American silk moth, Antheraea polyphemus Cramer 1775 (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), native to North America, has potential significance in sericulture for food consumption and silk production. To date, the phylogenetic relationship and divergence time of A. polyphemus with its Asian relatives remain unknown. To end these issues, two mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of A. polyphemus from the USA and Canada respectively were determined. The mitogenomes of A. polyphemus from the USA and Canada were 15,346 and 15,345 bp in size, respectively, with only two transitions and five indels. The two mitogenomes both encoded typical mitochondrial 37 genes. No tandem repeat elements were identified in the A+T-rich region of A. polyphemus. The mitogenome-based phylogenetic analyses supported the placement of A. polyphemus within the genus Antheraea, and revealed the presence of two clades for eight Antheraea species used: one included A. polyphemus, A. assamensis Helfer, A. formosana Sonan and the other contained A. mylitta Drury, A. frithi Bouvier, A. yamamai Guérin-Méneville, A. proylei Jolly, and A. pernyi Guérin-Méneville. Mitogenome-based divergence time estimation further suggested that the dispersal of A. polyphemus from Asia into North America might have occurred during the Miocene Epoch (18.18 million years ago) across the Berling land bridge. This study reports the mitogenome of A. polyphemus that provides new insights into the phylogenetic relationship among Antheraea species and the origin of A. polyphemus.

The heating effect of electromagnetic waves in ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRFs) in magnetic confinement fusion device is different in different plasma conditions. In order to evaluate the ICRF heating effect in different plasma conditions, we conducted a series of experiments and corresponding TRANSP simulations on the EAST tokamak. Both simulation and experimental results show that the effect of ICRF heating is poor at low core electron density. The decrease in electron density changes the left-handed electric field near the resonant layer, resulting in a significant decrease in the power absorbed by the hydrogen fundamental resonance. However, quite a few experiments must be performed in plasma conditions with low electron density. It is necessary to study how to make ICRF heating best in low electron density plasma. Through a series of simulation scans of the parallel refractive index (n//) of the ICRF antenna, it is concluded that the change of the ICRF antenna n// will lead to the change of the left-handed electric field, which will change the fundamental absorption of ICRF power by the hydrogen minority ions. Fully considering the coupling of ion cyclotron wave at the tokamak boundary and the absorption in the plasma core, optimizing the ICRF antenna structure and selecting appropriate parameters such as parallel refractive index, minority ion concentration, resonance layer position, plasma current and core electron temperature can ensure better heating effect in the ICRF heating experiments in the future EAST upgrade. These results have important implications for the enhancement of the auxiliary heating effect of EAST and other tokamaks.

In small-plot experiments, weed scientists have traditionally estimated herbicide efficacy through visual assessments or manual counts with wooden frames—methods that are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone. This study introduces a novel mobile application (app) powered by convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to automate the evaluation of weed coverage in turfgrass. The mobile app automatically segments input images into 10 by 10 grid cells. A comparative analysis of EfficientNet, MobileNetV3, MobileOne, ResNet, ResNeXt, ShuffleNetV1, and ShuffleNetV2 was conducted to identify weed-infested grid cells and calculate weed coverage in bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flueggé), dormant bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Results showed that EfficientNet and MobileOne outperformed other models in detecting weeds growing in bahiagrass, achieving an F1 score of 0.988. For dormant bermudagrass, ResNet performed best, with an F1 score of 0.996. Additionally, app-based coverage estimates (11%) were highly consistent with manual assessments (11%), showing no significant difference (P = 0.3560). Similarly, ResNeXt achieved the highest F1 score of 0.996 for detecting weeds growing in perennial ryegrass, with app-based and manual coverage estimates also closely aligned at 10% (P = 0.1340). High F1 scores across all turfgrass types demonstrate the models’ ability to accurately replicate manual assessments, which is essential for herbicide efficacy trials requiring precise weed coverage data. Moreover, the time for weed assessment was compared, revealing that manual counting with 10 by 10 wooden frames took an average of 39.25, 37.25, and 42.25 s per instance for bahiagrass, dormant bermudagrass, and perennial ryegrass, respectively, whereas the app-based approach reduced the assessment times to 8.23, 7.75, and 14.96 s, respectively. These results highlight the potential of deep learning–based mobile tools for fast, accurate, scalable weed coverage assessments, enabling efficient herbicide trials and offering labor and cost savings for researchers and turfgrass managers.

