One hundred single-copy nuclear sequence markers for olive variety identification: a case of fingerprinting database construction in China.

Olive is an ancient oil-producing tree, widely cultivated in Mediterranean countries, and now spread to other areas of the world, including China. Recently, several molecular databases were constructed in different countries and platforms for olive identification using simple sequence repeats (SSRs) or single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, comparing their results across laboratories was difficult. Herein, hundreds of polymorphic single-copy nuclear sequence markers were developed from the olive genome. Using the advantage of multiplex PCR amplification and high-throughput sequencing, a fingerprint database was constructed for the majority of olives cultivated in China. We used 100 high-quality sequence loci and estimated the genetic diversity and structure among all these varieties. We found that compared with that based on SSRs, the constructed fingerprint database based on these 100 sequences or a few of them, could provide a reliable olive variety identification platform in China, with high discrimination among different varieties using the principle of BLAST algorithm. An example of such identification platform based on this study was displayed on the web for the olive database in China (http://olivedb.cn/jianding). After resolving redundant genotypes, we identified 126 olive varieties with distinct genotypes in China. These varieties could be divided into two clusters, and it was revealed that the grouping of the varieties has a certain relationship with their origin. Herein, it is concluded that these single-copy orthologous nuclear sequences could be used to construct a universal fingerprint database of olives across different laboratories and platforms inexpensively. Based on such a database, variety identification can be performed easily by any laboratory, which would further facilitate olive breeding and variety exchange globally. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01434-9.

Dispersal as a result of asymmetrical hybridization between two closely related oak species in China.

Hybridization has played an important role in plant evolution. Less attention has been paid, however, to its role in dispersal. In this study, historical divergence and hybridization were investigated in two closely related Chinese oaks, Quercus mongolica and Q. liaotungensis, to estimate the role that hybridization played in their dispersal. We genotyped 27 Q. mongolica and Q. liaotungensis populations throughout the distributional range of the two oak species, using 14 single-copy nuclear genes and four noncoding chloroplast DNA regions. Bayesian cluster and population tree analyses indicated that there were three groups over all oak populations, namely, Q. mongolica, northwest-northern China (NW-NC) Q. liaotungensis, and northeastern China (NEC) Q. liaotungensis. Approximate Bayesian computation simulation supported an asymmetrical hybridization origin of NEC Q. liaotungensis, after a previous divergence between NW-NC Q. liaotungensis and Q. mongolica. IMa3 analyses suggested that Q. liaotungensis and Q. mongolica diverged in the NW-NC and NEC regions, respectively, and that NEC Q. liaotungensis arose from Q. mongolica, not from NW-NC Q. liaotungensis, and was greatly introgressed by NW-NC Q. liaotungensis. Oak populations in NW-NC and NEC regions held different chloroplast DNA haplotypes, and Q. liaotungensis in NEC shared most haplotypes with Q. mongolica populations, but none with NW-NC Q. liaotungensis populations, suggesting the maternal origin of NEC Q. liaotungensis from Q. mongolica. This study found clear signals of isolation divergence of Q. liaotungensis in NW-NC and Q. mongolica in NEC, and the results suggest that asymmetrical hybridization and introgression from Q. liaotungensis to Q. mongolica, mostly likely via pollen flow, facilitated Q. liaotungensis dispersal to NEC.

A comparison of reproductive isolation between two closely related oak species in zones of recent and ancient secondary contact.

