Dominant Position Research Articles

Chromosome-scale genome assembly and annotation of the tetraploid potato cultivar Diacol Capiro adapted to the Andean region.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is an essential crop for food security and is ranked as the third most important crop worldwide for human consumption. The Diacol Capiro cultivar holds the dominant position in Colombian cultivation, primarily catering to the food processing industry. This highly heterozygous, autotetraploid cultivar belongs to the Andigenum group and it stands out for its adaptation to a wide variety of environments spanning altitudes from 1,800 to 3,200 meters above sea level. Here, a chromosome-scale assembly, referred to as DC, is presented for this cultivar. The assembly was generated by combining circular consensus sequencing with proximity ligation Hi-C for the scaffolding and represents 2.369 Gb with 48 pseudochromosomes covering 2,091 Gb and an anchor rate of 88.26%. The reference genome metrics, including an N50 of 50.5 Mb, a BUSCO (Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologue) score of 99.38%, and an Long Terminal Repeat Assembly Index score of 13.53, collectively signal the achieved high assembly quality. A comprehensive annotation yielded a total of 154,114 genes, and the associated BUSCO score of 95.78% for the annotated sequences attests to their completeness. The number of predicted NLR (Nucleotide-Binding and Leucine-Rich-Repeat genes) was 2107 with a large representation of NBARC (for nucleotide binding domain shared by Apaf-1, certain R gene products, and CED-4) containing domains (99.85%). Further comparative analysis of the proposed annotation-based assembly with high-quality known potato genomes, showed a similar genome metrics with differences in total gene numbers related to the ploidy status. The genome assembly and annotation of DC presented in this study represent a valuable asset for comprehending potato genetics. This resource aids in targeted breeding initiatives and contributes to the creation of enhanced, resilient, and more productive potato varieties, particularly beneficial for countries in Latin America.

“La destruction est notre manière de bâtir”

Abstract This article examines Quebecois author Kevin Lambert’s debut novel, Tu aimeras ce que tu as tué, a disquieting story of slaughtered children who come back to the Canadian town of Chicoutimi to live normal lives in it before destroying it. The apocalyptic dimension of this tale of destruction lives up to the etymological root of apocalypse, apokalyptein (“to uncover, disclose, reveal” in Greek) by centering the narrative around a revelation of the violence that is inherent to heteronormative culture but occulted by its position of dominance. This violence, which targets the figure of the innocent child, the standard-bearer of heterosexuality in its reproductive futurity, is, through the prophetic rage of the narrator, a child named Faldistoire, turned back upon the respectable adults who stamp out not only the lives of children but their nonnormative desires and impulses—their freedom. The novel puts forth apocalypse as a model for the work of literature itself—revelation that rends normative reality in order to replace it with something else.

A Company Analysis of Apple Inc. Based on its Internal and External Environment

The company analysis of Apple Inc. underscores its dominant position within the technology industry. The research found that the company has a strong brand reputation, innovative products, and customer loyalty. Despite encountering challenges such as market saturation and increased regulatory scrutiny, Apple's strategic initiatives, notably its emphasis on product differentiation and seamless ecosystem integration, coupled with its formidable financial standing, are poised to sustain its upward trajectory and profitability. The findings of this paper portend a bright future for the company, with promising prospects in emerging technologies and untapped market segments. In addition, Apple's unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability not only enhances its operational resilience but also mitigates potential business risks in the long run. Armed with its existing capabilities and resources, Apple is well-positioned to cater to evolving consumer preferences and market dynamics, fortifying its leadership position amidst fierce industry competition and driving continued success. Apple can harness its strengths to solidify its market leadership and navigate the ever-changing landscape of the technology sector with confidence.

