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Next-generation neutrino telescopes with substantially improved sensitivity are required to pinpoint the sources of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux detected by IceCube and uncover the century-old puzzle of cosmic-ray origins. A detector near the Equator will provide a unique viewpoint of the neutrino sky, complementing IceCube and other neutrino telescopes in the Northern Hemisphere. Here we present results from an expedition to the northeastern region of the South China Sea, in the western Pacific Ocean. A favourable neutrino telescope site was found on an abyssal plain at a depth of ~3.5 km. At depths below 3 km, the sea current speed, water absorption and scattering lengths for Cherenkov light were measured to be vc < 10 cm s−1, λabs ≈ 27 m and λsca ≈ 63 m, respectively. Accounting for these measurements, we present the design and expected performance of a next-generation neutrino telescope, Tropical Deep-sea Neutrino Telescope (TRIDENT). With its advanced photon-detection technology and large dimensions, TRIDENT expects to observe the IceCube steady source candidate NGC 1068 with 5σ significance within 1 year of operation. This level of sensitivity will open a new arena for diagnosing the origin of cosmic rays and probing fundamental physics over astronomical baselines.A South China Sea expedition in 2021 identified a 3.5-km-deep site close to the Equator for a next-generation neutrino telescope: TRIDENT. A large array of advanced detectors will be arrayed on the seabed to probe fundamental physics and explore the extreme Universe.

Tracheophilus cymbius (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae) is a common tracheal fluke of waterfowl, causing serious loss in the poultry industry. However, taxonomic identification of T. cymbius remains controversial and confused. Mitochondrial (mt) genomes can provide genetic markers for the identification of closely related species. We determined the mt genome of T. cymbius and reconstructed phylogenies with other trematodes. The T. cymbius mt genome is 13,760 bp in size, and contains 12 protein-coding genes ( cox 1 – 3, nad 1 – 6, nad 4L, cyt b and atp 6), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one non-coding region. All are transcribed in the same direction. The A + T content is 62.82%. ATG and TAG are the most common initiation and termination codons, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of concatenated nucleotide sequences show T. cymbius grouping in suborder Echinostomata, and clustering together, with high statistical support, as a sister taxon with Echinochasmus japonicus (Echinochasmidae), the two forming a distinct branch rooted to the ancestor of all Echinostomatidae and Fasciolidae species. This is the first report of the T. cymbius mt genome, and the first reported mt genome within the family Cyclocoelidae. These data will provide a significant resource of molecular markers for studying the taxonomy, population genetics and systematics of trematodes.

The present study examined sequence variability in four mitochondrial genes, namely cytochrome c oxidase subunit (cox1), cytochrome b (cytb) and NADH dehydrogenase subunits 1 and 5 (nad1 and nad5), among Bunostomum trigonocephalum isolates from four different geographic regions in China. Ten B. trigonocephalum samples were collected from each of the four provinces (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shaanxi and Yunnan), China. A part of the cox1 (pcox1), cytb (pcytb), nad1 and nad5 genes (pnad1 and pnad5) were amplified separately from individual hookworms by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and were subjected to direct sequencing in order to define sequence variations and their phylogenetic relationships. The intra-specific sequence variations within B. trigonocephalum were 0–1.9% for pcox1, 0–2.0% for pcytb, 0–1.6% for pnad1 and 0–1.7% for pnad5. The A+T contents of the sequences were 69.6–70.4% (pcox1), 71.9–72.7 (pcytb), 70.4–71.1% (pnad1) and 72.0–72.6% (pnad5). However, the inter-specific sequence differences among members of the family Ancylostomatidae were significantly higher, being 12.1–14.2% for pcox1, 13.7–16.0 for cytb, 17.6–19.4 for nad1 and 16.0–21.6 for nad5. Phylogenetic analyses based on the combined partial sequences of cox1, cytb, nad1 and nad5 using three inference methods, namely Bayesian inference (Bayes), maximum likelihood (ML) and maximum parsimony (MP), revealed that all the B. trigonocephalum samples form monophyletic groups, but samples from the same geographical origin did not always cluster together, suggesting that there was no obvious geographical distinction within B. trigonocephalum based on sequences of the four mtDNA genes. These results demonstrated the existence of low-level intra-specific variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences among B. trigonocephalum isolates from different geographic regions.

