Arrangement Of Branches Research Articles

Three-dimensional quantitative analysis of arterial bed and elements of pelvicalyceal system of kidneys in men

The aim of the study was to investigate the patterns of three-dimensional quantitative organization of the renal artery branches in relation to the elements of the renal pelvicalyceal system in men. The study was conducted on 58 corrosion preparations of arterial vessels and renal pelvicalyceal structures obtained from men with postmortem age intervals from 22 to 75 years. As a result of the morphological study, a spatial and quantitative characteristic was given to different variants of renal artery branching, with an emphasis on their transformation into secondary vascular branches classified as zonal arteries. Additionally, a detailed analysis of the topographic and anatomical relationship between the intraorgan arterial branches of the renal artery and the excretory segments of the kidney was carried out, which made it possible to clarify the features of their spatial organization. Knowledge of the spatial arrangement of the arterial branches of the kidney, which directly correlates with the variable features of its renal pelvicalyceal apparatus and excretory system segments, opens the way to predicting potential obstacles during surgical procedures, especially during nephrolithotomy.

An Optimization Algorithm for Embedded Raspberry Pi Pico Controllers for Solar Tree Systems

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems stand out as a promising solution for generating clean, carbon-free energy. However, traditional solar panel installations often require extensive land resources, which could become scarce as the population grows. To address this challenge, innovative approaches are needed to maximize solar power generation within limited spaces. One promising concept involves the development of biological tree-like structures housing solar panels. These “solar trees” mimic the arrangement of branches and leaves found in natural trees, following patterns akin to phyllotaxy, which correlates with the Fibonacci sequence and golden ratio. By adopting an alternative 1:3 phyllotaxy pattern, three solar panels can be efficiently arranged along the stem of the solar tree structure, each rotated at a 120-degree displacement. Optimizing the performance of solar trees requires effective maximum power point tracking (MPPT), a crucial process for extracting the maximum available power from solar panels to enhance the overall efficiency. In this study, a novel metaheuristic algorithm called horse herd optimization (HHO) is employed for MPPT in solar tree applications. Moreover, to efficiently manage the generated power, a cascaded buck–boost converter is utilized. This converter is capable of adjusting the DC voltage levels to match the system requirements within a single topology. The algorithm is implemented using MATLAB and embedded within a Raspberry Pi Pico controller, which facilitates the generation of pulse-width modulation (PWM) signals to control the cascaded buck–boost converter. Through extensive validation, this study confirms the effectiveness of the proposed HHO algorithm integrated into the Raspberry Pi Pico controller for optimizing solar trees under various shading conditions. In essence, this research highlights the potential of solar tree structures coupled with advanced MPPT algorithms and power management systems to maximize solar energy utilization, offering a sustainable solution for clean energy generation within limited land resources.

Molecular phylogenetic analyses support the validity of Ceratiomyxa porioides (Amoebozoa, Eumycetozoa) at species level

The frequently encountered macroscopic slime molds of the genus Ceratiomyxa have long been recognized by mycologists and protistologists for hundreds of years. These organisms are amoebozoan amoebae that live and grow inside and on the surface of decaying wood. When conditions are favorable, they form subaerial sporulating structures called fruiting bodies which take on a variety of forms. These forms are typically some arrangement of column and/or branches, but one is uniquely poroid, forming folds instead. Originally, this poroid morphology was designated as its own species. However, it was not always clear what significance fruiting body morphology held in determining species. Currently, Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa var. porioides, the poroid form, is considered a taxonomic variety of Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa based on morphological designation alone. Despite its long history of observation and study, the genus Ceratiomyxa has been paid little molecular attention to alleviate these morphological issues. We have obtained the first transcriptomes of the taxon C. fruticulosa var. porioides and found single gene phylogenetic and multigene phylogenomic support to separate it from C. fruticulosa. This provides molecular evidence that fruiting body morphology does correspond to species level diversity. Therefore, we formally raise Ceratiomyxa porioides to species level.

