Genome-based phylogenetics and species delimitation for the narrowly distributed Pachyhynobius salamander (Caudata: Hynobiidae) reveal cryptic biodiversity.

Species delimitation is a challenging issue in taxonomy, especially in the absence of clear diagnostic morphological characters, a particular problem for cryptic species. In recent years, the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, when combined with genomic species delimitation methods such as the multispecies coalescent, has significantly improved the ability to resolve cryptic species. However, traditional methods like Bayesian phylogenetics and phylogeography often result in over-splitting due to their failure to fully consider factors such as gene flow.

CdS-mediated electron dynamics in light-assisted anaerobic digestion: Simultaneous cadmium sequestration and methane enrichment by alkali pretreatment.

The pronounced enrichment of cadmium (Cd) in waste activated sludge (WAS) presents dual environmental challenges through its elevated leaching risks and inhibitory effects on subsequent anaerobic digestion (AD) processes, thereby hindering the safe and sustainable management of sludge. While cadmium sulfide (CdS) as a semiconductor has evidenced photostimulated AD enhancement capabilities, critical challenges persist in simultaneously stabilizing Cd into CdS and improving resource recovery within complex sludge matrices. This study introduces a novel strategy for managing Cd-containing waste activated sludge (WAS) by employing a light-assisted AD process following alkali pretreatment.

Ultrathin Bi-Doped CsAgNaInCl Double Perovskite Nanoplatelets with Stokes-Shifted Photoluminescence.

We report the synthesis of ultrathin Bi-doped CsAgNaInCl nanoplatelets (NPLs) through control of the ligand and metal carboxylate concentrations. These ultrathin NPLs, with thickness down to 2.8 nm, exhibit photoluminescence with larger Stokes shift compared to previously reported double perovskite materials of similar kind, which we attribute to greater exciton binding energy and enhanced exciton-phonon coupling in NPLs when their thickness approaches the exciton Bohr diameter.

Population Genomic Analysis Provides Insights Into the Evolution and Conservation of Two Critically Endangered Musk Deer Species.

Musk deer (), the sole genus in the family Moschidae, are critically endangered and face an uncertain future due to the limited understanding of their taxonomy, evolutionary history, genetic load, and adaptive evolution. These knowledge gaps hinder conservation efforts at crucial stages. Here, we conducted a comprehensive conservation genomic analysis by sequencing eight genomes and integrating public data from 15  individuals.

Enhanced Gene Delivery and Expression using Intraosseous Injection of Chitosan Nanoparticles Encapsulated Adenine Base Editor Plasmids.

The delivery of exogenous plasmids into experimental animals is crucial in biomedical research, including the investigation of gene functions, the elucidation of disease mechanisms, and the assessment of drug efficacy. However, the transfection efficiency of the current method is relatively low, and the introduction of plasmids for long-term gene expression may be affected by the immune system. To address these limitations, we developed and investigated a novel method that utilizes chitosan to encapsulate adenine base editor (ABE) plasmids and then directly deliver the complex to the bone marrow of mice by intraosseous injection.

Highly tunable rotationally symmetric multi-band terahertz absorber with enhanced sensing capabilities.

In this study, we propose a novel multi-band absorber structure with exceptional tunability and high performance, aimed at applications in biosensing and medical diagnostics. The absorber consists of a three-layer design, including a gold bottom layer, a silicon dioxide middle layer, and a DSM top layer. The device achieves polarization insensitivity through a rotationally symmetric design, as verified by simulations under varying polarization angles.

A novel target-oriented enhanced infrared camera trap data screening method.

Infrared Camera Traps (ICTs) are widely used in ecological research as a noninvasive wildlife monitoring technique, particularly for the detection and identification of animal targets. Existing ICT data screening methods face challenges in recognizing animals against complex backgrounds, particularly fast-moving or small targets. To address these issues, we proposed a target-oriented enhanced data-screening method called GFD-YOLO, which emphasized key locations in images to effectively guide the focus of the model toward target regions, thereby improving detection accuracy.

