functioning of freshwater ecosystems. Combining the sedimentary records and modern survey data, we reconstructed a 250-year history of ecological changes in Chenghai Lake, aiming to assess the long-term ecological changes in Changhai Lake in response to multiple environmental stresses, such as eutrophication and hydrological fluctuation.Three stages were identified for the process of nutrient enrichment leading to a long-term increase in primary production. Nutrient level was relatively low before 1970, increased gradually between 1970 and 2000, with an accelerating increase after 2000. The water regulation project enhanced water turbulence and river flux during 1993-2000, which promoted the growth of turbulence-tolerant Aulacoseira and influx of benthic Nitzschia. The organic carbon cycling in Chenghai Lake was mainly driven by the autogenetic inputs. The eutrophication process dominated the long-term shifts of diatom assemblages followed by hydrological fluctuation. Our results illustrated that ecological restoration and catchment management of Chenghai Lake not only need to focus on the control of nutrient enrichment and pollutant input, but also should consider hydrological regulation and water level fluctuation.

[Spatial distribution of cladoceran assemblages in surface sediments of shallow lakes in Yunnan.] / æµ æ°´æ¹–æ³Šè¡¨å±‚æ²‰ç§¯ç‰©è®°å½•çš„æžè§’ç±»ç¾¤è½ç©ºé—´åˆ†å¸ƒç‰¹å¾.

Shallow lakes, sensitive to environmental changes due to low environmental carrying capacity, generally experience decreases in ecosystem function and even regime shifts after over-exploitation. Surface sediments of 18 shallow lakes in Yunnan were collected and analyzed to identify the spatial pattern and the influencing factors of cladoceran communities. The results showed that there was significant heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of cladocera in those lakes. For example, the cladoceran community was generally dominated by benthic taxa in alpine lakes, while there was a clear replacement of benthic cladocerans by planktonic ones with increasing nutrient levels across lakes from Southeast Yunnan. Altitude and total phosphorus were the main driving factors, which independently explained 22.0% and 7.7% of the change in cladocera communities, respectively. The altitude gradient and related changes in climate and catchment features were the main factors in structuring cladocerans for shallow lakes of Yunnan, while the anthropogenic impacts on cladoceran distribution was significant via the processes such as catchment development, pollutant input and macrophyte changes. Meanwhile, the interaction between elevation and total phosphorus explained 26.3% of the total variance in cladoceran community shift, indicating that the increase in human activity intensity in lakes at lower altitudes would have stronger impact on cladocerans through anthropogenic nutrient inputs.

[Spatial distributions and environmental control of diatom functional groups in sediments of Haixi Lake, Southwest China.] / åŸºäºŽç¡ è—»åŠŸèƒ½ç¾¤ç‰¹å¾æ­ç¤ºæµ·è¥¿æµ·è¿‘çŽ°ä»£ç”Ÿæ€çŽ¯å¢ƒå˜åŒ–.

Functional group classification based on the morphological, physiological and ecological characteristics of diatoms is advanced in describing the tolerance and sensibility of diatoms to environmental stressors. In this study, we examined the spatial distribution of diatom functional groups in surface sediments of Haixi Lake and explored the relationships between diatom distributions and environmental variables using multivariate analyses. Principal components analysis (PCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) results showed that water depth and total nitrogen (TN) were the key drivers for the heterogeneous distribution of diatom functional groups. Water depth of ca. 8 m was the threshold depth in influencing diatom functional group structures linking with thermal stratification. These results provided a basis for fossil record interpretation of the short core. Diatom functional groups fluctuated over the last century, in keeping with mean annual temperature, sediment TN, and median grain size. Climate warming, accelerated nutrient enrichment and intensified hydrological changes led to the dominance of functional group D, MP and P. Additionally, climate warming and nutrient enrichment led to increased diatom functional group diversity, while increased water depth (led by damming and reservoir reinforcement) contributed to diversity loss around 1957 and 1990 AD, respectively.