Exploration of production capacity-geomechanical evaluation and CO2 reinjection repair strategy in natural gas hydrate production by multilateral horizontal wells

Multilateral horizontal wells (MHW) can enhance gas production by expanding the natural gas hydrate (NGH) decomposition area, but inevitably leading to larger changes in reservoir pressure and rock stresses, causing subsidence or disasters. Therefore, this study established a THMC model that evaluated the production effect and geomechanical response of MHW in Class-I reservoirs with different permeability and proposed a CO2 reinjection repair strategy to achieve subsidence recovery and carbon storage. Results indicate that MHW with vertical branch arrangements performs best in short-term production for low-permeability reservoirs, while the temperature and pressure evolution in high-permeability reservoirs is more drastic than in low-permeability reservoirs, producing many unfavorable factors. Higher capacity also results in larger strata subsidence and stress changes, affecting the reservoir stability and wellbore safety: (i) subsidence occurs mainly in the NGH sediment and the upper zone of the wellbore; (ii) normal stresses around the wellbore increase most significantly in the vertical direction, while shear stresses generally decrease. The repair indicators of subsidence recovery rate, energy recovery rate, and hydrate conversion rate suggest that reinjecting CO2 into depleted NGH reservoirs can improve the mechanical properties of the strata and achieve carbon storage via the hydrate method as well.

A method for identifying and segmenting branches of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees using terrestrial laser scanning

Abstract Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has been adopted as a feasible technique to characterize tree stems while the characterization of trees’ branching architecture has remained less explored. In general, branching architecture refers to the spatial arrangement of branches and their characteristics that are important when exploring the eco-physiological functioning of trees or assessing tree biomass and wood quality. Our aim was to develop a point cloud processing method for identifying and segmenting individual branches from TLS point clouds. We applied a Cartesian-to-cylinder coordinate transformation and a simple morphological filtering for stem surface reconstruction and stem-branch separation. Then branch origins were identified as their intersections with the stem surface, and individual branches were segmented based on their connectivity with the branch origins. The method, implemented in MATLAB and openly available, was validated on a 0.4-ha mature and managed southern boreal forest stand. The branch identification performance was assessed based on visual interpretation of 364 randomly sampled stem sections from 100 Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris (L.)) trees that were inspected for branch identification accuracy. The results showed that the branches could only be identified up to the height where the stem could be reconstructed. For 90% of the trees, this threshold ranged between 59.3% and 81.2% relative tree heights. Branches located below this threshold were identified with a recall of 75%, a precision of 92%, and an F1-score of 0.82. Based on our study, it appears that in a managed Scots pine stand, most of the branches can be identified with the developed method for the most valuable stem part eligible for logwood. The findings obtained in this study promote the feasibility of using TLS in applications requiring detailed characterization of trees. The developed method can be further used in quantifying the characteristics of individual branches, which could be useful for biomass and wood quality assessment, for example.

Developmental Constitutionalism and the Fourth Branch: Ghana’s Independent Constitutional Bodies and the Redress of Poverty and Inequality

Ghana’s Constitution has long emphasised the importance of equality, democracy, human rights and development. These principles are entrenched in a separation of powers framework that includes independent constitutional bodies that operate semi-autonomously from the tripartite executive, legislative and judicial branches. As part of a symposium on so-called ‘fourth branch’ institutions that provide redress for poverty and inequality, this article explores two institutions: the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice and the National Development Planning Commission. The first is a 30-year-old national human rights institution, which monitors and investigates alleged violations of human rights, corruption and the misappropriation of public moneys, and provides redress, partly through its increasing focus on economic and social rights and the claims of the most vulnerable, including women, children and persons with disabilities. The second, currently executive body, is the subject of current calls for constitutional reform in Ghana. These reforms would entrench national development planning to enhance features of autonomy, technical capacity and partisan independence. As such, these proposals offer a distinctive and yet also paradigm-defying model of fourth branch arrangements in developmental constitutionalism, raising questions about the usurpation of policymaking and the deficits of democracy that are commonly raised against courts, international financial institutions or other international economic arrangements.