This study examined sequence variability in internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA among Syphacia obvelata and Aspiculuris tetraptera isolates from laboratory mice from different geographical locations in China. ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 rDNA were amplified separately from adult S. obvelata and A. tetraptera individuals by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the amplicons were subjected to sequencing from both directions. The lengths of the sequences of ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 rDNA from both nematodes were 314 bp and 456 bp, 157 bp, and 273 bp and 419 bp, respectively. The intraspecific sequence variations in S. obvelata ITS1 were 0–0.3%. For A. tetraptera they were 0–0.7% in ITS1 and 0–1.0% in ITS2. However, the interspecific sequence differences among members of the infraorder Oxyuridomorpha were significantly higher, being 54.0–65.5% for ITS1 and 55.3–64.1% for ITS2. Phylogenetic analysis based on the combined partial sequences of ITS1 and ITS2 using three inference methods – Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony – revealed that all the S. obvelata and A. tetraptera samples formed independent monophyletic groups. Syphacia obvelata was closer to Syphacia muris than to A. tetraptera, consistent with morphological classification. These results demonstrate that ITS1 and ITS2 rDNA sequences are useful markers for population genetic studies of oxyurid nematodes.

The requirement of CUL1 for Arabidopsis embryogenesis suggests that Skp1-CUL1-F-box protein (SCF) complexes play important roles during embryo development. Among the 21 Arabidopsis Skp1-like genes (ASKs), it is unknown which ASK gene(s) is essential for embryo development. In this study, we demonstrate a vital role for ASK1 and ASK2 in Arabidopsis embryogenesis and postembryonic development through analysis of the ask1 ask2 double mutant. Our detailed analysis indicates that the double mutations in both ASK1 and ASK2 affect cell division and cell expansion/elongation and cause a developmental delay during embryogenesis and lethality in seedling growth. The expression patterns of ASK1 and ASK2 were examined further and found to be consistent with their roles in embryogenesis and seedling development. We propose that mutations in ASK1 and ASK2 abolish all of the ASK1- and ASK2-based SCF and non-SCF complexes, resulting in alteration of gene expression and leading to defects in growth and development.

Several teaching methods have been used in clinical nursing teaching to increase quality and efficiency, but disagreements over their effects persist. This study will evaluate the effects of five teaching methods in clinical nursing on nursing students' knowledge, skill scores, learning satisfaction, and patients' satisfaction. We will conduct searches in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), China Biological literature database (CBM), Wanfang Database, and China Science and Technology Journal Database (CSTJ) up to April 2022. Relevant randomized controlled trials meeting the eligibility criteria will be included. And the study selection and data extraction will be independently screened for eligibility by two authors. The quality of evidence will be evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis (NMA) will be conducted using Rev Man, Stata, and R software. Statistical analyses including homogeneity tests, sensitivity analysis, transitivity tests, consistency tests, and publication bias will be completed. No formal research ethics approval is required. The results will be disseminated to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. INPLASY2021120040.

Next-generation neutrino telescopes with significantly improved sensitivity are required to pinpoint the sources of the diffuse astrophysical neutrino flux detected by IceCube and uncover the century-old puzzle of cosmic ray origins. A detector near the equator will provide a unique viewpoint of the neutrino sky, complementing IceCube and other neutrino telescopes in the Northern Hemisphere. Here we present results from an expedition to the north-eastern region of the South China Sea, in the western Pacific Ocean. A favorable neutrino telescope site was found on an abyssal plain at a depth of \\(\\sim\\) 3.5km. At depths below 3km, the sea current speed, water absorption and scattering lengths for Cherenkov light, were measured to be \\(v_{\\mathrm{c}}<\\)10cm/s, \\(\\lambda_{\\mathrm{abs} }\\simeq\\) 27m and \\(\\lambda_{\\mathrm{sca} }\\simeq\\) 63m, respectively. Accounting for these measurements, we present the design and expected performance of a next-generation neutrino telescope, TRopIcal DEep-sea Neutrino Telescope (TRIDENT). With its advanced photon-detection technology and large dimensions, TRIDENT expects to observe the IceCube steady source candidate NGC 1068 with 5\\(\\sigma\\) significance within 1 year of operation. This level of sensitivity will open a new arena for diagnosing the origin of cosmic rays and probing fundamental physics over astronomical baselines.

The uncorrelated component analysis (UCA) of a stationary random vector process consists of searching for a linear transformation that minimizes the temporal correlation between its components. Through a general analysis we show that under practically reasonable and mild conditions UCA is a solution for blind source separation. The theorems proposed in this paper for UCA provide useful insights for developing practical algorithms. UCA explores the temporal information of the signals, whereas independent component analysis (ICA) explores the spatial information; thus UCA can be applied for source separation in some cases where ICA cannot. For blind source separation, combining ICA and UCA may give improved performance because more information can be utilized. The concept of single UCA (SUCA) is also proposed, which leads to sequential source separation.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

I NOTE with interest the report that Legislative Councillors will question the administration today as to whether or not the Public Or-...

You reported me as having said (South China Morning Post, March 29) that there was cause for anxiety that the territory's...