Automatic visual localization of electric vehicle (EV) charging ports presents significant challenges in uncertain environments, such as varying surface textures, reflections, lighting and observation distance. Existing methods require extensive real-world training data and well-focused images to achieve robust and accurate localization. However, both requirements are difficult to meet under variable and unpredictable conditions. This paper proposes a 2-stage vision-based localization approach. Firstly, the image synthesis technique is used to reduce the cost of real-world data collection. A task-oriented parameterization protocol (TOPP) is proposed to optimize the quality of the synthetic images. Secondly, an autofocus and servoing strategy is proposed. A hybrid detector is employed to enhance sharpness assessment performance, while a visual servoing method based on single exponential smoothing (SES) is developed to enhance stability and efficiency during the search process. Experiments were conducted to evaluate image synthesis efficiency, detection accuracy, and servoing performance. The proposed method achieved 99% detection accuracy on the real-world port images, and guided the robot to the optimal imaging position within 16 s, outperforming comparable approaches. These results highlight its potential for robust automated charging in real-world scenarios.

We investigate the dynamics of a cavitation bubble near rigid surfaces decorated with a single gas-entrapping hole to understand the competition between the attraction of the rigid and the repulsion of the free boundary. The dynamics of laser-induced bubbles near this gas-entrapping hole is studied as a function of the stand-off distance and diameter of the hole. Two kinds of toroidal collapses are observed that are the result of the collision of a wide microjet with the bubble wall. The bubble centroid displacement and the strength of the microjet are compared with the anisotropy parameter $\zeta$, which is derived from a Kelvin impulse analysis. We find that the non-dimensional displacement $\delta$ scales with $\zeta$.

Triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) is a surrogate marker of subcutaneous fat. Evidence is limited about the association of sex-specific TSF with the risk of all-cause mortality among maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationship of TSF with all-cause mortality among MHD patients. A multicenter prospective cohort study was performed in 1034 patients undergoing MHD. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association of TSF with the risk of mortality. The mean (standard deviation) age of the study population was 54.1 (15.1) years. 599 (57.9%) of the participants were male. The median (interquartile range) of TSF was 9.7 (6.3–13.3 mm) in males and 12.7 (10.0–18.0 mm) in females. Over a median follow up of 4.4 years (interquartile range, 2.4-7.9 years), there were 548 (53.0%) deaths. When TSF was assessed as sex-specific quartiles, compared with those in quartile 1, the adjusted HRs (95%CIs) of all-cause mortality in quartile 2, quartile 3 and quartile 4 were 0.93 (0.73, 1.19), 0.75 (0.58, 0.97) and 0.69 (0.52, 0.92), respectively (P for trend =0.005). Moreover, when analyzed by sex, increased TSF (≥9.7 mm for males and ≥18mm for females) was significantly associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality (quartile 3-4 vs. quartile 1-2; HR, 0.70; 95%CI: 0.55, 0.90 in males; quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1-3; HR, 0.69; 95%CI: 0.48, 1.00 in females). In conclusion, high TSF was significantly associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality in MHD patients.

Rhopalosiphum padi is an important grain pest, causing severe losses during crop production. As a systemic insecticide, flonicamid can control piercing-sucking pests efficiently. In our study, the lethal effects of flonicamid on the biological traits of R. padi were investigated via a life table approach. Flonicamid is highly efficiently toxic to R. padi, with an LC50 of 9.068 mg L−1. The adult longevity and fecundity of the R. padi F0 generation were markedly reduced under the LC25 and LC50 concentrations of flonicamid exposure. In addition, negative transgenerational effects on R. padi were observed under exposure to lethal concentrations of flonicamid, with noticeable decreases in the reproductive period, adult longevity, total longevity, and total fecundity of the F1 generation under the LC25 concentration of flonicamid. Furthermore, the third nymph stage (N3), preadult stage, duration of the adult pre-reproductive period, duration of the total pre-reproductive period, reproductive period, adult longevity, total longevity, and total fecundity of the F1 generation were significantly lower under treatment with the LC50 concentration of flonicamid. The life table parameters were subsequently analysed, revealing that the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) and the net reproductive rate (R0) were significantly lower but that the finite rate of increase (λ) and the mean generation time (T) were not significantly different under the LC25 and LC50 concentrations of flonicamid. These data are beneficial for grain aphid control and are critical for exploring the role of flonicamid in the integrated management of this key pest.