[Spatio-temporal Variations of Diatom Community and Their Relationship with Water Environment in Fuxian Lake].

Fuxian Lake is an important deep lake in China with trophic status generally categorized as class I. However, there exists a trend of degradation in its ecological and environmental health under the increasing impacts derived from catchment development and recent global warming. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the community composition, distribution patterns, and driving factors of lake biota. In order to uncover the spatio-temporal variations in water quality and diatom communities, a monthly survey of diatom community composition and limnological characteristics was carried out in the surface waters of three sampling sites from the south, middle, and north of the lake basin in Fuxian in 2015. A total of 166 diatom species belonging to 31 genera were identified, which was dominated by planktonic diatoms with the extirpation of Cyclotella rhomboideo-elliptica, an endemic species for Yunnan. Diatom community structure showed significant seasonal succession across the three sites, which were dominated by Fragilaria crotonensis in January and February, by Aulacoseira granulata in March, by Cyclotella ocellata and F. crotonensis in April, and by C. ocellata for other months (i.e., relative abundance of ~80%). Over the spatial scale, the distribution of the dominant diatoms displayed a high degree of similarity. Principal component analysis further showed that there existed significant difference in the diatom community structure and lake environment over the temporal scale, but no significant deviance was found across the three sites. The results of redundancy analysis and variation partitioning revealed that the key driver included meteorological and physical factors (i.e., water temperature, wind velocity, and Secchi depth), which accounted for 27.6% of the total variance in diatom community changes. In combination with the thermocline analysis, the change in lake hydrodynamics may have influenced the thickness and duration of the thermal stratification of lake water, resulting in the reorganization of the diatom community. At the same time, the lake-water nutrients and ions also exerted an important influence on community structuring, which explained the 21.2% and 9.4% of the diatom variation, respectively. Therefore, regional warming and catchment development have significantly structured the biological community and ecosystem health of Fuxian Lake. In all, measures should be taken not only to control the watershed input of pollutants but also to actively mitigate the long-term impact of climate change for the protection and ecological remediation of Fuxian Lake.

Differentiation in drought tolerance mirrors the geographic distributions of alpine plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and adjacent highlands.

Climatic tolerance, especially drought tolerance, is one of the major factors shaping the geographic distributions of plant species. Thus, the general decline in rainfall from the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains (HHM) to the inner Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) might account for the significant differences in species distributions and richness between the two regions. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a water stress experiment using four Anisodus species (A. tanguticus, A. luridus, A. carniolicoides and A. acutangulus), which were treated with different levels of water stress in a glasshouse, and examined their differences in physiological responses. The results suggest that A. tanguticus, which inhabits the inner QTP, generally has higher fitness under severe water stress than the other species based on its high root:shoot ratio, long-term water use efficiency and photosynthetic rate, indicating that it possesses a genetically based drought tolerance mechanism. Our results suggest that plant species inhabiting the inner QTP may be more drought tolerant than those inhabiting the HHM regions. This provides a new example supporting the hypothesis that climatic tolerance plays a major role in shaping plant distributions on the QTP and its adjacent highlands and presents new insights into the patterns of geographic distribution and diversity of the plants inhabiting these areas.

[Identification of the long-term patterns of catchment development and diatom community changes in Xihu Lake, Dali, Yunnan, China]. / å¤§ç†è¥¿æ¹–æµåŸŸå¼€å‘åŽ†å²ä¸Žç¡ è—»ç¾¤è½å˜åŒ–çš„æ¨¡å¼è¯†åˆ«.