The sustaining agro-biodiversity through topworking approach: a case of local superior durian conservation on Mount Arjuna

On the slopes of Mount Arjuna there are durian growing areas that are similar to durian forests, and produce a very high diversity of durians. Through the fruit festival, four local durian varieties of good quality have been selected, namely Dupen, Gundul, Tahan and Bawuk. To preserve these varieties, farmers take a top working approach, which replaces unqualified plants with superior varieties. The implementation of topworking in two ways, namely grafting shoot buds and grafting inserts on the trunk of mature plants. The implementation of topworking is carried out by farmers who own the parent tree and non-owners of the parent tree. The results showed that the technique of cutting stems and then grafting shoots was significantly higher than the topworking method of grafting inserts on the trunk of the plant. The success rate of topworking is impacted by the genetic material ownership system. Owners of parent trees consistently perform at a higher level than non-owners, as evidenced by their higher percentage of top working success. The Gundul durian variety, which exhibits a significantly higher percentage of growth than other varieties because the branching arrangement in the tree architecture of the Gundul variety is lower than that of other varieties, demonstrates how the ease of taking enteris also influences the success rate of topworking. This strategy encourages the growth and reproduction of multiple local durian varieties on a single mature plant on the slopes of Mount Arjuna while also enhancing fruit quality by substituting inferior durian varieties with the farmer’s preferred superior durian varieties.

Научно-методические основы подготовки пользовательского интерфейса картографического веб-сервиса на примере данных геологоразведочных работ

The use of web services as a means of accessing thematic geodata can enable improving the support of increasing cameral exploration works related to clarification of poorly explored areas’ geological structure, old oil and gas provinces and complexes with hard-to-extract and unconventional hydrocarbons. The author considers the methodological foundations for preparing web services` graphical user interface. The graph for defining the functional purpose of geodata and its processing method at creating the content is proposed. Guidelines are given to choose the scale level, base and dynamic layers content for the primary web-mapping image depending on the exploration stage and area of interest location. Examples of possible web-service interface structures illustrating the character of web-pages interaction inside a web-service are considered. To formalize the choice of the structure the decision graph was developed depending on the number of survey sites, requirements for publishing thematic geodata on one or more web pages, as well as the need for an initial one as a common window of access to information for individual working groups of specialists. Approbation of web-services, developed on the considered methodological principles, was carried out in the production process of the industrial branch arrangement. The results allowed supplementing the capabilities of specialized software system, reducing the time spent by specialists on comparing different sources of data in a single geo-information space. The proposed solutions can be used at making web-services for other topics

The communication patterns between the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve and the superficial branch of the radial nerve

IntroductionThe superficial branch of the radial nerve (SBRN) and the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve (LACN) are sensory nerves coursing within the forearm in a close relationship. This high degree of overlap and eventual communication between the nerves is of great surgical importance. The aim of our study is to identify the communication pattern and overlap of the nerves, to localize the position of this communication in relation to a bony landmark, and to specify the most common communication patterns. Materials and methodsOne hundred and two adult formalin-fixed cadaveric forearms from 51 cadavers of Central European origin were meticulously dissected. The SBRN, as well as the LACN, were identified. The morphometric parameters concerning these nerves, as well as their branches and connections, were measured with a digital caliper. ResultsWe have described the primary (PCB) and secondary communications (SCB) between the SBRN and the LACN and their overlap patterns. One hundred and nine PCBs were found in 75 (73.53%) forearms of 44 (86.27%) cadavers and fourteen SCBs in eleven hands (10.78%) of eight cadavers (15.69%). Anatomical and surgical classifications were created. Anatomically, the PCBs were classified in three different ways concerning: (1) the role of the branch of the SBRN within the connection; (2) the position of the communicating branch to the SBRN; and (3) the position of the LACN branch involved in the communication to the cephalic vein (CV). The mean length and width of the PCBs were 17.12 mm (ranged from 2.33 to 82.96 mm) and 0.73 mm (ranged from 0.14 to 2.01 mm), respectively. The PCB was located proximally to the styloid process of the radius at an average distance of 29.91 mm (ranged from 4.15 to 97.61 mm). Surgical classification is based on the localization of the PCBs to a triangular zone of the SBRN branching. The most frequent branch of the SBRN involved in the communication was the third (66.97%). Due to the frequency and position of the PCB with the third branch of the SBRN, the danger zone was predicted. According to the overlap between the SBRN and the LACN, we have divided 102 forearms into four types: (1) no overlap; (2) present overlap; (3) pseudo-overlap; and (4) both present and pseudo-overlap. Type 4 was the most common. ConclusionThe patterns of communicating branch arrangements appeared to be not just a rare phenomenon or variation, but rather a common situation highlighting clinical importance. Due to the close relationship and connection of these nerves, there is a high probability of simultaneous lesion.