BACKGROUND: Much of the debate over the evolutionary consequences of hybridization on genetic divergence and speciation results from the breakdown or reinforcement of reproductive barriers in secondary hybrid zones. Among hybrid populations established for different lengths of time following secondary contact, stronger reproductive barriers are generally expected to occur in zones with longer contact. However, in plants no detailed investigation of recent and ancient zones of secondary contact has been conducted despite the importance of such a comparative study. Here, we compare pre- and postzygotic reproductive barriers between two closely related oak species, Quercus mongolica and Q. liaotungensis, in such a situation. RESULTS: The recorded flowering times of both species overlapped in both contact zones. The fruit set at 10 and 30 days after interspecific hand pollination was not significantly lower than that after intraspecific pollination whenever Q. mongolica or Q. liaotungensis comprised the maternal parents in both populations. These results indicated that neither prezygotic phenological barriers nor interspecific incompatibility could have resulted in the reproductive isolation between the two species in both hybrid zones. However, the proportion of hybrid seeds produced by both species in the ancient zone was significantly lower than that recorded in the recent zone of secondary contact. In addition, the proportion of hybrid seeds simulated to form, assuming both random mating and an absence of postpollination barriers, was significantly higher than that detected in the ancient contact zone but not in the recent contact zone. These results suggest stronger early-acting postzygotic isolation between the two oak species in the ancient relative to the recent contact zone. CONCLUSIONS: Our comparative study demonstrated that postzygotic barriers during seed maturity were the main contributing factor to total reproductive isolation, particularly in the ancient contact zone, which aided species delimitation. In the recently formed secondary contact zone, pre- and postzygotic barriers were not well developed, and a high frequency of natural hybridization was evident. To our knowledge this study provides the first comparison of reproductive isolation between the ancient and recent secondary contact zones in plants and helps to clarify the evolutionary consequences of hybridization in a temporal context.

Phylogeographic patterns of the desert poplar in Northwest China shaped by both geology and climatic oscillations.

BACKGROUND: The effects of historical geology and climatic events on the evolution of plants around the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau region have been at the center of debate for years. To identify the influence of the uplift of the Tianshan Mountains and/or climatic oscillations on the evolution of plants in arid northwest China, we investigated the phylogeography of the Euphrates poplar (Populus euphratica) using chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequences and nuclear microsatellites, and estimated its historical distribution using Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM). RESULTS: We found that the Euphrates poplar differed from another desert poplar, P. pruinosa, in both nuclear and chloroplast DNA. The low clonal diversity in both populations reflected the low regeneration rate by seed/seedlings in many locations. Both cpDNA and nuclear markers demonstrated a clear divergence between the Euphrates poplar populations from northern and southern Xinjiang regions. The divergence time was estimated to be early Pleistocene based on cpDNA, and late Pleistocene using an Approximate Bayesian Computation analysis based on microsatellites. Estimated gene flow was low between these two regions, and the limited gene flow occurred mainly via dispersal from eastern regions. ENM analysis supported a wider distribution of the Euphrates poplar at 3 Ma, but a more constricted distribution during both the glacial period and the interglacial period. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the deformation of the Tianshan Mountains has impeded gene flow of the Euphrates poplar populations from northern and southern Xinjiang, and the distribution constriction due to climatic oscillations further accelerated the divergence of populations from these regions. To protect the desert poplars, more effort is needed to encourage seed germination and seedling establishment, and to conserve endemic gene resources in the northern Xinjiang region.

Integrated analysis of multiomic data reveals the role of the antioxidant network in the quality of sea buckthorn berry.

Berries of sea buckthorn, known as the "king of vitamin C," are abundant in antioxidants, have attractive colors, and are an excellent material with which to study the relationships between berry color, antioxidants, and berry quality. No study has yet determined the molecular basis of the relationship between sea buckhorn berries and their color and antioxidant levels. By using RNA-seq, LC-MS/MS, and LC/GC-MS technology and selecting red (darkest colored) and yellow (lightest colored) sea buckthorn berries at different development stages, this study showed that the red and yellow berry resulted from a higher ratio of lycopene to ß-carotene and of ß-carotene to lycopene content, respectively. The uronic acid pathway-a known animal pathway-in ascorbic acid synthesis was found in sea buckthorn berries, and the higher expression of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase in red berries was consistent with the higher content of ascorbic acid. In summary, multiomic data showed that the color of sea buckthorn berries is mainly determined by ß-carotene and lycopene; red sea buckthorn berries were richer than yellow berries in antioxidants, such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and ascorbic acid; and the animal pathway might be operating in sea buckthorn.-He, C., Zhang, G., Zhang, J., Zeng, Y., Liu, J. Integrated analysis of multiomic data reveals the role of the antioxidant network in the quality of sea buckthorn berry.