The interaction of helminth infections with type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been a major area of research in the past few years. This paper, therefore, focuses on the systematic review of the effects of helminthic infections on metabolism and immune regulation related to T2D, with mechanisms through which both direct and indirect effects are mediated. Specifically, the possible therapeutic role of helminths in T2D management, probably mediated through the modulation of host metabolic pathways and immune responses, is of special interest. This paper discusses the current possibilities for translating helminth therapy from basic laboratory research to clinical application, as well as existing and future challenges. Although preliminary studies suggest the potential for helminth therapy for T2D patients, their safety and efficacy still need to be confirmed by larger-scale clinical studies.

A systematic study is conducted both experimentally and theoretically on the wake-induced vibration of an inelastic or zero structural stiffness cylinder placed behind a perfectly elastic or rigid cylinder. The mass ratio m* of the inelastic cylinder is 11.1. The spacing ratio L/D is 2.0–6.0, where L is the distance between centers of the two cylinders, and D is the cylinder diameter. The range of Reynolds number Re is 1.97 × 103–1.18 × 104. It has been found that the inelastic cylinder becomes aerodynamically elastic because the cylinder and the fluctuating wake interact, inducing an effective stiffness and thus giving rise to an aeroelastic natural frequency. This frequency depends on the added mass, fluid damping and flow-induced stiffness and is always smaller than the vortex shedding frequency, irrespective of Re and L/D. The wake-induced vibration of the inelastic cylinder may be divided into a desynchronisation branch and a galloping branch. The vibration amplitude jumps greatly at the transition from desynchronisation to galloping for L/D = 2.0–4.5 but not so for L/D = 5.0–6.0. The flow-induced stiffness is linearly correlated with Re, generally higher in the reattachment regime than in the coshedding regime and smaller in galloping than in desynchronisation. Other aspects of the inelastic cylinder are also investigated in detail, including the dependence on Re of the Strouhal numbers, hydrodynamic forces, phase lag between lift and displacement and flow characteristics.

Nutrition intervention is an effective way to improve flesh qualities of fish. The effect of feed supplementation with glutamate (Glu) on flesh quality of gibel carp (Carassius gibelio) was investigated. In trial 1, the fish (initial weight: 37.49 ± 0.08 g) were fed two practical diets with 0 and 2% Glu supplementation. In trial 2, the fish (37.26 ± 0.04 g) were fed two purified diets with 0 and 3% Glu supplementation. The results after feeding trials showed that dietary Glu supplementation increased the hardness and springiness of muscle, whether using practical or purified diets. Glu-supplemented diets increased the thickness and density of myofibres and collagen content between myofibres. Furthermore, Glu promoted muscle protein deposition by regulating the IGF-1-AKT-mTOR signalling pathway, and enhanced the myofibre hypertrophy by upregulating genes related to myofibre growth and development (mef2a, mef2d, myod, myf5, mlc, tpi and pax7α). The protein deposition and myofibre hypertrophy in turn improved the flesh texture. In addition, IMP content in flesh increased when supplementing Glu whether to practical or to purified diet. Metabolomics confirmed that Glu promoted the deposition of muscle-flavoured substances and purine metabolic pathway most functioned, echoed by the upregulation of key genes (ampd, ppat and adsl) in purine metabolism. The sensory test also clarified that dietary Glu improved the flesh quality by enhancing the muscle texture and flavour. Conclusively, dietary Glu supplementation can improve the flesh quality in this fish, which can further support evidence from other studies more generally that improve flesh quality of cultured fish.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-3 PUFAs), including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are widely found in plant oils and marine organisms. These fatty acids demonstrate significant biological effects, and their adequate intake is essential for maintaining health. However, modern diets often lack sufficient n-3 PUFAs, especially among populations that consume little fish or seafood,leading to a growing interest in n-3 PUFAs supplementation in nutrition and health research. In recent decades, the role of n-3 PUFAs in preventing and treating various diseases has gained increasing attention, particularly in cardiovascular, neurological, ophthalmic, allergic, hepatic, and oncological fields.In orthopedics, n-3 PUFAs exert beneficial effects through several mechanisms, including modulation of inflammatory responses, enhancement of cartilage repair, and regulation of bone metabolism. These effects demonstrate potential for the treatment of conditions such as osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gout, osteoporosis (OP), fractures, sarcopenia, and spinal degenerative diseases (SDD). This review summarizes the clinical applications of n-3 PUFAs, with a focus on their research progress in the field of orthopedics, and explores their potential in the treatment of orthopedic diseases.