Hybrid-Magnet Variable Flux Memory Machine With Improved Field Regulation Capability for Electric Vehicle Applications

This article aims to investigate a novel hybrid-magnet variable flux memory machine (VFMM) with improved field regulation capability for electric vehicle applications. Two sets of permanent magnets (PMs), i.e., high-energy-density neodymium–iron–boron PM and low coercive force (LCF) PM, are arranged in a delta array to improve field regulation capability and torque density. The machine topology, key features, and operating principle of the presented machine are demonstrated. Based on the simplified magnetic circuit model, the underlying design tradeoffs of the presented machine are revealed qualitatively. The nonlinear magnetic circuit model of the presented machine taking saturation and hybrid-magnet leakage flux into consideration is built for machine analysis. Electromagnetic performance comparisons are carried out by finite element analysis between the presented VFMM and the existing VFMM. The results show that the presented machine can achieve significantly improved flux regulation capability while maintaining the high output torque due to the improved arrangement of hybrid magnetic branches and enhanced flux concentration effect. Finally, the investigated VFMM is prototyped. The operating principle and predicted results are verified by experimental results.

A numerical investigation of wavy microchannels with secondary branches under non-uniform heating

The maneuverability of flight vehicles and their significant working power cause high non-uniform heat flux in their electrical components. Meanwhile, the package structure of components leads to a hostile heat dissipation environment in which air cooling cannot be realized, and a heat sink with conventional dimensions cannot meet the strong heat dissipation requirement, so the microchannel heat sink (MCHS) has been proposed instead. The mode of secondary branches of microchannel heat sink on the current research was full-opening one crossing the channel wall, the semi-opening secondary branch has rarely been studied yet. Meanwhile, the influences of secondary branches on the flow and heat transfer performance and temperature uniformity of an MCHS under non-uniform heat flux have not been mentioned. Hence, in this paper, a numerical model for a MCHS with secondary branches is proposed to enhance the thermal performance of heat sinks and to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrates. Considering the symmetry structure of the heat sinks, the computational domain is constructed by two parallel sinusoidal channels with secondary branches on the adjacent channel wall. The effects of geometric factors, such as the cross-sectional opening degree and the arrangement of branches on the thermal performance of the heat sinks, are studied. The results show that compared with the conventional wavy MCHS, the secondary branches promote fluid mixing efficiency, enhance thermal performance, and provide dynamic adjustment of the flow distribution. Furthermore, a heat sink with middle semi-opening branches shows superior thermal performance, while the one with interlaced semi-opening branches shows better temperature uniformity of substrate. Meanwhile, an MCHS with secondary branches has a much larger Fc and a smaller Ṡgen/Ṡgen, 0 than those of a heat sink with no branches.

Improved Performance of Latent Heat Energy Storage Systems in Response to Utilization of High Thermal Conductivity Fins

Analytical, computational and experimental investigations directed at improving the performance of latent heat thermal energy storage systems that utilize high thermal conductivity fins in direct contact with phase change materials are reviewed. Researchers have focused on waste heat recovery, thermal management of buildings/computing platforms/photovoltaics/satellites and energy storage for solar thermal applications. Aluminum (including various alloys), brass, bronze, copper, PVC, stainless steel and steel were the adopted fin materials. Capric-palmitic acid, chloride mixtures, dodecanoic acid, erythritol, fluorides, lauric acid, naphthalene, nitrite and nitrate mixtures, paraffins, potassium nitrate, salt hydrates, sodium hydrate, stearic acid, sulfur, water and xylitol have been the adopted fusible materials (melting or fusion temperature Tm range of −129.6 to 767 °C). Melting and solidification processes subject to different heat exchange operating conditions were investigated. Studies of thawing have highlighted the marked role of natural convection, exhibiting that realizing thermally unstable fluid layers promote mixing and expedited melting. Performance of the storage system in terms of the hastened charge/discharge time was strongly affected by the number of fins (or fin-pitch) and fin length, in comparison to fin thickness and fin orientation. Strength of natural convection, which is well-known to play an important role on thawing, is diminished by introduction of fins. Consequently, a designer must consider suppression of buoyancy and the extent of sacrificed PCM in selecting the optimum positions and orientation of the fins. Complex fin shapes featuring branching arrangements, crosses, Y-shapes, etc. are widely replacing simple planar fins, satisfying the challenge of forming short-distance conducting pathways linking the temperature extremes of the storage system.