Genomic insights and the conservation potential of captive breeding: The case of Chinese alligator.

Despite 40 years of conservation of the critically endangered Chinese alligator (), the genomic underpinnings of its status remained uncharted. Genome sequencing data of 244 individuals uncovered relatively low overall genomic diversity/heterozygosity and long runs of homozygosity, with captive populations exhibiting higher heterozygosity and smaller inbreeding coefficients compared to wild individuals. The decreased level of inbreeding in the captive population demonstrates the contribution of the large captive breeding population.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Wildlife in Huangshan Scenic Area, Anhui Province, China.

Human activities impact ecosystems globally, and understanding human-wildlife coexistence is crucial for species conservation. This study analyzed trends in local wildlife populations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess their response to human disturbance. From 2017 to 2022, 60 camera sites were monitored, and seven species with the largest population size-excluding rodents-were selected for analysis.

Natural History and Clinical Outcomes of Patients With Variant-Related Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Genetic variants in desmosomal cadherins, desmoglein 2 () and desmocollin 2 (), cause a distinct form of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), which remains poorly reported. In this study, we aimed to provide a comprehensive description of the phenotypic expression, natural history, and clinical outcomes of patients with this ARVC subset.

Methods: Genetic and clinical data of and variant carriers were collected from 5 countries in Europe and Asia.

Periodontitis-related myocardial fibrosis by expansion of collagen-producing SiglecF+ neutrophils.

Backgrounds And Aims: Patients with periodontitis (PD) are prone to developing myocardial infarction (MI), yet the prognosis and mechanisms remain unclear. Given the presumed close association of neutrophils with both conditions, this study aims to elucidate the roles of neutrophils in mediating the interaction between PD and MI.

Methods: Three prospective cohorts and PD + MI mouse model were investigated to assess the effects of PD on MI prognosis.

The Spatial Relationship Between Two Sympatric Pheasant Species and Various Human Disturbance Activities.

Establishing and managing nature reserves to mitigate wildlife habitat loss and fragmentation is challenging, particularly in the face of increasing human activity. To understand how wildlife coexists in environments affected by anthropogenic disturbances, we conducted a 19-month survey examining the Reeves's pheasant () and Koklass pheasant () in the Anhui Tianma National Nature Reserve, China. Previous studies of large terrestrial birds focused primarily on livestock impacts, with less attention given to other human activities.

Chromosome-Level Genome Assembly of Five Emberiza Species Reveals the Genomic Characteristics and Intrinsic Drivers of Adaptive Radiation.

Emberiza buntings (Aves: Emberizidae) exhibit extensive diversity and rapid diversification within the Old World, particularly in the eastern Palearctic, making them valuable models for studying rapid radiation among sympatric species. Despite their ecological and morphological diversity, there remains a significant gap in understanding the genomic underpinnings driving their rapid speciation. To fill this gap, we assembled high-quality chromosome-level genomes of five representative Emberiza species (E.

CsPbBr Superstructures with Circularly Polarized Photolumines-Cence Obtained by the Self-Assembly and Annealing of Nanoclusters.

We report a two-step approach to fabricate CsPbBr superstructures with strongly circularly polarized photoluminescence by self-assembly of nanoclusters on a substrate, followed by their annealing. In the first step, the nanoclusters self-assemble upon solvent evaporation, a process that forms mesoscopic superstructures whose geometrical arrangement at the μm-scale confers them optical chirality. In the second step, mild annealing of such superstructures induces the coalescence of the nanoclusters, accompanied by a continuous red shift of the photoluminescence up to 530 nm, with preservation of the μm-scale wires bundles and the chiral properties of the sample (g=0.

A new prediction model for sustained ventricular tachycardia in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inherited cardiomyopathy characterized by high risks of sustained ventricular tachycardia (sVT) and sudden cardiac death. Identifying patients with high risk of sVT is crucial for the management of ACM.

Methods: A total of 147 ACM patients were retrospectively enrolled in the observational study and divided into training and validation groups.