Vapour bubbles produced by long-pulsed laser often have complex non-spherical shapes that reflect some characteristics of the laser beam. The transition between two commonly observed shapes, namely, a rounded pear-like shape and an elongated conical shape, is studied using a new computational model that combines compressible multiphase fluid dynamics with laser radiation and phase transition. Two laboratory experiments are simulated, in which a holmium:YAG or thulium fibre laser is used to generate bubbles of different shapes. In both cases, the predicted bubble nucleation and morphology agree reasonably well with the experimental observation. The full-field results of laser irradiance, temperature, velocity and pressure are analysed to explain bubble dynamics and energy transmission. It is found that due to the lasting energy input, the vapour bubble's dynamics is driven not only by advection, but also by the continued vaporisation at its surface. Vaporisation lasts less than $1~{\rm \mu}$s in the case of the pear-shaped bubble, compared with over $50~{\rm \mu}$s for the elongated bubble. It is thus hypothesised that the bubble's morphology is determined by competition. When the speed of advection is higher than that of vaporisation, the bubble tends to grow spherically. Otherwise, it elongates along the laser beam direction. To test this hypothesis, the two speeds are defined analytically using a model problem, then estimated for the experiments using simulation results. The results support the hypothesis. They also suggest that when the laser's power is fixed, a higher laser absorption coefficient and a narrower beam facilitate bubble elongation.

This study aimed to estimate the nationwide prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) among adults with underweight in the US general population. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2020), we estimated the age-standardised prevalence of dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, CVD and the presence of zero or at least two CMD. Multivariable Poisson regressions were used to compare CMD prevalence between subgroups, adjusting for age, sex and race/ethnicity. Among the 855 adults with underweight included, the weighted mean age was 40·8 years, with 68·1 % being women and 70·4 % non-Hispanic White. The estimated prevalence rates were 23·4 % for dyslipidemia (95 % CI 19·4 %, 27·5 %), 15·6 % for hypertension (95 % CI 13·3 %, 17·8 %), 2·5 % for diabetes (95 % CI 1·5 %, 3·5 %), 7·9 % for chronic kidney disease (95 % CI 6·9 %, 8·8 %) and 6·1 % for CVD (95 % CI 4·3 %, 7·9 %). The prevalence of having zero and at least two CMD was 50·6 % (95 % CI 44·1 %, 57·0 %) and 12·3 % (95 % CI 8·1 %, 16·4 %), respectively. Non-Hispanic Black adults had significantly higher prevalence of diabetes (adjusted prevalence ratio, 3·35; 95 % CI 1·35, 8·30) compared with non-Hispanic White adults. In conclusion, approximately half of the underweight adults had at least one CMD, and 12·3 % had at least two CMD. Prevention and management of CMD in underweight adults are critical yet neglected public health challenges.

Calorie restriction plays a role in reducing food intake and weight gain, and improving health and lifespan. We hypothesized that calorie restriction would affect body weight (BW), serum indices, gut microbiota, metabolites and short-chain fatty acids of finishing pigs. Castrated male (Landrace × Yorkshire) pigs (86.13 ± 3.50 kg) were randomly assigned into two groups indicated as control (Con) and calorie restriction (CR) (eight pigs/group), respectively. Pigs in the Con group consumed feed ad libitum, whereas pigs in the CR group were fed 70% of the amount of feed in the Con group. The trial lasted for 38 days. Blood and colonic contents were collected for serum parameters, and microbiota and metabolome analysis, respectively. Main effects were tested by Student’s t-test. We found that for finishing pigs, calorie restriction reduced the cumulative food intake, BW gain, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels. Calorie restriction did not change the α and β diversity of intestinal microbiota. However, calorie restriction significantly increased the abundance of Romboutsia and unclassified_c_Bacilli, and significantly reduced the abundance of Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Escherichia-–Shigella and Gastranaerophilales. Calorie restriction also simultaneously changed the structure of intestinal metabolites and increased the concentration of isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid and valeric acid. In conclusion, calorie restriction may affect metabolism, reduce obesity and improve intestinal microbiota, which may be a healthy diet treatment that can reduce obesity and improve metabolism.

The unsteady mechanism of unstart flow for an inlet with rectangular-to-elliptical shape transition (REST) under the off-design condition at a Mach of 4 is investigated using the delay detached eddy simulation method. With the help of numerical simulations, the unsteady dynamics, especially the low-frequency characteristics of the REST inlet unstart flow, as well as the self-sustaining mechanism, is investigated. The instantaneous flow illustrates the unsteady phenomena of the REST unstart flow, including the interaction between the cowl-closure leading edge (CLE) shock and the shear layer, breathing of the separation bubble, flapping of the separation shock, instability of the shear layer and vortex shedding along the shear layer. The spectral analysis reveals that the lower frequency dynamics is associated with the breathing of the separation bubble and the flapping motion of the separation shock wave, while the higher frequency is related to the instability of the shear layer affected by cowl-closure leading edge shock and the formation of shedding vortices. Further, coherence analysis shows that the contribution of these flow structures dominating the low-frequency dynamics couple with each other. Based on the dynamic mode decomposition results, the characteristics that contribute to the unsteady behaviour of unstart flow are summarized. The streamwise vortices downstream of the separation and the shedding vortices are believed to be the main driving force of the global low-frequency unsteadiness of the REST inlet unstart flow under the off-design condition. Moreover, the CLE shock plays an important role in the process during the dominant flow structure conversion from the backflow within the separation bubble into elongated streamwise structures.