Aesthetic Analysis of the Regular Style of Sichuan Potted Landscapes in China.

Understanding the Sichuan potted landscapes, one of the five types of traditional Chinese potted landscapes, is important for exploring the development of Sichuan landscape architecture in Southwest China. In this study, we analyzed the shape and aesthetic characteristics of the traditional regular bonsai of the Sichuan style according to trunk features, branch patterns, tree shape, branch arrangement, and branch and plate numbers. Studies have shown that the flat-branch-type branch plate slopes downward and the bottom rises, and the number of branch plates is 2n + 1 (where n is the number of layers of the branch plate, n > 4), which is a proportional sequence. The ratio of the main pile height to the footplate is approximately 1.5:1–2:1, the pot:footplate ratio is <1:1, and the maximum bend:trunk ratio is <1:2. There were extremely significant differences between the length of the foot plate and its adjacent branch and plate length and the distance between the branch and plate. Interestingly, the rolling branch-type plants are characterized by vertical curved branches, oblique curved branches, and curved branches, reflecting the beauty of harmony and symmetry. Overall, the regular-style Sichuan tree potted landscape is mainly characterized by the beauty of rhythm and symmetry.

Identificação dos ramos tributários da veia porta hepática na preguiça-comum, Bradypus variegatus Schinz, 1825 (Pilosa: Bradypodidae)

ABSTRACT Bradypus variegatus, the common sloth, belongs to the Bradypodidae family, being considered a biological model to be applied in multidisciplinary research. This study was developed with the aim of being applied to clinical medicine and to the adequate management of the common sloth. Ten sloths were utilized, obtained post-natural death. The animals were fixed and to obtain the results, they were submitted to the dissection technique. For 80% of the animals, the portal vein originated from five tributaries, which were: the resulting vein from the anastomosis of the cardia vein, fundic vein, and the pyloric branches; the mesenteric trunk; the vein formed by the confluence of the stomach body branches and the cranial portion of the cavity of the cardia; the pyloric vein and splenic vein. While in 20% of the animals, the portal vein was comprised of six tributaries, because the fundic vein and cardia vein form two direct anastomoses, arriving at the portal vein two tributary vessels. This pattern differs in number and arrangement of branches when compared to the main domestic species. Therefore, the hepatic portal system is responsible for the drainage of the stomach, spleen, pancreas and intestines.

On the enhancement of natural convection heat transfer with multi-branching fins

It is numerically investigated if a multi-branching fin would dissipate more heat than a fin having only two branches under laminar natural convection conditions. The study involves varying the number of branches and offset among them, symmetric and asymmetric arrangement of branches and orientation of the fins to the direction of gravity etc. It is found that multi-branching fins perform slightly better (4% higher) than fins having only two branches when gravity acts along the length of the fins. In this orientation highest heat dissipation is achieved for a fin configuration having four branches (n = 4) arranged such that α1 = 100°, β = 66.66° (α1 being the inclination of the first branch and β being the offset among the branches). Though multi-branching fins exhibit poor heat dissipation in two other orientations, the possible next best configurations are envisioned. More importantly, when the direction of gravity acts along the thickness of the fin-stem, asymmetric arrangement of branches (n = 2, α1 = 90°, β = 60°) results in 14.7% enhancement in heat dissipation relative to optimal symmetric arrangement (n = 2, α1 = 70°, β = 140°). It is observed that the average temperature of fins is higher in asymmetric arrangements. The buoyant fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics are explained. The maximum heat dissipated by the fins are 0.69579 W, 0.848 W and 0.837 W in vBhF, vBvF and hBvF orientations respectively.