Potential of digital technologies in the formation of civic identity in youth environment

Introduction. The civic identity of young people and the search for effective means of educating them is a decisive tool for creating a future at the state level as a legitimate community. Digital space today is considered as a mental subsystem of the collective consciousness of the modern generation. In this context, the aim of this study is quite relevant: to identify the potential of digital technologies in the formation of civic identity among young people. Materials and methods. The main research method was a survey of youth in the Lipetsk region. The study involved 431 respondents aged 14 to 25 years. The respondents were surveyed in March 2024. The study used, firstly, the author’s questionnaire to study the digital participation of young people in the civil-patriotic movement, and secondly, the “Profile of Civil Personal Identity” methodology (E.V. Belovol, S.V. Melkov, E.B. Puchkova). To process the survey results, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 program was used. For statistical data processing, the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis H test was used. Results. Among the youth, the dominant position is that of observers of the development of civil society in the digital space (44%), 29% of respondents take a passive position in terms of digital activism, 27% of respondents take an active position. However, these results are statistically insignificant (Hemp = 3.674 at a significance level of 0.001). Significant factors of digital activism include: age over 18 years (Hemp = 7.349 at a significance level of 0.001), university education (Hemp = 7.125 at a significance level of 0.001) or work activity (Hemp = 7.125 at a significance level of 0.001), urban living environment (Hemp = 8.109 at a significance level of 0.001). Digital resources are in demand among young people to varying degrees, depending on the model of digital activism. Digital activists largely use the resources of non-profit organizations of a civil and patriotic nature, as well as promotions and competitive movements of all-Russian projects. Digital observers limit themselves to turning to the educational content of large government projects “Conversations about what is important”, “Russia – my horizons”, and “Movement of the First.” Conclusion. The possibilities and demand for digital resources with civic and patriotic content are explored depending on the model of digital activism. The results of the study can help improve the effectiveness of educational work with young people, as well as the development of digital resources with civic and patriotic content.

Financial Analysis of China Duty-Free Group under the Framework of Harvard Analysis

Due to the COVID-19 in 2019-2022, global resident home quarantine, the economic downturn has led to lower household consumption levels than those before the epidemic, but with the economic and political policy and regulation and the availability of vaccines. Global COVID-19 is essentially over, at this time, the tourism retail industry is the main driver of economic recovery. In the tourism retail industry, China's duty-free industry is also a giant in the international retail industry. China Duty-Free Group has industry advantages, this article is based on the financial situation of China Duty-Free Group under the framework of Harvard analysis. Through the Oriental Fortune network, The National Bureau of Statistics of China, The China Immigration Bureau, statistic Data analysis on the China Duty-Free Group's environment and financial situation to analyze the development status and prospects of China Duty-Free Group, Conclusion for China Duty-Free Group after COVID-19 and acquisitions this year, the financial indicators in the capital increase have decreased. But this does not affect the dominant position of China Duty-Free Group in the future development, suggestions that China Duty-Free Group should hold the first position in China's duty-free industry in China's future development, from the Asian market to the international market in the global duty-free industry, make the full use of assets to expand their market share in the global tax-free industry.

Why continuing education and professional development trainings for Black and Minority Ethnic groups (BAME) is not translating into career progression, economic growths and bridging the employment gap in the national workforce in UK

