The study aims were to present in vitro susceptibilities of clinical isolates from Gram-negative bacteria bloodstream infections (GNBSI) collected in China. GNBSI isolates were collected from 18 tertiary hospitals in 7 regions of China from 2018 to 2020. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were assessed using a Trek Diagnostic System. Susceptibility was determined using CLSI broth microdilution, and breakpoints were interpreted using CLSI M100 (2021). A total of 1,815 GNBSI strains were collected, with E. coli (42.4%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (28.6%) being the most prevalent species, followed by P. aeruginosa (6.7%). Susceptibility analyses revealed low susceptibilities (<40%) of ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumonia to third-/fourth-generation cephalosporins, monobactamases, and fluoroquinolones. High susceptibilities to colistin (95.0%) and amikacin (81.3%) were found for K. pneumoniae, while Acinetobacter baumannii exhibited a high susceptibility (99.2%) to colistin but a low susceptibility to other antimicrobials (<27.5%). Isolates from ICUs displayed lower drug susceptibility rates of K. pneumoniae and A. baumannii than isolates from non-ICUs (all P < 0.05). Carbapenem-resistant and ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae detection was different across regions (both P < 0.05). E. coli and K. pneumoniae were major contributors to GNBSI, while A. baumannii exhibited severe drug resistance in isolates obtained from ICU departments.

Acoustic resonances in cascade structures may cause structural damage and instability problems in aero-engines and other industrial plants; thus, developing corresponding prediction methods is important. However, works published in the open literature mostly focus on the special case of the stationary Parker modes and provide little knowledge into the rotating resonances in annular cascades, especially in the presence of non-zero background mean flows. This paper develops a three-dimensional semi-analytic model to study the acoustic resonances in an annular cascade in the presence of axial mean flow. The model applies an unsteady cascade response based on the three-dimensional lifting surface method to construct a matrix equation. Characteristic frequencies are solved in the complex domain by numerically searching for singular points. Both the oscillation frequency and the growth rate of the three-dimensional resonance modes are theoretically calculated for the first time under non-zero mean flow conditions. The results reveal an organised distribution with varying inter-blade phase angle and show obvious change with the background flow speed. It is found that the unsteady vortex shedding from the trailing edges of the cascade is a key factor influencing the dissipation rate of the resonance modes. In addition, the important effects of acoustic scattering by the cascade during resonances are examined, which qualitatively corroborate some previous experimental observations.

We study the last exit time that a spectrally negative Lévy process is below zero until it reaches a positive level b, denoted by $g_{\tau_b^+}$. We generalize the results of the infinite-horizon last exit time explored by Chiu and Yin (2005) by incorporating a random horizon $\tau_b^+$, which represents the first passage time above b. We derive an explicit expression for the joint Laplace transform of $g_{\tau_b^+}$ and $\tau_b^+$ by utilizing a hybrid observation scheme approach proposed by Li, Willmot, and Wong (2018). We further study the optimal prediction of $g_{\tau_b^+}$ in the $L_1$ sense, and find that the optimal stopping time is the first passage time above a level $y_b^{\ast}$, with an explicit characterization of the stopping boundary $y_b^{\ast}$. As examples, Brownian motion with drift and the Cramér–Lundberg model with exponential jumps are considered.

Ridge B is one of the least studied areas in Antarctica but has been considered to be a potential location for the oldest ice on Earth. Among important parameters for calculating where very old ice may exist, geothermal heat flux (GHF) is critical but poorly understood. Here, GHF is determined by quantifying the transitions between dry and wet basal conditions using a radioglaciological method applied to airborne radio-echo sounding data. GHF is then constrained by a thermodynamic model matched to the transitions. The results show that GHF in Ridge B varies locally and ranges from 48.5 to 65.1 mW m−2, with an average value of 58.0 mW m−2, which is consistent with the current known GHF constrained by subglacial lakes and derived from Vostok ice core temperature measurements. Our work highlights the value of considering local GHF when locating the oldest ice in this potential region or other regions.

