The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a highly destructive polyvorous pest with a wide host range and the ability to feed continuously with seasonal changes. This destructive pest significantly damages crops and can also utilize non-agricultural plants, such as weeds, as alternative hosts. However, the adaptation mechanisms of S. frugiperda when switching between crop and non-crop hosts remain poorly understood, posing challenges for effective monitoring and integrated pest management strategies. Therefore, this study aims to elucidate the adaptability of S. frugiperda to different host plants. Results showed that corn (Zea mays L.) was more suitable for the growth and development of S. frugiperda than wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and goosegrass (Eleusine indica). Transcriptome analysis identified 699 genes differentially expressed when fed on corn, wheat, and goosegrass. The analysis indicated that the detoxification metabolic pathway may be related to host adaptability. We identified only one SfGSTs2 gene within the GST family and investigated its functional role across different developmental stages and tissues by analysing its spatial and temporal expression patterns. The SfGSTs2 gene expression in the midgut of larvae significantly decreased following RNA interference. Further, the dsRNA-fed larvae exhibited a decreased detoxification ability, higher mortality, and reduced larval weight. The findings highlight the crucial role of SfGSTs2 in host plant adaptation. Evaluating the feeding preferences of S. frugiperda is significant for controlling important agricultural pests.

A high-energy pulsed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) solid-state laser at 177 nm with high peak power by the sixth harmonic of a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) amplifier in a KBe2BO3F2 prism-coupled device was demonstrated. The ultraviolet (UV) pump laser is a 352 ps pulsed, spatial top-hat super-Gaussian beam at 355 nm. A high energy of a 7.12 mJ VUV laser at 177 nm is obtained with a pulse width of 255 ps, indicating a peak power of 28 MW, and the conversion efficiency is 9.42% from 355 to 177 nm. The measured results fitted well with the theoretical prediction. It is the highest pulse energy and highest peak power ever reported in the VUV range for any solid-state lasers. The high-energy, high-peak-power, and high-spatial-uniformity VUV laser is of great interest for ultra-fine machining and particle-size measurements using UV in-line Fraunhofer holography diagnostics.

Depression is highly prevalent in haemodialysis patients, and diet might play an important role. Therefore, we conducted this cross-sectional study to determine the association between dietary fatty acids (FA) consumption and the prevalence of depression in maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) patients. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated FFQ between December 2021 and January 2022. The daily intake of dietary FA was categorised into three groups, and the lowest tertile was used as the reference category. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were applied to assess the relationship between dietary FA intake and the prevalence of depression. As a result, after adjustment for potential confounders, a higher intake of total FA [odds ratio (OR)T3 vs. T1 = 1·59, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1·04, 2·46] and saturated fatty acids (SFA) (ORT3 vs. T1 = 1·83, 95 % CI = 1·19, 2·84) was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. Significant positive linear trends were also observed (P < 0·05) except for SFA intake. Similarly, the prevalence of depression in MHD patients increased by 20% (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.01–1.43) for each standard deviation increment in SFA intake. RCS analysis indicated an inverse U-shaped correlation between SFA and depression (Pnonlinear > 0·05). Additionally, the sensitivity analysis produced similar results. Furthermore, no statistically significant association was observed in the subgroup analysis with significant interaction. In conclusion, higher total dietary FA and SFA were positively associated with depressive symptoms among MHD patients. These findings inform future research exploring potential mechanism underlying the association between dietary FA and depressive symptoms in MHD patients.

This study investigates the impact of molecular thermal fluctuations on compressible decaying isotropic turbulence using the unified stochastic particle (USP) method, encompassing both two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) scenarios. The findings reveal that the turbulent spectra of velocity and thermodynamic variables follow the wavenumber (k) scaling law of ${k}^{(d-1)}$ for different spatial dimensions $d$ within the high wavenumber range, indicating the impact of thermal fluctuations on small-scale turbulent statistics. With the application of Helmholtz decomposition, it is found that the thermal fluctuation spectra of solenoidal and compressible velocity components (${\boldsymbol {u}}_{s}$ and ${\boldsymbol {u}}_{c}$) follow an energy ratio of 1 : 1 for 2-D cases, while the ratio changes to 2 : 1 for 3-D cases. Comparisons between 3-D turbulent spectra obtained through USP simulations and direct numerical simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations demonstrate that thermal fluctuations dominate the spectra at length scales comparable to the Kolmogorov length scale. Additionally, the effect of thermal fluctuations on the spectrum of ${\boldsymbol {u}}_{c}$ is significantly influenced by variations in the turbulent Mach number. We further study the impact of thermal fluctuations on the predictability of turbulence. With initial differences caused by thermal fluctuations, different flow realizations display significant disparities in velocity and thermodynamic fields at larger scales after a certain period of time, which can be characterized by ‘inverse error cascades’. Moreover, the results suggest a strong correlation between the predictabilities of thermodynamic fields and the predictability of ${\boldsymbol {u}}_{c}$.