Multiple glacial refugia for cool-temperate deciduous trees in northern East Asia: the Mongolian oak as a case study.

In East Asia, temperate forests are predicted to have retracted southward to c. 30° N during the last glacial maximum (LGM) based on fossil pollen data, whereas phylogeographic studies have often suggested glacial in situ survival of cool-temperate deciduous trees in their modern northern ranges. Here we report a study of the genetic diversity and structure of 29 natural Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) populations using 19 nuclear simple sequence repeat (nSSR) loci and four chloroplast DNA fragments. Bayesian clustering analysis with nSSRs revealed five groups, which were inferred by approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) to have diverged in multiple refugia through multiple glacial-interglacial cycles. Analysis of chloroplast DNA variation revealed four lineages that were largely but incompletely geographically disjunct. Ecological niche modelling (ENMs) indicated a southward range shift of the oak's distribution at the LGM, although high suitability scores were also evident in the Changbai Mts. (Northeast China), the Korean Peninsula, areas surrounding the Bohai Sea, and along the coast of the Russian Far East. In addition, endemic chloroplast DNA haplotypes and nuclear lineages occurred in high-latitude northern areas where the ENM predicted no suitable habitat. The combined evidence from nuclear and chloroplast DNA, and the results of the ENM clearly demonstrate that multiple northern refugia, including cryptic ones, were maintained across the current distributional range of the Mongolian oak during the LGM or earlier glacial periods. Though spatially limited, postglacial expansions from these refugia have led to a pattern of decreased genetic diversity with increasing latitude.

Next-generation sequencing-based mRNA and microRNA expression profiling analysis revealed pathways involved in the rapid growth of developing culms in Moso bamboo.

BACKGROUND: As one of the fastest-growing lignocellulose-abundant plants on Earth, bamboos can reach their final height quickly due to the expansion of individual internodes already present in the buds; however, the molecular processes underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. Pubescens) internodes from four different developmental stages and three different internodes within the same stage were used in our study to investigate the molecular processes at the transcriptome and post-transcriptome level. RESULTS: Our anatomical observations indicated the development of culms was dominated by cell division in the initial stages and by cell elongation in the middle and late stages. The four major endogenous hormones appeared to actively promote culm development. Using next-generation sequencing-based RNA-Seq, mRNA and microRNA expression profiling technology, we produced a transcriptome and post-transcriptome in possession of a large fraction of annotated Moso bamboo genes, and provided a molecular basis underlying the phenomenon of sequentially elongated internodes from the base to the top. Several key pathways such as environmental adaptation, signal transduction, translation, transport and many metabolisms were identified as involved in the rapid elongation of bamboo culms. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report on the temporal and spatial transcriptome and gene expression and microRNA profiling in a developing bamboo culms. In addition to gaining more insight into the unique growth characteristics of bamboo, we provide a good case study to analyze gene, microRNA expression and profiling of non-model plant species using high-throughput short-read sequencing. Also, we demonstrate that the integrated analysis of our multi-omics data, including transcriptome, post-transcriptome, proteome, yield more complete representations and additional biological insights, especially the complex dynamic processes occurring in Moso bamboo culms.

The creative behavior of virtual idol fans: a psychological perspective based on MOA theory.

Breakthroughs in digital technology are accelerating the development and commercialization of virtual idols. They are overturning the traditional one-way communication between idols and fans, turning fans into producers and consumers. Therefore, identifying the motivations for fan creation can regulate and guide the creative behavior of fans and turn their creativity into productivity. This paper took "the factors influencing fans' spontaneous participation in creating virtual idols" as the primary research question, took the Motivation Opportunity Ability (MOA) theory as the research framework, used questionnaires as the primary research method, and combined the relevant research on motivation theory and self-determination theory to explore fans' creative behavior from the psychological perspective in depth. The empirical tests revealed that in the motivation dimension, interest motivation, achievement motivation, social motivation, and utility motivation all positively influenced fans' creative behavior; in the opportunity dimension, fans' perceived cost had a significant negative moderating effect on the influence of interest motivation, social motivation, and utility motivation on fans' creative behavior; fans' perceived community atmosphere was substantial. The moderating effect of knowledge and skills on the capability dimension was insignificant. For the virtual idol industry, the future development of the industry could not only focus on IP image creation and content production but also effectively stimulate fans' creative motivation through the creation of an excellent community atmosphere, the provision of targeted creator services, and the reduction of fans' perceived costs in the creation process.