The dynamics of flow over an isolated surface-mounted hemisphere are investigated with tomographic particle image velocimetry (PIV). The 10 mm height hemisphere is completely submerged in the laminar boundary layer, and the height-based Reynolds number is 1530. The evolution of typical coherent structures around the hemisphere are discussed, with emphasis on the hairpin vortex (HV) and side hairpin vortex (SHV) formed periodically in the middle and both sides of the wake, respectively. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis is conducted to explore the vortex dynamics. The shedding processes of the HV and SHV are each dominated by two different POD modes with correspondingly different characteristic frequencies, which has not been reported before in the literature. Furthermore, the coexistence of symmetric and asymmetric shedding patterns is explored for the first time in the shedding process of the HV at such a low Reynolds number. The asymmetric behaviour is controlled by the asymmetric shedding POD mode, whose dominant frequency is exactly half of the symmetric mode. In addition, SHVs on both sides of the wake are throughout formed and shed alternately, and the streamwise extensions of a horseshoe vortex also oscillate asymmetrically, which are responsible for the formation of the asymmetric shedding pattern of the HV. These findings help to fill the gaps in the related field and contribute to studies on the vortex dynamics of the flow over a hemisphere.

Atrial myxoma in children is rare, with vision loss and cerebral metastasis seldom reported. We present the case of a 12-year-old girl who experienced sudden vision loss and acute infarction, with a left atrial myxoma identified and surgically resected. One year later, she was readmitted with severe neurological symptoms. Imaging revealed multiple hypometabolic brain lesions, which were confirmed as metastatic myxoma through surgical resection and pathology. This case underscores the critical need for long-term follow-up in patients with cardiac myxoma to monitor potential delayed neurological complications.

Understanding the vertical coherence of the pressure structure and its interaction with velocity fields is critical for elucidating the mechanisms of acoustic generation and radiation in hypersonic turbulent boundary layers. This study employs linear coherence analysis to examine the self-similar coherent structures in the velocity and pressure fields within a Mach 6 hypersonic boundary layer, considering a range of wall-to-recovery temperature ratios. The influence of wall cooling on the geometric characteristics of these structures, such as inclination angles and three-dimensional aspect ratios, is evaluated. Specifically, the streamwise velocity exhibits self-similar coherent structures with the streamwise/wall-normal aspect ratio ranging from 16.5 to 38.7, showing a linear increases with decreasing wall temperatures. Similar linear dependence between the streamwise/wall-normal aspect ratio and the wall temperatures are observed for the Helmholtz-decomposed streamwise velocity and the pressure field. In terms of velocity–pressure coupling, the solenoidal component exhibits stronger interactions with the pressure fields in the near-wall region, while the dilatational component has stronger interactions with the pressure field at large scales with the increase of height. Such coupling generally follows the distance-from-the-wall scaling of the pressure field, except in cooled wall cases. Using the linear stochastic estimation, the pressure field across the boundary layer is predicted by inputting the near-wall pressure/velocity signal along with the transfer kernel. The result demonstrates that near-wall pressure signals provide the most accurate description of the pressure field in higher regions of the boundary layer. As wall-mounted sensors can measure near-wall pressure fluctuations, this study presents a potential approach to predict the off-wall pressure field correlated with the near-wall structures based on wall-pressure measurements.

