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Pepper ( Capsicum spp.) is one of the earliest cultivated crops and includes five domesticated species, C. annuum var. annuum , C. chinense , C. frutescens , C. baccatum var. pendulum and C. pubescens . Here, we report a pepper graph pan-genome and a genome variation map of 500 accessions from the five domesticated Capsicum species and close wild relatives. We identify highly differentiated genomic regions among the domesticated peppers that underlie their natural variations in flowering time, characteristic flavors, and unique resistances to biotic and abiotic stresses. Domestication sweeps detected in C. annuum var. annuum and C. baccatum var. pendulum are mostly different, and the common domestication traits, including fruit size, shape and pungency, are achieved mainly through the selection of distinct genomic regions between these two cultivated species. Introgressions from C. baccatum into C. chinense and C. frutescens are detected, including those providing genetic sources for various biotic and abiotic stress tolerances. Existing genetics and genomics studies of peppers mainly focus on single species. Here, the authors report a pepper graph pan-genome and a genome variation map of 500 accessions from five domesticated species and close wild relatives to reveal their domestication, introgression and population differentiation.

With the increasing demand for crops, the excessive application of fertilizers has gradually become a significant factor affecting water quality. Therefore, studying the relationship between agricultural fertilizer runoff and water quality is crucial for the sustainable development of agricultural production. The present study sets up a new dynamic model of nitrogen fertilizer loss, introducing variables such as precipitation, fertilization application during dry and rainy seasons, and their lagged and interaction terms. The paper analyzed the issue of fertilizer runoff under the complex interactions of various factors, including spatial and temporal scales and climatic conditions, and explored the relationship between agricultural activities and water quality changes in the context of sustainable development. Due to Hainan Island’s independent river system, which is free from transboundary pollution, and its low level of industrial pollution, it provides an excellent sample for assessing the impact of agricultural non-point source pollution on water quality. Based on watershed monitoring data from Hainan Island, this study draws the following conclusions: 1. Precipitation exhibits a pronounced seasonal influence on total nitrogen concentration. 2. Nitrogen fertilizer enters into water bodies through precipitation, resulting in a lag effect on total nitrogen concentration. 3. The influence of grain and tropical crops on nitrogen loss is less significant, while cash crops will trigger the nitrogen overloading of rivers in scenarios where they account for a high proportion of the planting structure of the sown area.

Synthetic Aperture Radar technology is highly convenient for monitoring the glacier surface motion in unfavorable areas due to its advantages of being independent of time and weather conditions. A novel glacier motion monitoring method based on the deep matching network (DMN) is proposed in this paper. The network learns the relationship between the glacier SAR image patch-pairs and the corresponding matching labels in an end-to-end manner. Unlike conventional methods that utilize shallow feature tracking, the DMN performs a similarity measurement of deep features, which comprises feature extraction and a metric network. Feature extraction adopts the framework of a Siamese neural network to improve the training efficiency and dense connection blocks to increase the feature utilization. In addition, a self-sample learning method is introduced to generate training samples with matching labels. The experiments are performed on simulated SAR images and real SAR intensity images of the Taku Glacier and the Yanong Glacier, respectively. The results confirm the superiority of the DMN presented in the paper over other methods, even in case of strong noise. Furthermore, a quantitative 2D velocity field of real glaciers is obtained to provide reliable support for high-precision, long-term and large-scale automatic glacier motion monitoring.

Tenofovir (TDF) and entecavir (ETV) are both potent antiviral agents for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Multiple studies have compared efficacy and safety of these two agents, but yielded inconsistent results. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis to discern comparative efficacy and safety. Published data relevant to a comparison of TDF and ETV used in HBV were included. HBV DNA suppression rate, ALT normalization rate, and HBeAg seroconversion rate at 24 weeks and 48 weeks were reviewed. Drug safety profiles and resistance were also discussed. Seven articles met entry criteria. Four and six articles included data for 24 and 48-week HBV DNA suppression rates, respectively, and no significant differences for the rates between the two drugs were found in chronic HBV patients (TDF vs. ETV: relative risk [RR] = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.91-1.33 and RR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.99-1.17 for 24 weeks and 48 weeks, respectively). For the ALT normalization rate (three studies for 24 weeks, four articles for 48 weeks) and HBeAg seroconversion rate (two and four studies for 24 weeks and 48 weeks, respectively), no difference was observed between TDF and ETV. Additionally, no significant distinction in short term safety was found for CHB patients. TDF and ETV are similarly effective and safe in chronic HBV patients after 24 weeks and 48 weeks of anti-viral therapy. Nevertheless, the long-term efficacy and safety of TDF and ETV should be monitored in prolonged therapy.

This paper examines the economic implications of the tariff increases by the United States and by China during the Trump era trade dispute and the gains from their potential removal. The increases were dramatic, with the US raising tariffs on industrial products by a factor of six – with particularly large tariff increases on intermediate and capital goods – and China increasing its tariffs on US agricultural products more than five-fold. These changes distort trade and production decisions in both countries and undercut the global trading system. They resulted in substantial economic losses to each country, with import volumes reduced by 4.9% in China and 4.5% in the USA, and bilateral trade patterns were massively distorted. Their cost to the United States rose at the end of 2021, when the import expansion provisions of the Trump era Phase One Agreement expired. Negotiating the abolition of these costly and disruptive tariffs would generate substantial real income gains for both countries and help lower US consumer prices.