The research objective of this study is to understand why continuing education and professional development (Lifelong Learning) the UK has not delivered the expected career advancement, economic returns and closing on the employment gap for Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population. Nevertheless, much funding has been put into such educational programs to improve the condition of the BAME community for career mobility and economic prospects, they remain prejudiced nevertheless. The purpose of this research will be to establish the causes of these disparities with particular emphasis on the system influences as well as the efficiency of the established CPD programmers. The research method of this study is of mixed nature, while qualitative study is followed by the quantitative one. The data was generated through Q<|reserved_special_token_266|> energy questionnaire survey and interviews conducted with BAME professional participants of CPD programs. Second, secondary data were collected from the governmental and organizational reports on diversity in the workforce and career advancement. in qualitative data were coded and categorized to explore the experiences of BAME people as well as measures of central tendency and dispersion were used on quantitative data in order to understand trends and co-relations. The study reveals several key outcomes: Fixed preconceptions arising out of race, scant opportunity to interact professionally, and lack of BAME personnel in dominant organizational positions ensure that BAME learners cannot advance further in their careers despite enrolling in CPD programmers. It has been established that the CPD programs are not very effective, the BAME candidates complained that the training does not make them earn a better position or get a salary increment like the white counterparts. Further, the study reveals that culture and organizations barriers and gates are among the barriers to complete inclusion and effectiveness of CPD BAME employees in their workplaces. The results have various implications for the policy-makers, educators and employers. Therefore, the current study’s findings are particularly important for policymakers to support more effective and sensitive policy measures to help BAME populations in the workplace. The authors recommend that educational institutions need to carry out changes in the content and the delivery of the CPD programs, such that they are appropriate for the BAME participants. Companies are encouraged to come up with better policies on how best to mainstream employees’ ethnicity, and how the promotion policies can be made fair and inclusive. The Authors therefore argue that while the acquisition of continuing, education and professional development are most important in career advancement, they are not in themselves adequate to either close the employment division or foster economic opportunity for BAME people in the UK. There is, therefore, a need for reforms at the system level to remove the social factors that act as hurdles to the actualization of these learning programs by BAME workers. Based on the study, the following policies, collaborative professional development, and organizational development solutions are proposed.

Tongue and jaw movement assessed by 3D motion capture during gum chewing.

The tongue plays an important role in mastication, swallowing, and articulation, but it cannot be directly observed because of its location inside the oral cavity. This study aimed to clarify detailed 3D tongue movements during chewing using electromagnetic articulography (EMA). The participants were 10 healthy, young volunteers (average age 26.8 ± 2.1years; 5 males, 5 females). Tongue and jaw movement during gum chewing was measured and recorded using EMA. Four EMA sensors were attached to the anterior, posterior, left, and right surfaces of the tongue, and one sensor was also attached to the mandibular left incisor. The tongue motion during the chewing cycle was spatially and sequentially analyzed based on the motion trajectories of the tongue and mandible. The tongue moved downward and to the masticatory side in a manner similar to the movement of the jaw. The anterior tongue marker moved downward to a greater extent than the other tongue markers. However, the tongue moved forward as the jaw moved backward. The anterior marker reached the most anterior position during the jaw-opening phase and the posterior markers reached the most anterior position during the jaw-closing phase. Just before maximum jaw-opening, all markers on the tongue reached the bottom lowest position. During the jaw-closing phase, the tongue reached the dominant farthest position in the masticatory side. All the markers reached the most posterior position during the occlusal phase. These findings demonstrate the sequence of tongue motion patterns during gum chewing.

Data Driven Dominance in Digital Markets: Assessing Indonesian Competition Law in the Digital Age

Digital markets and multi-sided platforms are created by the internet, that are characterized by the use of big data as new market power. Big data enabled dominant and digital-based key players such as Instagram and Facebook/Meta to record and forecast their users’ personal data and spending capacity to increase their economies of scale by tailoring updates to the users’ demand. Therefore, big data becomes an essential market share, and its scarcity determines newer entrants’ ability to enter the market and the existing incumbents’ ability to survive by grappling with fast-paced digital changes. This legal morphology benefits data-driven undertakings to elevate their position in the market and achieve enough independence to influence market behavior. On the other hand, multi-sided platforms refer to where a single undertaking sells different products to different types of consumers on different sides of the platforms that affect each other’s demand due to the cross-group network effect. Undertakings often sell zero-price products to one side while imposing the monetary burden and gaining revenue from the other. This situation triggered legal challenges to the calculation of market share necessary to determine a dominant position that is essentially mathematical based. Furthermore, big data and multi-sided platforms stimulate the rise of novel abusive practices in the digital market. This paper will analyze the Indonesian 1999 competition law’s flexibility to deal with these changes by comparing the existing framework on consumer data protection, big data, and multi-sided platforms management to the European Union competition law.