This study investigates the energy exchange between coherent structures in flows over four low-aspect-ratio (low-) plates using the tomographic particle image velocimetry dataset originally obtained by Zhu et al. (2024. J. Fluid Mech. 983, A35). The chord-based Reynolds number is $5400$, with fixed angle of attack $6 ^\circ$. In this study, multiscale proper orthogonal decomposition is applied to extract the coherent structures, including those associated with the vortex-shedding frequency $St_1$ and its subharmonic counterpart. Subsequently, the coherent kinetic energy budget is analysed with a focus on inter-scale energy transfer. This study demonstrates that the energy transfer between the scales centred at $St_1$ and $0.5\,St_1$ can exhibit a reverse or forward direction, depending on the transformation pattern of the leading-edge vortices (LEVs). Specifically, different triadic interactions are excited during the LEV transformation, and manifest themselves during the formation of hairpin vortices downstream. Understanding this nonlinear energy transfer is essential for elucidating mechanisms underlying the development of turbulence in three-dimensional flows over low- plates.

Political connections have been tested for correlation with outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Both theoretical rationale and research evidence are mixed. To advance this debate, we conceptualize political connections as a dual-dimensional construct and hypothesize the differential effects of the breadth and the depth of political connections on OFDI. Employing a sample of 2,374 Chinese listed firms, encompassing 15,647 firm-year observations from 2008 to 2016, we find evidence supporting our hypotheses: (1) the breadth of political connections reduces the likelihood of a firm engaging in OFDI and (2) greater depth of political connections increases the likelihood of a firm engaging in the OFDI. Thus, we advise firms to exercise caution when adopting corporate political strategies for internationalization in general and OFDI in particular.

This paper provides an overview of the current status of ultrafast and ultra-intense lasers with peak powers exceeding 100 TW and examines the research activities in high-energy-density physics within China. Currently, 10 high-intensity lasers with powers over 100 TW are operational, and about 10 additional lasers are being constructed at various institutes and universities. These facilities operate either independently or are combined with one another, thereby offering substantial support for both Chinese and international research and development efforts in high-energy-density physics.

Knowledge of the critical periods of crop–weed competition is crucial for designing weed management strategies in cropping systems. In the Lower Yangtze Valley, China, field experiments were conducted in 2011 and 2012 to study the effect of interference from mixed natural weed populations on cotton growth and yield and to determine the critical period for weed control (CPWC) in direct-seeded cotton. Two treatments were applied: allowing weeds to infest the crop or keeping plots weed-free for increasing periods (0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 20 wk) after crop emergence. The results show that mixed natural weed infestations led to 35- to 55-cm shorter cotton plants with stem diameters 10 to 13 mm smaller throughout the season, fitting well with modified Gompertz and logistic models, respectively. Season-long competition with weeds reduced the number of fruit branches per plant by 65% to 82%, decreasing boll number per plant by 86% to 96% and single boll weight by approximately 24%. Weed-free seed cotton yields ranged from 2,900 to 3,130 kg ha−1, while yield loss increased with the duration of weed infestation, reaching up to 83% to 96% compared with permanent weed-free plots. Modified Gompertz and logistic models were used to analyze the impact of increasing weed control duration and weed interference on relative seed cotton yield (percentage of season-long weed-free cotton), respectively. Based on a 5% yield loss threshold, the CPWC was found to be from 145 to 994 growing degree days (GDD), corresponding to 14 to 85 d after emergence (DAE). These findings emphasize the importance of implementing effective weed control measures from 14 to 85 DAE in the Lower Yangtze Valley to prevent crop losses exceeding a 5% yield loss threshold.