Limnological studies have long focused on the nine largest plateau lakes and ecological assessment of lake eutrophication in Yunnan. However, comprehensive surveys of small and me-dium-sized lakes and their response to multiple stressors are largely absent. Here, we combined multi-proxy sediment analyses and documentary data, aiming to identify the long-term pattern of diatom community changes under the influence of climate change and anthropogenic disturbances, and to quantify their driving strengths. The results showed that Xihu Lake was in a pre-impact state with little ecological variability before the 1950s. Thereafter, expansion of land use increased the nutrient input and altered the lake hydrology, resulting in a significant shift of dominant diatoms from Cocconeis placentula to Fragilaria spp. From 1997, accelerating nutrient enrichment and hydrological changes led to the replacement of benthic diatoms by planktonic ones, resulting in a consistent loss of macrophytes and a decrease of ecological stability. Therefore, the types and strength of catchment development should be fully evaluated for effective protection of small and medium-sized alpine lakes in the context of global warming.

Divergence in Eco-Physiological Responses to Drought Mirrors the Distinct Distribution of Chamerion angustifolium Cytotypes in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains Region.

Polyploid species generally occupy harsher habitats (characterized by cold, drought and/or high altitude) than diploids, but the converse was observed for Chamerion angustifolium, in which diploid plants generally inhabit higher altitudes than their polyploid derivatives. Plants at high altitudes may experience cold-induced water stress, and we therefore examined the physiological responses of diploid and hexaploid C. angustifolium to water stress to better understand the ecological differentiation of plants with different ploidy levels. We conducted a common garden experiment by subjecting seedlings of different ploidy levels to low, moderate, and severe water stress. Fourteen indicators of physiological fitness were measured, and the anatomical characteristics of the leaves of each cytotype were determined. Both cytotypes were influenced by drought, and diploids exhibited higher fitness in terms of constant root:shoot ratio (R:S ratio) and maximum quantum yield of PS II (Fv/Fm ), less reduced maximal photosynthetic rate (A max), transpiration rate (E), intercellular CO2 concentration (C i) and stomatal conductance (g s), and higher long-term water use efficiency (WUEL) under severe water stress than did hexaploids. Analysis of leaf anatomy revealed morphological adjustments for tolerating water deficiency in diploids, in the form of closely packed mesophyll cells and small conduits in the midvein. Our results indicate that diploid C. angustifolium is more tolerant of drought than hexaploid plants, ensuring the successful survival of the diploid at high altitudes. This eco-physiological divergence may facilitate the species with different cytotypes to colonize new and large geographic ranges with heterogeneous environmental conditions.

[Long-term pattern of diatom community structure changes in response to multiple environmental stressors at Datun Lake, Southeast Yunnan, China].

Subtropical plateau lakes in Southeast Yunnan are known to have experienced multiple environmental stressors (lake pollution, eutrophication, land reclamation and droughts) during the past decades. Here, we applied multi-proxy analyses (i.e., diatom, grain size, C and N isotopic and chronology) of lake sediments, aiming to track the history of lake environment change and the characteristics of diatom community responses in Datun Lake for the past century. The results proved that the sedimentary diatom community records showed significant changes with the replacement of Fragilaria construens by Achnanthes minutissima. Combining with multiple-proxy records (i.e., isotopic data) and modern monitoring records, the ordination analyses and variation partitioning further suggested that industrial pollution and eutrophication were the major driving factors that led to the long-term shift of diatom community. In addition, the grain size results and meteorological data revealed that the reductions in hydrodynamic and water exchange intensity associated with damming and the occurrence of extreme droughts, thus led to the corresponding diatom community change.

[A distributed storage architecture for regional medical image sharing and cooperation based on HDFS].

Given the importance of regional centers for medical image sharing and cooperation is important for resource balancing, healthcare service enhancement and medical expense reduction, building such regional medical image sharing and cooperation centers faces huge challenges. In this paper we analyze the advantages and weakness of two storage architectures, and designed a hybrid storage architecture combining FC SAN and Hadoop HDFS. A HDFS suitable medical image file format, called S-DICOM, and a set of S-DICOM operating middleware, SDFO (S-DICOM File Operator), was developed. The results of performance testing indicated that this hybrid storage architecture is suitable for storing and managing large volume of medical images.