Side-effects of intravenously versus intramuscularly oxytocin for postpartum hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Oxytocin is the gold standard uterotonic agent for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage. However, there is no consensus with clear evidence about the side-effects of oxytocin administered intravenously or intramuscularly for management of the third stage of labor. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the side-effects of intravenously or intramuscularly oxytocin for preventing postpartum hemorrhage in the third stage of labor. Methods: Six representative databases were searched from the inception to July 2023. Randomized controlled trials which explored the intravenously and intramuscularly oxytocin and provided at least one side-effect were included. Statistical analysis included random or fixed-effect meta-analyses using relative risk. Results: Nine studies included, involving 8,295 participants. Ten types of side-effects were reported. There was no statistical difference in hypotension (RR = 1.01, 95%CI = 0.88-1.15), anemia (0.98, 0.83-1.15), tachycardia (0.90, 0.69-1.17), shivering (0.90, 0.69-1.17), headache (0.86, 0.31-2.37), nausea (0.70, 0.20-2.42), vomiting (0.97, 0.26-3.58), uvular edema (0.82, 0.23-2.91), diarrhea (0.97, 0.26-3.58), and fever (0.97, 0.26-3.58) between intravenously or intramuscularly groups. Conclusion: There are no significant differences of side-effects between intravenously and intramuscularly administration of oxytocin for preventing postpartum hemorrhage in the third labor. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=407571.

Temporal and spatial profiling of internode elongation-associated protein expression in rapidly growing culms of bamboo.

In natural conditions, culms of developing Moso bamboo, Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens, reach their final height of more than ten meters within a short period of two to four months. To study this phenomenon, bamboo culm material collected from different developmental stages and internodes was analyzed. Histological observations indicated that the development of culm was dominated by cell division in the initial stages and by cell elongation in the middle and late stages. Development, maturation, and aging in different regions of the culm were studied systematically from the basal to the top internode. The four major endogenous hormones, indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid, zeatin riboside, and abscisic acid appeared to strongly influence the cell elongation phase. A total of 258 spots were differentially expressed in culm development. Of these, 213 spots were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS and were involved in many physiological and metabolic processes including carbohydrate metabolism, cell division, cell expansion, protein synthesis, amino acid metabolism and redox homeostasis. These proteins with different expression patterns constructed an ingenious network to regulate the culm development. Developmental stage-specific and internode-specific protein expression patterns were identified. Protein abundance was regulated temporally and to some extent spatially, and the sequential development from base to apex of bamboo culm was implemented by temporal and spatial expression of enzymes. Results indicate that during development energy was mainly derived from sucrose degradation, as photosynthetic capacity was poor. The regulation of anaerobic and aerobic modes of respiration appeared to play an important role in energy generation. This is the first report on proteomic profiling in bamboo and helps in understanding the regulatory processes in developing culms.

Ru doping NiCoP hetero-nanowires with modulated electronic structure for efficient overall water splitting.

Herein, a novel Ru-doped bimetal phosphide (Ru-NiCoP) heterostructure electrocatalyst on Ni foam is successfully synthesized through a multi-step hydrothermal reaction, ion exchange, and phosphorization method for efficient overall water splitting in alkaline media. The doping of Ru and P can effectively optimize the electronic structure and expose more active sites. The unique 3D interconnected nanowires not only ensures the uniform distribution of Ru coupled with NiCoP, but also endows the Ru-NiCoP/NF with the large ECSA, the fast electron transport and the favorable reaction kinetics attributes. Benefiting from the compositional and structural advantages, Ru-NiCoP/NF catalyst exhibits significantly enhancedcatalytic activities along with excellent stability, only needing 32.3 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for HER and 233.8 mV at 50 mA cm-2 for OER. In particular, when Ru-NiCoP/NF is employed as both cathode and anode electrodes,a small voltage of 1.50 V is required to reach 30 mA cm-2for overall water splittingwith an impressive stability. This study provides an alternative strategyon the design and development of high performance catalysts foroverall water splittingand other energy conversion fields.