With the continuous improvement of the prefabricated modular technology system, the prefabricated subway station structures are widely used in underground engineering projects. However, prefabricated subway stations in soft soil can suffer significant adverse effects under seismic action. In order to study the seismic performance of a prefabricated subway station, this work is based on an actual project of a subway station in soft soil. And the nonlinear static and dynamic coupling two-dimensional finite element models of cast-in-place structures (CIPs), assembly splicing structures (ASSs), and assembly monolithic structures (AMSs) are established, respectively. The soil-structure interaction is considered, and different peak ground accelerations (PGA) are selected for incremental dynamic analysis. The displacement response, internal force characteristics, and structural damage distribution for three structural forms are compared. The research results show that the inter-story displacement of the AMS is slightly greater than that of the CIP, while the inter-story displacement of the ASS is the largest. The CIP has the highest internal force in the middle column, the ASS has the lowest internal force in the middle column, and the AMS is between the two. The damage to the CIP is concentrated at the bottom of the middle column and sidewall. The AMS compression damage moves upward, but the tensile damage mode is similar to the CIP. The ASS can effectively reduce damage to the middle column and achieve redistribution of internal force. Further analysis shows that the joint splicing interface between cast-in-place and prefabricated components is the key to controlling the overall deformation and seismic performance of the structure. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the seismic design optimization of subway stations in earthquake-prone areas.

Background Although the expenses of liver cirrhosis are covered by a critical illness fund under the current health insurance program in China, the medical costs associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) related diseases is not well addressed. In order to provide evidence to address the problem, we investigated the trend of direct medical costs and associated factors in patients with chronic HBV infection. Methods A retrospective cohort study of 65,175 outpatients and 12,649 inpatients was conducted using a hospital information system database for the period from 2008 to 2015. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were applied to explore associations between annual direct medical costs and corresponding factors, meanwhile quantile regression models were used to evaluate the effect of treatment modes on different quantiles of annual direct medical costs stratified by medical insurances. Results The direct medical costs increased with time, but the proportion of antiviral costs decreased with CHB progression. Antiviral costs accounted 54.61% of total direct medical costs for outpatients, but only 6.17% for inpatients. Non-antiviral medicine costs (46.06%) and lab tests costs (23.63%) accounted for the majority of the cost for inpatients. The direct medical costs were positively associated with CHB progression and hospitalization days in inpatients. The direct medical costs were the highest in outpatients with medical insurance and in inpatients with free medical service, and treatment modes had different effects on the direct medical costs in patients with and without medical insurance. Conclusions CHB patients had a heavy economic burden in Guangzhou, China, which increased over time, which were influenced by payment mode and treatment mode.

Analyzing geological profiles is of great importance for various applications such as natural resource management, environmental assessment, and mining engineering projects. This study presents a novel geostatistical approach for subsurface geological profile interpolation using a fractional kriging method enhanced by random forest regression. Using bedrock elevation data from 49 boreholes in a study area in southeast China, we first use random forest regression to predict and optimize variogram parameters. We then use the fractional kriging method to interpolate the data and analyze the variability. We also compare the proposed model with traditional methods, including linear regression, K-nearest neighbors, ordinary kriging, and fractional kriging, using cross-validation metrics. The results indicate that the proposed model reduces prediction errors and enhances spatial prediction reliability compared to other models. The MSE of the proposed model is 25% lower than that of ordinary kriging and 10% lower than that of fractional kriging. In addition, the execution time of the proposed model is slightly higher than other models. The findings suggest that the proposed model effectively captures complex subsurface spatial relationships, offering a reliable and precise solution for performing spatial interpolation tasks.

Background: We aimed to determine the accuracy of self-reported diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia in Chinese adults and examine factors that affect the accuracy of self-reports.Methods: This representative cross-sectional survey was conducted in Liwan District, Guangzhou City, Southeast China. Self-reported data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Biometrical data were recorded, including blood lipid, blood glucose and arterial blood pressure levels. Sensitivity, specificity, and κ values of self-reports were used as measurements of accuracy or agreements. The Robust Poisson-GEE was applied to determine the association of participants’ characteristics with the accuracy of self-reports.Results: Self-reported and biometrical data of 1278 residents aged 18 yr and older (693 women and 585 men) were used to calculate three measures of agreement. The agreement between self-reports and biomedical measurements was substantial for both hypertension and diabetes (κ=0.77 and 0.76), but only slight for hyperlipidemia (κ=0.06). Similarly, the sensitivity was higher for hypertension and diabetes (72.3% and 71.2%) than for hyperlipidemia (6.8%), while the specificity was high overall (≥98%). The factors associated with an accurate self-reported diagnosis in respondents with disease included having undergone blood pressure measurement (for hypertension) or blood glucose measurement (for diabetes) in the past 6 month, having attended health knowledge lectures in the past year and having social health insurances (for hypertension), and having undergone physical discomfort in the past 2 weeks (for hypertension and diabetes).Conclusion: The accuracy of self-reported hypertension and diabetes was high, whereas that of self-reported hyperlipidemia was lower among the population.