Translation selection and the consecration of Dylan Thomas’s poetry in China

Abstract Dylan Thomas’s poetry can be seen both as minor Welsh literature and world literature. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concepts of field and capital, this article explores the mechanism of translation selection and consecration of Thomas’s poetry in China by using his poetry published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press as an illustrative case study. In so doing, it is argued that the integrated forms of linguistic, economic, and symbolic capital associated with Thomas’s poetry, along with the expiration of its copyright, prompted the publisher to select his poetry for translation to maintain its own dominant position in the Chinese publishing field. The publisher, translator, and other agents have consecrated Thomas’s poetry as world literature in China. This article expands research on inter-peripheral translation flows and ‘sociologies of poetry translation’ and advances interdisciplinary studies of translation and world literature.

The Rule of Reason Approach in Discriminatory Practices: Airlines and Telecommunications Industry Sector

Discriminatory practices are standard in business competition and are not prohibited as long as they do not cause unfair competition. This paper will discuss three Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) decisions in 2020 related to alleged discriminatory practices committed by business actors. The subject matter in this paper is how the actions of business actors can fulfil the elements of violation and how the application of the rule of reason approach in Article 19 letter d of the Competition Law (1999) in the 2020 KPPU Decisions. This research is descriptive normative research. The data used in the book, articles, the new paper analyzed the Competition Law (1999), the Airlanes law (2009), the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (2008, amendments 2016 & 2024), and the Hajj and Umarah Law (2019), as well as interview an expert and KPPU. The interesting findings found that acts of discrimination cause obstacles in vertical business relations in different but interrelated relevant markets and often occur in the essential facilities sector. By using the rule of reason approach, KPPU found that discriminatory practices will be more effective if the business actor is in a dominant position or even occupies a monopoly position. Then, the three decisions in this discussion are equally suspected of violating Article 19 letter d on discriminatory practices. Then, related to the relevant market, the three cases have different markets, and also all three have vertical relationships with other business actors.

Analyzing performance and microbial mechanisms in an incineration leachate treatment after waste separation: Integrated metagenomic and metaproteomic analyses

The absence of food waste after separation poses a significant challenge to incineration leachate treatment, as it decreases the C/N ratio and COD of leachate, greatly impacting the biological treatment process. A one-year in-situ study was systematically conducted in an incineration leachate treatment plant that experienced waste separation, focusing on the variations in carbon and nitrogen removal performance as well as the involved microbial mechanism of the “anaerobic digestion (AD) + two-stage A/O” process. Results indicated that the biodegradability of leachate significantly decreased over time, with COD concentration decreasing by 10 times and the average C/N ratio decreasing from 12.3 to 1.4. The AD process was maintained stable, achieving a COD removal efficiency exceeding 92 %. The nitrification process also remained stable; while the denitrification process was significantly affected, and a nine-fold increase in external glucose addition was required to achieve a nitrogen removal efficiency of 85 %. Metagenomic analysis indicated that comammox Nitrospira (contributing 90 % to ammonia monooxygenase) occupied the dominant position over Nitrosomonas for nitrification due to the low NH4+-N concentration in A/O tanks (<35 mg/L), and Methanothrix was substituted by Methanosarcina for methanogenesis in AD unit. Metaproteomic results further elucidated that the expression of enzymes responsible for denitrification process, i.e., Nir, Nor, Nos (convert NO2− to N2), was decreased significantly, although the expression of enzymes related to glycolysis and TCA cycle were stimulated by glucose addition. The expression of Nar (convert NO3−-N to NO2−-N) remained stable, while the imbalance expression within denitrifying enzymes might have facilitated occurrence of partial denitrification, attributed to the low C/N ratio. The results prove that the function robustness and metabolic versatility were achieved in leachate treatment plant after waste separation but at the cost of the high external carbon resource addition, highlighting the urgent requirement for low-carbon nitrogen removal technologies.