Side-effects of oxytocin in postpartum hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the side-effects of oxytocin for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: Electronic databases (Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Elsevier ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched from the beginning of indexing to Sep 2021. RCTs comparing oxytocin with non-oxytocin uterotonic agent(s) or non-pharmacologic interventions for the prevention of PPH were eligible. RESULTS: Overall, sixty-one RCTs meeting the inclusion criteria were included, involving 68834 participants. Twenty-seven types of side-effects were reported in this study. There were 24, 35, or 2 trials assessed as high medium and low quality, respectively. Compared with non-oxytocin, oxytocin had significantly lower risk for shivering (RR=0.31, 95% CI=0.23-0.41, n=36680), fever (RR=0.27, 95% CI=0.20-0.37, n=34031), and diarrhea (RR=0.48, 95% CI=0.35-0.66, n=30883). Other side-effects were not found associated with oxytocin. CONCLUSION: Oxytocin use was association with a significantly lower incidence of shivering, fever, and diarrhea events and did not increase risk of other side-effects during the third stage of labor. These observations may aid obstetricians and gynecologists in weighing up the benefits and risks associated with oxytocin in prevention and treatment of PPH during the third stage of labor.

Origin and evolutionary history of Populus (Salicaceae): Further insights based on time divergence and biogeographic analysis.

Introduction: Populus (Salicaceae) species harbour rich biodiversity and are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. However, the origin and biogeography of Populus remain poorly understood. Methods: We infer the divergence times and the historical biogeography of the genus Populus through phylogenetic analysis of 34 chloroplast fragments based on a large sample. Results and Discussion: Eurasia is the likely location of the early divergences of Salicaceae after the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction, followed by recurrent spread to the remainder of the Old World and the New World beginning in the Eocene; the extant Populus species began to diversity during the early Oligocene (approximately 27.24 Ma), climate changes during the Oligocene may have facilitated the diversification of modern poplar species; three separate lineages of Populus from Eurasia colonized North America in the Cenozoic via the Bering Land Bridges (BLB); We hypothesize that the present day disjunction in Populus can be explained by two scenarios: (i) Populus likely originated in Eurasia and subsequently colonized other regions, including North America; and (ii) the fact that the ancestor of the genus Populus that was once widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere and eventually wiped out due to the higher extinction rates in North America, similar to the African Rand flora. We hypothesize that disparities in extinction across the evolutionary history of Populus in different regions shape the modern biogeography of Populus. Further studies with dense sampling and more evidence are required to test these hypotheses. Our research underscores the significance of combining phylogenetic analyses with biogeographic interpretations to enhance our knowledge of the origin, divergence, and distribution of biodiversity in temperate plant floras.

High-Quality Genome Assembly of Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata Provides Insights Into Its Resistance to Fungal Diseases in the Summer Rain Belt in East Asia.