The shape of trees: Reimagining forest ecology in three dimensions with remote sensing

Abstract How ecologists think about above‐ground forest structure and dynamics is fundamentally shaped by the data we can collect. This has historically been limited to what is possible with simple equipment such as a tape measure, which has often led to the three‐dimensional complexity of the form of trees being reduced to the diameter of a trunk, and perhaps the height of the tree. While simple and pragmatic, this trunk‐centric framework has some obvious limitations, as many of the major processes that influence how trees grow and interact with one another happen up in the canopy. For instance, the structural complexity of individual trees' leaf and branch arrangements and how trees fill canopy space are direct drivers of individual tree and whole‐forest productivity and dynamics, but remain poorly studied because they have traditionally been challenging to measure. However, recent advances in remote sensing and data processing are revolutionising our ability to accurately measure tree and forest structure from leaves to landscapes. Not only do we have access to more accurate data on structure, but we also have data spanning a much broader range of spatial, temporal and ecological scales, and new avenues of research that challenge how we understand forests are emerging. Synthesis. Here, we review the new opportunities these technologies bring us to measure the physical structure of trees and highlight the technological developments needed to maximise their value to the field of forest ecology. Today, perhaps for the first time, how ecologists choose to study above‐ground forest structure and dynamics is limited more by creativity than by what we can measure.

ORIGIN OF THE LEFT VERTEBRAL ARTERY FROM IPSILATERAL COMMON CAROTID ARTERY IN A HUMAN FETUS: CASE REPORT AND BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Although the vertebral artery (VA) is a type of artery with a lot of variations, its origin from the common carotid artery (CCA) is one of the rarities that deserves to be presented.Microdissection of injected arteries in the thorax and neck of human fetuses under the operating microscope was used and documented in the workbook and photos. The origin of the left VA from ipsilateral CCA, and its entry into the transverse foramen of the fourth cervical vertebra (C IV), associated with the normal vascular arrangement of branches of the aortic arch were the main features of this case. Simultaneously, the right VA of normal (subclavian) origin entered the C V transverse foramen. A present case of the left VA−CCA variant is the only one discovered in human fetuses, respectively, in total it is the tenth human case in the literature. However, the future findings could show whether the right aortic arch and the carotid stenosis discovered in half of known adult cases can be possible causal and/or consequent abnormalities of the left VA−CCA variant.