Dissecting Gender Bias: Critical Discourse Analysis of Advertisements in Indonesia

This research aims to identify gender equality issues by deconstructing the meaning of gender equality in advertisements from a feminist perspective through Critical Discourse Analysis. This research uses a descriptive qualitative research design with a Critical Discourse Analysis approach developed by Fairclough, which focuses on three main dimensions: textual dimension (microstructural), text production practice dimension (mesostructural), and socio-cultural practice dimension (macrostructural). Research data were obtained through interviews with informants as well as from advertisements related to gender equality aired on YouTube. Data collection techniques include interviews and the method of free listening and listening (SBLC) with note-taking techniques. The data collected was then analyzed using triangulation and deconstruction methods to reveal the ideology contained in the ad text and compare it with the informants' views. The results of this study show that societal norms often undermine women's abilities and limit women's roles to the domestic domain or as companions to their husbands. This research is expected to provide a deeper understanding of the meaning of gender equality in advertising media and help build a new perspective that is more inclusive and acceptable to society in Indonesia. The phenomenon of gender equality remains a challenge in many countries, including Pakistan and Nigeria, although the approaches and responses to this inequality differ in each country. In Pakistan, gender representations in media and advertising tend to reinforce traditional stereotypes, while in Nigeria, women are more active in fighting inequality through platforms such as blogs, which are used to criticize patriarchy and fight for social change. Deconstructing meaning in advertising allows researchers and academics to critically evaluate whether gender equality always places men in a dominant position over women, thus opening space for deeper analysis and more equitable solutions.

The problems of adapting Antitrust Law to the digital economy

In connection with the Fifth Antimonopoly Package, the author analyzes the effectiveness of new competition law. The aim of the research is to identify the legal and economic consequences of including the term “network effect” and special legal structures for abuse of a dominant position in digital markets in Russian legislation. The study is based on Russian and foreign legislation, materials from judicial practice, and scientific research. The new rules make it possible for the existing legal regulation on the protection of competition to be applied to the phenomena of the digital economy. However, in the digital sectors, prohibiting the abuse of a dominant position contributes to strengthening the dominance of platform operators and the formation of a digital monopoly. This is not entirely consistent with the goals of antitrust regulation. With the consolidation in the provisions of Russian law of the principle of technological neutrality, as well as the design of a public contract, the strengthening of the dominance of platform operators may be restricted. A consequence of the lack of unified terminology in the Fifth Antimonopoly Package and legislation on digital platforms is the unreasonable limitation of the subject composition of the prohibition of abuse of a dominant position in digital markets. The Fifth Antimonopoly package applies to the activities of marketplaces and aggregators, but does not extend to digital ecosystems and digital services in the format of applications, cloud storage, social networks, search engines, streaming services, among others. This limitation will be overcome by applying the general rules on the prohibition of monopolistic activities and unfair competition to digital ecosystems and digital services. The author draws attention to a number of practical problems in applying dominance criteria to the activities of digital intermediaries, focusing on their business model. Conclusions are drawn about the advisability of expanding the subject composition of relations regulated by the new special rules of the Fifth Antimonopoly Package. Legal means are also proposed aimed at ensuring a balance of interests of the dominant digital platform operators and users.

How Can Anomalous-Diffusion Neural Networks Under Connectomics Generate Optimized Spatiotemporal Dynamics.

Spatiotemporal dynamics in the brain have been recognized as strongly related to the formation of perceived and cognitive diseases, such as delusions and hallucinations in Alzheimer's disease. However, two practical considerations are rarely mentioned in related mechanism research: the connectomics networking and the anomalous diffusion generated by the complex medium between neurons and the complex topology of neural networks, respectively. Furthermore, how to optimize the corresponding dynamics behaviors has excellent implications for treating brain diseases. This article first realizes the networking under connectomics for an anomalous-diffusion single-neuron model and applies a nonlinear state feedback control to generate optimized dynamic behaviors, which provides a paradigm of nonequilibrium self-organization driven by anomalous diffusion. Then, by tracing the root distribution of the characteristic equation, some controlled conditions causing or inhibiting Turing instability and Hopf bifurcation are deduced, and the effects of self-diffusion and cross diffusion on Turing instability range are also revealed. At last, thorough numerical simulations are updated to illustrate the results. It is emphasized that delay, self-diffusion, cross diffusion, and fractional order occupy dominant positions in determining the network's spatiotemporal dynamics, and utilizing the control strategy can efficiently reduce Turing instability and delay Hopf bifurcation.