Additive-Driven Enhancement of Crystallization: Strategies and Prospects for Boosting Photoluminescence Quantum Yields in Halide Perovskite Films for Light-Emitting Diodes.

Halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) hold great potential for applications in displays and lighting. To enhance the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of PeLEDs, it is crucial to boost the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of the perovskite films. The use of additives has emerged as a powerful chemical strategy to control the crystallization process in solution-processed perovskite films.

Efficient Quasi-2D Perovskite Based Blue Light-Emitting Diodes with Carbon Dots Modified Hole Transport Layer.

Quasi-2D perovskites based blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) suffer from its poor electroluminescence performance, mainly caused by the nonradiative recombination in in defect-rich low- phases and the unbalanced hole-electron injection in the device. Here, we developed a highly efficient quasi-2D perovskite based sky-blue LEDs behaving recorded external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 21.07% by employing carbon dots (CDs) as additives in the hole transport layer (HTL).

A Robust Anti-Thermal-Quenching Phosphor Based on Zero-Dimensional Metal Halide RbInCl:Sb.

High-power phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (hp-WLEDs) have been widely involved in modern society as outdoor lighting sources. In these devices, due to the Joule effect, the high applied currents cause high operation temperatures (>500 K). Under these conditions, most phosphors lose their emission, an effect known as thermal quenching (TQ).

A New Species of the Genus (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from the Dabie Mountains, China.

This study describes a novel species of (Squamata: Gekkonidae) based on its distinct morphological features and molecular evidence, which was identified in the Dabie Mountains on the border of Anhui and Henan provinces of Central China. could be distinguished from its congeners owing to its morphological characteristics, such as being a medium body sized gecko species (snout-vent length, 56.98-64.

Microplastics induced the differential responses of microbial-driven soil carbon and nitrogen cycles under warming.

The input of microplastics (MPs) and warming interfere with soil carbon (C) or nitrogen (N) cycles. Although the effects of warming and/or MPs on the cycles have been well studied, the biological coupling of microbial-driven cycles was neglected. Here, the synergistic changes of the cycles were investigated using batch incubation experiments.

Comparative phylogeography reveals dissimilar genetic differentiation patterns in two sympatric amphibian species.

Global climate change is expected to have a profound effect on species distribution. Due to the temperature constraints, some narrow niche species could shift their narrow range to higher altitudes or latitudes. In this study, we explored the correlation between species traits, genetic structure, and geographical range size.

Consistency in responses to conspecific advertisement calls with various signal-to-noise ratios in both sexes of the Anhui tree frog.

Environmental noise has a significant negative impact on acoustic communication in most situations, as it influences the production, transmission, and reception of acoustic signals. However, how animals respond to conspecific sounds when there is interference from environmental noise, and whether males and females display convergent behavioral responses in the face of noise masking remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of conspecific male advertisement calls with different signal-to-noise ratios on male-male competition and female choice in the Anhui tree frog using playback and phonotaxis experiments, respectively.

The significance of heart rate variability in patients with frequent premature ventricular complex originating from the ventricular outflow tract.

Background: As an indicator of cardiac autonomic nervous activity, heart rate variability (HRV) is closely linked to premature ventricular complexes (PVCs). However, its role in patients with frequent PVCs originating from the ventricular outflow tract remains unclear.

Hypothesis: Here, we hypothesize that there may be alterations in HRV among patients with frequent PVCs originating from the ventricular outflow tract, which could play significant roles in the management of such patients.

Facet-Defect Tolerant Bi-Doped CsAgNaInCl Nanoplatelets with a Near-Unity Photoluminescence Quantum Yield.

We report the colloidal synthesis of Bi-doped CsAgNaInCl double perovskite nanoplatelets (NPLs) exhibiting a near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), a record emission efficiency for nanoscale lead-free metal halides. A combination of optical spectroscopies revealed that nonradiative decay processes in the NPL were suppressed, indicating a well-passivated surface. By comparison, nanocubes with the same composition and surface ligands as the NPLs had a PLQY of only 40%.