The newly collected imaginal materials of the species Neoephemera projecta Zhou and Zheng, 2001 from Southwestern China, which is linking the other genera of the family Neoephemeridae, are described ...in detail. Nymphs are also photographed for the first time. The morphology of this species shows some characters of the other genera in Neoephemeridae and several autapomorphies. However, most characters can be seen as plesiomorphies of the family. Specifically, the dorsal-oriented fimbriate gills, projected frons and slim labial palpi in nymphs plus large reddishly pigmented wings, many crossveins, 4-segmented forceps with a relatively long basal segment, fused penes and unforked anal vein show that this species is closer to the taxon Fossoriae rather than to the previously considered Potamanthidae. To reflect its primitive position, a new genus, Pulchephemera Zhou gen. n., is established for this species, Pulchephemera projecta comb. n. Its eggs and observed biology are also described.
Mayflies of the family Neoephemeridae are widespread in the Holarctic and Oriental regions, and its phylogenetic position is still unstable in the group Furcatergalia (mayflies with fringed gills). ...In the present study, we determined the complete mitogenomes of two species, namely
and
, of this family. The lengths of two mitogenomes were 15,274 bp and 16,031 bp with an A + T content of 73.38% and 73.07%, respectively. Two neoephemerid mitogenomes had a similar gene size, base composition, and codon usage of protein-coding genes (PCGs), and the sequenced gene arrangements were consistent with the putative ancestral insect mitogenomes as understood today. The most variable gene of Furcatergalia mitogenomes was ND2, while the most conserved gene was COI. Meanwhile, the analysis of selection pressures showed that ND6 and ATP8 exhibited a relaxed purifying selection, and COI was under the strongest purifying selection. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed based on two concatenated nucleotide datasets using both maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) estimations yielded robust identical topologies. These results corroborated the monophyly of seven studied families and supported the family Leptophlebiidae as being of the basal lineage of Furcatergalia. Additionally, the sister-group relationship of Caenidae and Neoephemeridae was well supported. Methodologically, our present study provides a general reference for future phylogenetic studies of Ephemeroptera at the mitogenome level.
has brightly colored wings and releases toxic cyanide as a defense against predation. At present, the molecular phylogenetic status of this species is still unclear. Here, we presented the first ...complete mitochondrial genome of the genus
, which was assembled from data generated using a genome skimming method. The assembled mitogenome was 15,197 bp in length and consists of 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, and a control region. Phylogenetic analysis based on both maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) revealed that
was most closely related to
.
Epeorus Eaton, 1881 is a diverse mayfly genus in Heptageniidae comprising more than 100 species which are further divided into nine subgenera and several species groups. However, the classification ...and the phylogenetic relationships among them are still uncertain. Here, 15 complete mitochondrial genomes of Epeorus were sequenced and compared together with six available ones of same genus in the NCBI database. Based on morphological classification, the 21 mitogenomes were classified into six subgenera (Proepeorus, Epeorus s.str., Belovius, Iron, Caucasiron and Siniron) and four species groups (G1, G2, montanus and longimanus). Among all analyzed mitogenomes, the gene rearrangement of trnI-trnM-trnQ-NCR-ND2 was first found occurring in three species of group G1, whereas the gene block trnI-trnM-trnQ-trnM-ND2 was observed in all other mitogenomes of Epeorus. Furthermore, the genetic composition and codon usage of species in group G1 were also significantly different from all other Epeorus species, except group longimanus. The intergenic spacer between trnA and trnR, which has the stem-loop secondary structure, occurred in all 21 mitogenomes, and the sequences of stems and loops were conserved within species groups. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analyses strongly support the monophyly of all species groups, although three of six recognized subgenera Proepeorus, Belovius, and Iron, were shown as the non-monophyletic groups.
In view of the deficiency of the quasi-steady galloping critical wind speed calculation method based on the classical Den Hartog criterion, this paper proposes a quasi-steady galloping stability ...analysis method that considers the wind attack angle criterion (dCV/dα) through theoretical analysis. Firstly, the tri-component force coefficients of a square-section model were measured through wind tunnel tests, and the galloping force coefficients calculated with three different galloping criteria (the dCV/dα criterion, Den Hartog criterion, and Xie criterion) were compared and analyzed. Secondly, to further verify the reliability and applicability of the criteria proposed in this study, wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations were conducted on an H-shaped section. The verification results of the H-shaped section showed that under the action of the incoming flow at a large angle of attack of 70°, the maximum error of the classic Den Hartog criterion could reach about 44%. This study used the dCV/dα criterion while considering the large angle of attack of the incoming flow, and its calculation error could be controlled within 10%. At the same time, the numerical simulation showed that there was serious aerodynamic instability in this section under the critical wind speed. A pair of periodic vortex structures were formed in the wake region of the H-shaped section, resulting in constant generation and separation phenomena, which induced structural instability.
The monotypic family Deuterophlebiidae of China was recorded twice previously from far northwest upon adults, the most parts of this country have not been investigated, leaving a huge blank of ...knowledge on their morphology, diversity, biology, or distribution. After deliberated collecting and rearing in recent years, we obtained more than one thousand specimens of Deuterophlebiidae, they are classified into five new species herein: Deuterophlebia sinensis sp. nov., D. yunnanensis sp. nov., D. wuyiensis sp. nov., D. acutirhina sp. nov. and D. alata sp. nov. Detailed descriptions and photographs of gathered life stages are given for these new species. Adults of them can be identified by chaetotaxy and length ratio of flagellomeres and legs, microtrichia on postgena and shape of their clypeus, pupae can be recognized by thoracic spines and abdominal chitin bands, and larvae can be separated by setae on thorax and abdomen. Genetic distances between species are 0.086–0.175 based on their COI genes. This contribution represents the first database of the enigmatic Deuterophlebiidae from China and shows a new distribution pattern of Deuterophlebia. In addition, the discovery throws some light on the origin and biogeography of the genus and family.