Bibliometric analysis and visualisation of research hotspots and frontiers on omics in osteosarcoma

Background/objectiveOmics technology has become a widely applied biological science that can be used to study the etiology, pathogenesis, and treatment of osteosarcoma(OS). Bibliometric analysis is still blank in this field.This study aimed to access the trends and hotspots of omics in OS research through the bibliometric analysis method.MethodsRelevant articles and reviews from 1999 to 2023 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. The data were processed with CiteSpace, and some graphs were generated with Graphpad, VOSviewer, Scimago Graphica, Bibliometrix and R Studio.ResultsA total of 1581 papers were included. China (569, 36.0%) and the United States (523, 33.1%) took the dominant position in the number of published papers, and the links between countries most frequently occurred between North America and East Asia, and between Australia and Europe. Top institutions with the highest number of publications were almost located in the United States, with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center contributing the most (44, 2.78%). Among the researchers in this field, Cleton-Jansen AM was the author with the highest number of articles in the field (20, 1.27%). According to the keyword cluster analysis, most studies focused on the “comparative genomic hybridization” before 2012. The latest surge words “tumor microenvironment” and “immune infiltration” in the keyword heatmap indicate future research directions.ConclusionOur study provided the current status of the omics research in OS on a global level and the hottest directions. The field of omics in OS was developing rapidly, and the main focuses of research were revealing the characteristics of tumor microenvironment of OS and how to activate the immune system to fight cancer cells. Research on the immune microenvironment and its relationship with genetic aberrations of OS will be a priority in the future.

PENERAPAN PENDEKATAN RULE OF REASON OLEH KPPU DALAM PENYALAHGUNAAN POSISI DOMINAN

This research aims to analyze the application of the rule of reason approach in the abuse of a dominant position and the authority of the KPPU in applying the rule of reason in the abuse of a dominant position. The method used is normative juridical research. The results of this research show that the KPPU in assessing Article 25 of Law No. 5 of 1999 alternatively uses one of the two per se illegal or rule of reason approaches with the aim of efficiency, innovation and consumer welfare

Precipitation changes alter plant dominant species and functional groups by changing soil salinity in a coastal salt marsh

Specific mechanisms of precipitation change due to global climate variability on plant communities in coastal salt marsh ecosystems remain unknown. Hence, a field manipulative precipitation experiment was established in 2014 and 5 years of field surveys of vegetation from 2017 to 2021 to explore the effects of precipitation changes on plant community composition. The results showed that changes in plant community composition were driven by dominant species, and that the dominance of key species changed significantly with precipitation gradient and time, and that these changes ultimately altered plant community traits (i.e., community density, height, and species richness). Community height increased but community density decreased with more precipitation averaged five years. Furthermore, changes in precipitation altered dominant species composition and functional groups mainly by influencing soil salinity. Salinity stress caused by decreased precipitation shifted species composition from a dominance of taller perennials and grasses to dwarf annuals and forbs, while the species richness decreased. Conversely, soil desalination caused by increased precipitation increased species richness, especially increasing in the dominance of grasses and perennials. Specifically, Apocynaceae became dominance from rare while Amaranthaceae decreased in response to increased precipitation, but Poaceae was always in a position of dominance. Meanwhile, the dominance of grasses and perennials has the cumulative effect of years and their proportion increased under the increased 60% of ambient precipitation throughout the years. However, the annual forb Suaeda glauca was gradually losing its dominance or even becoming extinct over years. Our study highlights that the differences in plant salinity tolerance are key to the effects of precipitation changes on plant communities in coastal salt marsh. These findings aim to provide a theoretical basis for predicting vegetation dynamics and developing ecological management strategies to adapt to future precipitation changes.