Multilayer dielectric gratings (MLDGs) are crucial for pulse compression in picosecond–petawatt laser systems. Bulged nodular defects, embedded in coating stacks during multilayer deposition, influence the lithographic process and performance of the final MLDG products. In this study, the integration of nanosecond laser conditioning (NLC) into different manufacturing stages of MLDGs was proposed for the first time on multilayer dielectric films (MLDFs) and final grating products to improve laser-induced damage performance. The results suggest that the remaining nodular ejection pits introduced by the two protocols exhibit a high nanosecond laser damage resistance, which remains stable when the irradiated laser fluence is more than twice the nanosecond-laser-induced damage threshold (nanosecond-LIDT) of the unconditioned MLDGs. Furthermore, the picosecond-LIDT of the nodular ejection pit conditioned on the MLDFs was approximately 40% higher than that of the nodular defects, and the loss of the grating structure surrounding the nodular defects was avoided. Therefore, NLC is an effective strategy for improving the laser damage resistance of MLDGs.

Cardiac mass in children is rare and insidious onset, and primary cardiac mass is less than secondary mass. Among the malignant tumours in children with tumour thrombus in the venous system, about 98% of the cases are nephroblastoma. But it is still rare for the tumour thrombus to reach the level of the atrium or even enter the right ventricle. In this case, the child complained of chest tightness and palpitation and went to the doctor and found Wilms tumour complicated with intracardiac tumour thrombus.

Echinococcus shiquicus is peculiar to the Qinghai–Tibet plateau of China. Research on this parasite has mainly focused on epidemiological surveys and life cycle studies. So far, limited laboratory studies have been reported. Here, experimental infection of E. shiquicus metacestode in BALB/c mice and Mongolian jirds (Meriones unguiculatus) was carried out to establish alternative laboratory animal models. Intraperitoneal inoculation of metacestode material containing protoscoleces (PSCs) obtained from infected plateau pikas were conducted on BALB/c mice. Furthermore, metacestode material without PSCs deriving from infected BALB/c mice was intraperitoneally inoculated to Mongolian jirds. Experimental animals were dissected for macroscopic and histopathological examination. The growth of cysts in BALB/c mice was infiltrative, and they invaded the murine entire body. Most of the metacestode cysts were multicystic, but a few were unilocular. The cysts contained sterile vesicles, which had no PSCs. The metacestode materials were able to successfully infect new mice. In the jirds model, E. shiquicus cysts were typically formed freely in the peritoneal cavity; the majority of these cysts were free while a small portion adhered loosely to nearby organs. The proportion of fertile cysts was high, and contained many PSCs. The PSCs produced in Mongolian jirds also successfully infected new ones, which confirms that jirds can serve as an alternative experimental intermediate host. In conclusion, a laboratory animal infection was successfully established for E. shiquicus using BALB/c mice and Mongolian jirds. These results provide new models for the in-depth study of Echinococcus metacestode survival strategy, host interactions and immune escape mechanism.

Multilayer dielectric gratings typically remove multiple-grating pillars after picosecond laser irradiation; however, the dynamic formation process of the removal is still unclear. In this study, the damage morphologies of multilayer dielectric gratings induced by an 8.6-ps laser pulse were closely examined. The damage included the removal of a single grating pillar and consecutive adjacent grating pillars and did not involve the destruction of the internal high-reflection mirror structure. Comparative analysis of the two damage morphological characteristics indicated the removal of adjacent pillars was related to an impact process caused by the eruption of localized materials from the left-hand pillar, exerting impact pressure on its adjacent pillars and eventually resulting in multiple pillar removal. A finite-element strain model was used to calculate the stress distribution of the grating after impact. According to the electric field distribution, the eruptive pressure of the dielectric materials after ionization was also simulated. The results suggest that the eruptive pressure resulted in a stress concentration at the root of the adjacent pillar that was sufficient to cause damage, corresponding to the experimental removal of the adjacent pillar from the root. This study provides further understanding of the laser-induced damage behavior of grating pillars and some insights into reducing the undesirable damage process for practical applications.