The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is the most iconic fruit crop of the Mediterranean Basin. Since the plant was introduced to China in the 1960s, the summer rain climate makes it susceptible to pathogens, leading to some olive diseases. Olea europaea L. subsp. cuspidata is natively distributed in the Yunnan province of China. It has a smaller fruit size, lower oil content, and higher resistance compared to subsp. europaea, which makes subsp. cuspidata a critical germplasm resource to be investigated. Here, a high-quality genome of subsp. cuspidata with 1.38 Gb in size was assembled and anchored onto 23 pseudochromosomes with a mounting rate of 85.57%. It represents 96.6% completeness [benchmarking universal single-copy orthologs (BUSCO)] with a contig N50 of 14.72 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 52.68 Mb, which shows a significant improvement compared with other olive genomes assembled. The evaluation of the genome assembly showed that 92.31% of resequencing reads and an average of 96.52% of assembled transcripts could be aligned to the assembled genome. We found that a positively selected gene, evm.model.Chr16.1133, was shared with the results of transcriptome analysis. This gene belongs to the susceptible gene and negatively regulates the disease resistance process. Furthermore, we identified the Cercospora genus which causes the leaf spot disease in the infected leaves. The high-quality chromosome-level genomic information presented here may facilitate the conservation and utilization of germplasm resources of this subspecies and provide an essential genetic basis for further research into the differences in oil content and resistance between subsp. cuspidata and europaea.

Geographic variation in the structure of oak hybrid zones provides insights into the dynamics of speciation.

Studying geographic variation in the rate of hybridization between closely related species could provide a useful window on the evolution of reproductive isolation. Reinforcement theory predicts greater prezygotic isolation in areas of prolonged contact between recently diverged species than in areas of recent contact, which implies that old contact zones would be dominated by parental phenotypes with few hybrids (bimodal hybrid zones), whereas recent contact zones would be characterized by hybrid swarms (unimodal hybrid zones). Here, we investigate how the hybrid zones of two closely related Chinese oaks, Quercus mongolica and Q. liaotungensis, are structured geographically using both nuclear and chloroplast markers. We found that populations of Q. liaotungensis located around the Changbai Mountains in Northeast China, an inferred glacial refugium, were introgressed by genes from Q. mongolica, suggesting historical contact between the two species in this region. However, these introgressed populations form sharp bimodal hybrid zones with Q. mongolica. In contrast, populations of Q. liaotungensis located in North China, which show no sign of ancient introgression with Q. mongolica, form unimodal hybrid zones with Q. mongolica. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that selection against hybrids has had sufficient time to reinforce the reproductive barriers between Q. liaotungensis and Q. mongolica in Northeast China but not in North China.

Recent demographic histories of temperate deciduous trees inferred from microsatellite markers.

BACKGROUND: Accurate inference of demographic histories for temperate tree species can aid our understanding of current climate change as a driver of evolution. Microsatellites are more suitable for inferring recent historical events due to their high mutation rates. However, most programs analyzing microsatellite data assume a strict stepwise mutation model (SMM), which could cause false detection of population shrinkage when microsatellite mutation does not follow SMM. RESULTS: This study aims to reconstruct the recent demographic histories of five cool-temperate tree species in Eastern Asia, Quercus mongolica, Q. liaotungensis, Juglans cathayensis, J. mandshurica and J. ailantifolia, by using 19 microsatellite markers with two methods considering generalized stepwise mutation model (GSM) (MIGRAINE and VarEff). Both programs revealed that all the five species experienced expansions after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Within butternuts, J. cathayensis experienced a more serious bottleneck than the other species, and within oaks, Q. mongolica showed a moderate increase in population size and remained stable after the expansion. In addition, the point estimates of the multistep mutation proportion in the GSM model (pGSM) for all five species were between 0.50 and 0.65, indicating that when inferring population demographic history of the cool-temperate forest species using microsatellite markers, it is better to assume a GSM rather than a SMM. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first direct evidence that five cool-temperate tree species in East Asia have experienced expansions after the LGM with microsatellite data. Considering the mutation model of microsatellite has a vital influence on demographic inference, combining multiple programs such as MIGRAINE and VarEff can effectively reduce errors caused by inappropriate model selection and prior setting.

High-capacity and high-rate Ni-Fe batteries based on mesostructured quaternary carbon/Fe/FeO/Fe3O4 hybrid material.