First Report of Root Rot Caused by Calonectria montana on Sugar Beet in Heilongjiang Province, China.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is an important crop that has significant economic value in northern regions of China, especially in Heilongjiang Province. In October 2019, root rot was discovered on the sugar beet cultivar HDW09 in Hulan (126°64' E, 46°00' N), Heilongjiang Province, China. Typical symptoms included lesions on root tissues, which were initially small and dark brownish, then gradually turned into irregular shapes and black in color. As the disease progressed, the extent of necrosis penetrated from external layers into inner tissue. Root tissues suffered from severe decay, which resembles symptoms of several previously reported root rot diseases of sugar beet(Harveson 2006). To identify the pathogen, pieces of the transition zones (3-5mm) between asymptomatic and symptomatic tissues were surface sterilized for 15 seconds in 1% NaClO, rinsed twice with sterilized distilled water， plated on corn meal agar supplemented with penicillin G (50 mg/L), and incubated at 25 ± 2°C in the dark. Isolates belonging to a Calonectria sp. were recovered and purified using the hyphal tipping technique. Four isolates including A1, A5, A6, and A7 were used for morphological characterization and identification by DNA sequencing. The seven-day-old colonies on malt extract agar produced buff and wooly aerial mycelia. They were sienna to umber in color. Chlamydospores and microsclerotia were produced abundantly throughout the medium. For further identification, the isolates were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at room temperature(25°C) under near-ultraviolet light irradiation. Macroconidiophores comprised of a stipe, a penicillate arrangement of fertile branches, a stipe extension, and a terminal vesicle. Stipe extension were septate, straight to flexuous, 61-117 μm long, 2-4 μm wide at the apical septum, terminating in a sphaeropedunculate vesicle, 5-9 μm diam. Conidiogenous apparatus were 31-177 μm long, and 16-110 μm wide(n=30). Primary branches of conidiogenous apparatus were aseptate or 1-septate, 16-51 × 3-7 µm; secondary branches aseptate, 6-31 × 2-7 µm; tertiary branches aseptate, 8-19 × 2-6 µm, each terminal branch producing 1-6 phialides. Conidia cylindrical were rounded at both ends, straight, 32-53 × 3-5 µm, (mean = 47 × 4 µm), 1-septate, lacking a visible abscission scar, held in parallel cylindrical clusters by colorless slime(n=100). Partial sequences of calmodulin (Carbone et al. 1999), histone H3, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha, and beta-tubulin 2 (Crous et al. 2004) genes of the four isolates were obtained and deposited into GenBank under accession numbers MW118652 to MW118667. BLAST results showed that the calmodulin, histone H3, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha and beta-tubulin 2 sequences of A1, A5, A6 and A7 were highly identical to the sequences of Ca. montana strain CERC 8957 MF527082.1 (CAL) (99-100%), CERC 8930 MF527061.1 (HIS) ( 98-99%), HSP4 MN356465.1 (EF1-alpha) (100%) and HSP4 MN356460.1 (tub2) (98-99%), respectively. A phylogenetic tree using the maximum likelihood algorithm and sequences of the four concatenated genes was reconstructed in RAxML and revealed that the four isolates clustered in the clade of Ca. montana. The pathogen was identified as Ca. montana based upon these morphological and molecular traits(Liu et al. 2017; Stępniewska et al. 2020). Ten eight-week-old sugar beet plants without root rot symptoms were selected for pathogenicity test. The roots near the ground were carefully cleaned with hands. One mycelial plug (5 mm in diameter) from a seven-day-old colony of isolate A1 were used to inoculate each sugar beet root. Ten plants inoculated with plugs of noncolonized PDA served as the control plants. Pathogenicity tests were repeated three times. Plants were incubated under greenhouse conditions at 25 ± 2°C and watered when the surface soil appeared dry. All inoculated plants showed symptoms that resembled those in the field after 30 days, while the control plants remained healthy. The symptomatic tissues were plated in corn meal agar for 7 days at 25°C. Ca. montana was reisolated from 100% of the inoculated tissues, and identification was confirmed by molecular sequencing, validating Koch's postulates. This is the first report of Ca. montana in China causing root rot on sugar beet. The study suggests its broader host range and wider geographical distribution than ever known and lays a basis for further monitoring and managing this important pathogen.

A Printed Wideband Squintless Traveling-Wave Antenna

In this letter, a printed wideband squintless traveling-wave antenna is proposed. The antenna is composed of a transmission line, which is loaded with a set of bent branches that are connected to radiators. With branches of different lengths, the main beam can be designed in an arbitrary direction between the backfire and the endfire. Compared with previously published squintless linear array antennas, the proposed antenna owns a novel arrangement of branches, which is compact especially when there are a large number of radiators. The working principle is explained and a prototype of a 16-branch antenna is fabricated for validation. The measurement results show that the direction of the main beam is fixed at 30° ± 2° (measured from the broadside direction) in the range of 9.0-14.0 GHz (with a radiation bandwidth of 43.5%) and the peak gain is 11.0 dBi.

VPB1 Encoding BELL-like Homeodomain Protein Is Involved in Rice Panicle Architecture.

Inflorescence architecture in rice (Oryza sativa) is mainly determined by spikelets and the branch arrangement. Primary branches initiate from inflorescence meristem in a spiral phyllotaxic manner, and further develop into the panicle branches. The branching patterns contribute largely to rice production. In this study, we characterized a rice verticillate primary branch 1(vpb1) mutant, which exhibited a clustered primary branches phenotype. Gene isolation revealed that VPB1 was a allele of RI, that it encoded a BELL-like homeodomain (BLH) protein. VPB1 gene preferentially expressed in the inflorescence and branch meristems. The arrangement of primary branch meristems was disturbed in the vpb1 mutant. Transcriptome analysis further revealed that VPB1 affected the expression of some genes involved in inflorescence meristem identity and hormone signaling pathways. In addition, the differentially expressed gene (DEG) promoter analysis showed that OsBOPs involved in boundary organ initiation were potential target genes of VPB1 protein. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and dual-luciferase reporter system further verified that VPB1 protein bound to the promoter of OsBOP1 gene. Overall, our findings demonstrate that VPB1 controls inflorescence architecture by regulating the expression of genes involved in meristem maintenance and hormone pathways and by interacting with OsBOP genes.