The purpose of the current study was to research the factors influencing thyroid volume (TVOL) in 6–12-year-old children and update the reference values. A cross-sectional study was carried out in iodine-sufficient areas of four provinces in China. Urine, edible salt and drinking water samples were collected from children. Children’s height, weight and TVOL were measured. Ridge regression was used to screen variables for solving the multicollinearity problem. Quantile regression was used to analyse the relationship between the quantiles of TVOL and other variables. In total, 5653 children aged 6–12 years were enrolled in this study, including 2838 boys and 2815 girls. There was no significant difference in TVOL between boys and girls (P > 0·05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that total TVOL was positively correlated with age, height, weight, body surface area (BSA) and BMI, and the correlation coefficients were 0·616, 0·663, 0·669, 0·685 and 0·479, respectively. Among them, the correlation between TVOL and BSA was the strongest. According to the ridge regression results, age and BSA influenced TVOL, and the ridge regression coefficients were 0·13 and 0·94, respectively. Quantile regression further showed that age and BSA had significant influences on the whole TVOL distribution (P < 0·001). Therefore, the TVOL of children aged 6–12 years in China was mainly influenced by age and BSA, and reference values for TVOL of different genders based on age and BSA were established.

We report a generation of energetic protons by the interaction of a high-energy electron driving beam with an underdense plasma slab. After an interaction period of approximately 4000 fs, a proton beam with maximum energy greater than 250 MeV can be achieved by applying a driving beam with energy 1.0 GeV to a 200 $\mathrm {\mu }$m plasma slab. Our two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations also show that the proton acceleration process can be divided into two stages. In the first stage, a strong positive longitudinal electric field appears near the rear boundary of the plasma slab after the driving beam has passed through it. This acceleration process is similar to the target normal sheath acceleration scheme by the interaction between intense pulsed laser with overdense plasma targets. In the second stage, the accelerated protons experience a long-range acceleration process with a two-stream instability between the high-energy driving beam and the proton beam. Further analyses show that this accelerated proton beam is equipped with the property of good collimation and high energy. This scheme presents a new way for proton or ion acceleration on some special occasions.

Few studies have been conducted to investigate the association of kidney function decline with the trajectories of homocysteine (Hcy) over time, using repeated measurements. We aimed to investigate the association of kidney function with changes in plasma Hcy levels over time. Data were collected from the Rugao Longevity and Ageing Study. In detail, plasma Hcy and creatinine levels were measured in both waves (waves 2, 3 and 4) during the 3·5-year follow-up (n 1135). Wave 2 was regarded as the baseline survey. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated based on creatinine. Subjects were categorised into four groups according to quartiles of eGFR at baseline. Linear mixed-effect models were used to investigate the association of eGFR with subsequent plasma Hcy levels. The mean eGFR at baseline was 90·84 (sd 11·42) ml/min per 1·73 m2. The mean plasma Hcy level was 14·09 (sd 6·82) at baseline and increased to 16·28 (sd 8·27) and 17·36 (sd 10·39) μmol/l during follow-ups. In the crude model, the interaction between time and eGFR at baseline was significant (β = −0·02, 95 % CI −0·02, −0·01, P = 0·002). After adjusting for confounding factors, a significant relationship remained (β = −0·02, 95 % CI −0·02, −0·01, P = 0·003), suggesting that kidney function decline at baseline was associated with a faster increase in Hcy levels. Kidney function decline is associated with a more pronounced increase in plasma Hcy levels. Further studies with longer follow-up periods and larger sample sizes are needed to validate our findings.

Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato has complex defence mechanisms that protect it from the anti-parasitic immune response for long periods. Echinococcus granulosus cyst fluid (EgCF) is involved in the immune escape. Nevertheless, whether and how EgCF modulates the inflammatory response in macrophages remains poorly understood. Here, real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that EgCF could markedly attenuate the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of pro-inflammatory factors including tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-6 but increase the expression of IL-10 at mRNA and protein levels in mouse peritoneal macrophages and RAW 264.7 cells. Mechanically, western blotting and immunofluorescence assay showed that EgCF abolished the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and ERK1/2 signalling pathways by LPS stimulation in mouse macrophages. EgCF's anti-inflammatory role was at least partly contributed by promoting proteasomal degradation of the critical adaptor TRAF6. Moreover, the EgCF-promoted anti-inflammatory response and TRAF6 proteasomal degradation were conserved in human THP-1 macrophages. These findings collectively reveal a novel mechanism by which EgCF suppresses inflammatory responses by inhibiting TRAF6 and the downstream activation of NF-κB and MAPK signalling in both human and mouse macrophages, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the E. granulosus-induced immune evasion.