The Ni-Fe battery is a promising alternative to lithium ion batteries due to its long life, high reliability, and eco-friendly characteristics. However, passivation and self-discharge of the iron anode are the two main issues. Here, we demonstrate that controlling the valence state of the iron and coupling with carbon can solve these problems. We develop a mesostructured carbon/Fe/FeO/Fe3O4 hybrid by a one-step solid-state reaction. Experimental evidence reveals that the optimized system with three valence states of iron facilitates the redox kinetics, while the carbon layers can effectively enhance the charge transfer and suppress self-discharge. The hybrid anode exhibits high specific capacity of 604 mAh⋅g-1 at 1 A⋅g-1 and high cyclic stability. A Ni-Fe button battery is fabricated using the hybrid anode exhibits specific device energy of 127 Wh⋅kg-1 at a power density of 0.58 kW⋅kg-1 and maintains good capacity retention (90%) and coulombic efficiency (98.5%).

Side-effects of carbetocin to prevent postpartum hemorrhage: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) increases the risk of maternal death worldwide. Heat-stable carbetocin, a long-acting oxytocin analog, is a newer uterotonic agent. Clinicians do not fully understand its side-effects, particularly the unanticipated side-effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the side-effects of carbetocin to PPH. The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Elsevier ScienceDirect, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from the inception to September 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that considered pregnant women who received carbetocin before delivery and provided at least one adverse event were included. Statistical analysis included random or fixed-effect meta-analyses using relative risk. Stratified analyses and sensitivity analyses were also performed. Begger's and Egger's test and funnel plots were used to assess the publication bias. Seventeen RCTs involving 32,702 women were included, and all these studies ranked as medium- to high-quality. Twenty-four side-effects were reported. The use of carbetocin had a lower risk of vomiting in intravenously (0.53, 0.30 to 0.93) and cesarean birth (0.51, 0.32 to 0.81) women, and had a slightly higher risk of diarrhea (8.00, 1.02 to 62.79) compared with oxytocin intervention. No significant difference was found among other side-effects. Evidence from our systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 RCTs suggested that the risk of vomiting decreased with carbetocin use in the prevention of PPH after delivery.

Clonal reproduction and natural variation of Populus canescens patches.

Trees growing in their natural habitat represent a valuable resource for elucidating mechanisms of adaptation to environmental constraints. Along the Erqis river, there are various Populus forests, which provide 'natural laboratories' for studying tree ecophysiological responses to their habitat. Reproduction strategies and natural variation of the 'mosaic' distributed Populus canescens patches were studied using a proteomic approach and nuclear microsatellite markers. Clonal reproduction was the primary reproduction strategy of these P. canescens patches. Forty-eight percent of the locations represented in one or two P. canescens patches were identified. In total, 83 different proteins were identified in 118 of 119 protein spots, most of them involved in metabolism. Distinct proteomes and post-translational modifications were found in different P. canescens patches. The differences in the proteomes originate both from the expression of different protein isoforms with the same function and from the differential expression of proteins with different functions, suggesting that different patches might have a functional basis for their adaptation to their environments. Our studies provide a good example of applying proteomics to measure natural variation between patches and will provide a basis for understanding how trees survive through their responses to natural conditions.

Female reproductive success decreases with display size in monkshood, Aconitum kusnezoffii (Ranunculaceae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Reduction in female fitness in large clones can occur as a result of increased geitonogamous self-fertilization and its influence through inbreeding depression. This possibility was investigated in the self-compatible, bee-pollinated perennial herb Aconitum kusnezoffii which varies in clone size. METHODS: Field investigations were conducted on pollinator behaviour, flowering phenology and variation in seed set. The effects of self-pollination following controlled self- and cross-pollination were also examined. Selfing rates of differently sized clones were assessed using allozyme markers. KEY RESULTS: High rates of geitonogamous pollination were associated with large display size. Female fitness at the ramet level decreased with clone size. Fruit and seed set under cross-pollination were significantly higher than those under self-pollination. The pre-dispersal inbreeding depression was estimated as 0.502 based on the difference in seed set per flower between self- and cross-pollinated flowers. Selfing rates of differently sized clones did not differ. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that in A. kusnezoffii the negative effects of self-pollination causing reduced female fertility with clone size arise primarily from a strong early-acting inbreeding depression leading to the abortion of selfed embryos prior to seed maturation.