This paper studied the joint probability distribution of wind speed, wind direction, and wind height. The measured wind field data of a coastal plain in Zhongshan city, Guangdong Province, China, ...were taken as the research object. A three-dimensional joint distribution modeling method, based on the copula function and the AL (angular–linear) model, is proposed. Firstly, the wind speed is modeled by the common distribution model, and the Weibull distribution is selected. Secondly, the mvM (mixed von Mises distribution) was used to fit the wind direction probability density, and the joint distribution of wind speed and wind direction was established based on the AL model. Finally, a three-dimensional joint distribution model of wind speed, wind direction, and height was established by considering the effect of height through the copula function. The results showed that Weibull distribution can better describe the wind speed distribution in this region. The north–south wind prevailed in this region, and the probability of the main wind direction decreased with the increase in height. The joint distribution of wind speed and direction, based on the AL model, fitted well with the measured data, and the final three-dimensional distribution model had a good fitting effect.
Home range estimation is the basis of ecology and animal behavior research. Some popular estimators have been presented; however, they have not fully considered the impacts of terrain and obstacles. ...To address this defect, a novel estimator named the density-based fuzzy home range estimator (DFHRE) is proposed in this study, based on the active learning method (ALM). The Euclidean distance is replaced by the cost distance-induced geodesic distance transformation to account for the effects of terrain and obstacles. Three datasets are used to verify the proposed method, and comparisons with the kernel density-based estimator (KDE) and the local convex hulls (LoCoH) estimators and the cross validation test indicate that the proposed estimator outperforms the KDE and the LoCoH estimators.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an important risk factor for ischemic stroke in developing countries. Observational data on its characteristics and influence on outcome or recurrence of ischemic ...stroke are scarce. We aimed to investigate proportions, characteristics, functional outcome, and recurrence of acute ischemic stroke patients with RHD in a hospitalized Chinese population.
We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke who were admitted within 1 month of stroke onset from January 2003 to February 2007, into the analysis. Clinical characteristics such as age, gender, risk factors, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on admission were investigated. Basic characteristics, functional outcomes, and recurrence were compared between RHD group and nonRHD group.
Of the 1638 cases included, RHD was present in 130 patients (7.9%). RHD patients, compared with those without RHD, were younger, more frequently female, and more often had experienced atrial fibrillation and higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score on admission (all P<0.006). After adjustment for age, sex, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on admission, the death risk in patients with RHD was 2.0-fold higher at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year compared with patients without RHD (all P<0.013). Compared with patients without RHD, those with RHD showed a significantly higher cumulative recurrence rate (13.6% vs 6.0%; P=0.001, log rank test) by 1-year cumulative recurrent curves.
Stroke attributable to RHD is still common in the Chinese population. RHD was associated with 2-fold increased risk of death and 1-fold increased risk of recurrence in stroke patients.
Soil-derived dust emissions have been widely associated with health and environmental problems and should therefore be accurately and reliably estimated and assessed. Of these emissions, the ...inhalable PM10 and PM2.5 are difficult to estimate. Consequently, to calculate PM10 and PM2.5 emissions from soil erosion, an approach based on an artificial neural network (ANN) model which provides a multilayered, fully connected framework that relates input parameters and outcomes was proposed in this study. Owing to the difficulty in obtaining the actual emissions of soil-derived PM10 and PM2.5 over a broad area, the PM10 and PM2.5 simulated results of the ANN model were compared with the published results simulated by the widely used wind erosion prediction system (WEPS) model. The PM10 and PM2.5 emission results, based on the WEPS, agreed well with the field data, with R2 values of 0.93 and 0.97, respectively, indicating the potential for using the WEPS results as a reference for training the ANN model. The calculated r, RMSE and MAE for the results simulated by the WEPS and ANN were 0.78, 3.37 and 2.31 for PM10 and 0.79, 1.40 and 0.91 for PM2.5, respectively, throughout Southern Xinjiang. The uncertainty of the soil-derived PM10 and PM2.5 emissions at a 95% CI was (−66–106%) and (−75–108%), respectively, in 2016. The results indicated that by using parameters that affect soil erodibility, including the soil pH, soil cation exchange capacity, soil organic content, soil calcium carbonate, wind speed, precipitation and elevation as input factors, the ANN model could simulate soil-derived particle emissions in Southern Xinjiang. The results showed that when the study domain was reduced from the entire Southern Xinjiang region to its five administrative divisions, the performance of the ANN improved, producing average correlation coefficients of 0.88 and 0.87, respectively, for PM10 and PM2.5. The performances of the ANN differed by study period, with the best result obtained during the sand period (March to May) followed by the nonheating (June to October) and heating periods (November to February). Wind speed, precipitation and soil calcium carbonate were the predominant input factors affecting particle emissions from wind erosion sources. The results of this study can be used as a reference for the wind erosion prevention and soil conservation plans in Southern Xinjiang.
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