A new species of Moniliformis, M. tupaia n. sp. is described using integrated morphological methods (light and scanning electron microscopy) and molecular techniques (sequencing and analysing the nuclear 18S, ITS, 28S regions and mitochondrial cox1 and cox2 genes), based on specimens collected from the intestine of the northern tree shrew Tupaia belangeri chinensis Anderson (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) in China. Phylogenetic analyses show that M. tupaia n. sp. is a sister to M. moniliformis in the genus Moniliformis, and also challenge the systematic status of Nephridiacanthus major. Moniliformis tupaia n. sp. represents the third Moniliformis species reported from China.

We present a high-energy, hundred-picosecond (ps) pulsed mid-ultraviolet solid-state laser at 266 nm by a direct second harmonic generation (SHG) in a barium borate (BaB2O4, BBO) nonlinear crystal. The green pump source is a 710 mJ, 330 ps pulsed laser at a wavelength of 532 nm with a repetition rate of 1 Hz. Under a green pump energy of 710 mJ, a maximum output energy of 253.3 mJ at 266 nm is achieved with 250 ps pulse duration resulting in a peak power of more than 1 GW, corresponding to an SHG conversion efficiency of 35.7% from 532 to 266 nm. The experimental data were well consistent with the theoretical prediction. To the best of our knowledge, this laser exhibits both the highest output energy and highest peak power ever achieved in a hundred-ps/ps regime at 266 nm for BBO-SHG.

The study presents an adaptive robust control method for the Pendubot subjects to matched and mismatched uncertainty. First, the control task is formatted as a reduced-dimension equality constraint of the system states. To handle the matched and mismatched uncertainties, an orthogonal decomposition method is employed to make the mismatched part disappear after decomposition. Based on the above, an adaptive robust control law based on constraint-following is devised. By the Lyapunov approach, it is rigorously proven that the proposed approach ensures the uniform boundedness and uniform ultimate boundedness of the closed-loop control system and thus renders approximate constraint-following, regardless of uncertainty. Simulation and experimental results are provided and discussed, demonstrating the good performance of the proposed approach.

We report VLBI monitoring observations of the 22 GHz H2O masers toward the Mira variable BX Cam. Data from 37 epochs spanning ∼3 stellar pulsation periods were obtained between May 2018 and June 2021 with a time interval of 3–4 weeks. In particular, the VERA dual-beam system was used to measure the kinematics and parallaxes of the H2O maser features. The obtained parallax, 1.79±0.08 mas, is consistent with Gaia EDR3 and previous VLBI measurements. The position of the central star was estimated relied on Gaia EDR3 data and the center position of the 43 GHz SiO maser ring imaged with KVN. Analysis of the 3D maser kinematics revealed an expanding circumstellar envelope with a velocity of 13±4 km s−1 and significant spatial and velocity asymmetries. The H2O maser animation achieved by our dense monitoring program manifests the propagation of shock waves in the circumstellar envelope of BX Cam.

Astronomy education and public outreach (EPO) is one of the important part of the future development of astronomy. During the past few years, as the rapid evolution of Internet and the continuous change of policy, the breeding environment of science EPO keep improving and the number of related projects show a booming trend. EPO is no longer just a matter of to teachers and science educators but also attracted the attention of professional astronomers. Among all activates of astronomy EPO, the data driven astronomy education and public outreach (abbreviated as DAEPO) is special and important. It benefits from the development of Big Data and Internet technology and is full of flexibility and diversity. We will present the history, definition, best practices and prospective development of DAEPO for better understanding this active field.

Underground Nuclear Astrophysics in China (JUNA) will take the advantage of the ultra-low background in Jinping underground lab. High current accelerator with an ECR source and detectors were commissioned. JUNA plans to study directly a number of nuclear reactions important to hydrostatic stellar evolution at their relevant stellar energies. At the first period, JUNA aims at the direct measurements of 25Mg(p,γ)26 Al, 19F(p,α) 16 O, 13C(α, n) 16O and 12C(α,γ) 16O near the Gamow window. The current progress of JUNA will be given.

The control of cutoffs is of great interest in designs of circular waveguides. In this paper, this topic is investigated for pure transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) modes by taking advantage of anisotropic reactance lining loadings. It is found that the cutoffs of TE and TM modes are determined by the reactance in the azimuthal and axial directions, respectively. When the reactance values are positive, the cutoff frequencies are lower than those of a normal conducting waveguide with the same cross-section. However, in contrast to the claim made in the previous literature that the negative reactance values caused the same reducing effect on the cutoffs as the positive values did, the cutoffs are found to be increased by the negative reactances. The theoretical results are validated by the simulations using commercial software, where a delicate model with an approximate curved anisotropic impedance boundary is proposed for the first time. By lowering the TE cutoffs and raising the TM ones, some intriguing applications, such as single-mode bandwidth extension and degenerate mode avoidance, are predicted, which would pave a way for designs of novel waveguide devices.