A coupling numerical model for simulating groundwater uranium removal in coupling device of electric field and PRB

The remediation of groundwater uranium pollution has been successfully researched and implemented. However, the cost-effectiveness remains challenging to evaluate. Numerical modeling presents a potential solution, while the coupling of multi-physics in uranium pollution remediation has been a global challenge. This study developed a multi-physics coupled model to simulate the evolution of groundwater uranium plumes in composite remediation system, which was composed of permeable reactive barrier (PRB) and electrokinetic remediation (EKR). Meanwhile, pH changes are also taken into account. The research revolved around sandbox dynamic migration experiments, where key parameters were measured for model building. Based on this, a mathematical model for achieving multi field coupling has been proposed. Substitute equations were used to unify the calculation of flow field and electric field into the same dimension. The results showed that the pH variations induced by electrolysis propagate towards the center of the electric field. Medium adsorption of uranium reached its peak when the pH was between 4 and 5. The driving force of groundwater flow in the coupled field was about 3.5 times that of electroosmosis, occupying a dominant position. Electric fields can serve as auxiliary means to delay the migration of uranium. Under ensuring the effective operation of the system for 360 days, the system can save 25 % of PRB thickness with the EKR assistance. The model can not only predict evolution of uranium plume in groundwater, but also calculate the performance and lifespan of composite remediation systems, providing guidance and recommendations for the design of real-site remediation systems.

Spatial Correlation Structure and Influencing Mechanism of Development Level of Zero-waste Cities in China

Based on the entropy weight TOPSIS method to measure the development level of "zero-waste cities" in China from 2004 to 2021, the social network analysis method and spatial Durbin model were used to explore the spatial correlation network structure and impact mechanism of the development level of "zero-waste cities." The results showed that： ① The development level of "zero-waste cities" was generally on the decline in the whole country and the eastern and central regions. However, it was on the rise in the western regions. ② The spatial correlation of the development level of "zero-waste cities" presented a core-edge structure, with an overall upward trend in network density and a stable state in the overall network. ③ Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong were at the center and dominant position of the network. ④ Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Jiangsu belonged to the "net benefit" sector； Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong belonged to the "broker" sector； and the other provinces belonged to the "net overflow" sectors. ⑤ The level of urbanization, economic development, technological innovation, foreign investment, environmental regulations, government intervention, and population size had a significant impact on the development level of "zero-waste cities" in local or neighboring provinces, respectively. The research results can provide a reference for the proposal of policies for constructing and coordinating the development of "zero-waste cities" in various regions.

Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) affects the dominant position of three gramineous species by altering defense traits and interspecific competition.

Rodents can cause considerable changes in plant community composition. However, relationships between shifts in species dominance and plant functional traits caused by rodents have seldom been investigated, especially for belowground functional traits. In this study, a set of enclosures was constructed to analyze the effects of 10 years of Brandt's voles' activities on the defense strategies and dominant position changes of three gramineous plants (Leymus chinensis, Stipa krylovii, and Cleistogenes squarrosa) in Inner Mongolia. Here, we measured the dominance, biomass, and fourteen functional traits of three plants. The effects of Brandt's voles on dominance, biomass, and functional traits were analyzed, and then we explored the effect of functional traits on plant dominance by using the structural equation model. Results showed that long-term feeding by Brandt's voles resulted in a significant decrease in the dominance of L. chinensis and S. krylovii, whereas C. squarrosa was positively affected. The belowground biomass of L. chinensis and S. krylovii was higher in the vole treatment, which showed that they were increasing their escape characteristics. The leaf thickness of L. chinensis and the leaf C:N ratio of S. krylovii significantly increased, while the specific leaf area of C. squarrosa significantly decreased. All three gramineous showed increased resistance traits in response to Brandt's voles, which positively affected their dominance. Tolerance-related traits of S. krylovii significantly increased, with the increasing growth rate of root length contributing to enhancing its dominance. We highlight that selective feeding by rodents led to the selection of different defense strategies by three gramineous plants, and that changes in biomass allocation and functional traits in the different species affected plant dominance, driving changes in the plant communities.