This study was conducted to investigate whether methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS) is a mediator of methionine (Met)-induced crop milk protein synthesis via the janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) signalling pathway in breeding pigeons. In Experiment 1, a total of 216 pairs of breeding pigeons were divided into three groups (control, Met-deficient, and Met-rescue groups). In Experiments 2 and 3, forty pairs of breeding pigeons from each experiment were allocated into four groups. The second experiment included a control group and three MetRS inhibitor (REP8839) groups. The third experiment included a Met-deficient group, Met-sufficient group, REP8839 + Met-deficient group and REP8839 + Met-sufficient group. Experiment 1 showed that Met supplementation increased crop development, crop milk protein synthesis, the protein expression of MetRS and JAK2/STAT5 signalling pathway, and improved squab growth. Experiment 2 showed that crop development, crop milk protein synthesis and the protein expression of MetRS and the JAK2/STAT5 signalling pathway were decreased, and squab growth was inhibited by the injection of 1·0 mg/kg body weight REP8839, which was the selected dose for the third experiment. Experiment 3 showed that Met supplementation increased crop development, crop milk protein synthesis and the expression of MetRS and JAK2/STAT5 signalling pathway and rescued squab growth after the injection of REP8839. Moreover, the co-immunoprecipitation results showed that there was an interaction between MetRS and JAK2. Taken together, these findings indicate that MetRS mediates Met-induced crop milk protein synthesis via the JAK2/STAT5 signalling pathway, resulting in improved squab growth in breeding pigeons.

The measurement of X-ray continuous emission from laser-driven plasma was achieved through multiple monochromatic imaging utilizing a multilayer mirror array. This methodology was exemplified by the development of an eight-channel X-ray imaging system, capable of operating in the energy range of several keV with a spatial resolution of approximately 3 μm. By integrating this system with a streak camera, the temperature and trajectory of imploding capsules were successfully measured at the kJ-class Shenguang III prototype laser facility. This approach provides a synchronous diagnostic method for the spatial, temporal and spectral analysis of laser-driven plasma, characterized by its high efficiency and resolution.

Double-cone ignition [Zhang et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 378, 20200015 (2020)] was proposed recently as a novel path for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion using high-power lasers. In this scheme, plasma jets with both high density and high velocity are required for collisions. Here we report preliminary experimental results obtained at the Shenguang-II upgrade laser facility, employing a CHCl shell in a gold cone irradiated with a two-ramp laser pulse. The CHCl shell was pre-compressed by the first laser ramp to a density of 3.75 g/cm3 along the isentropic path. Subsequently, the target was further compressed and accelerated by the second laser ramp in the cone. According to the simulations, the plasma jet reached a density of up to 15 g/cm3, while measurements indicated a velocity of 126.8 ± 17.1 km/s. The good agreements between experimental data and simulations are documented.

The credit default swap (CDS) Big Bang introduced 2 standard coupons for CDS trading. We exploit the setting of the 2 standard coupons as a natural experiment to quantify the components of the bid–ask spreads in over-the-counter markets. We find that a significant portion of the difference in the bid–ask spread between the 2 coupons is explained by the difference in funding costs. Furthermore, search intensity also explains the variation in the difference in bid–ask spread. The liquidity typically concentrates on one of the standard coupons and can suddenly switch to the other coupon. Using the sudden switch of the primary coupon, we provide further evidence to support the predictions of search-based liquidity models.

A modulational instability of nonlinearly interacting electron whistlers and magnetosonic perturbations is studied in the present paper. For typical parameters, there is no modulational instability. However, modulational instability appears in special cases. For example, when the whistler wavenumber is small enough, there is modulational instability. Its growth rate decreases as the angle between the external magnetic field and the perturbed wave's direction increases, while it increases as the whistler wavenumber increases. It is also found that there is no modulational instability when the whistler wavenumber is larger than a critical value ($k_0 > 0.05$), in which the perturbed wave frequency increases as the angle between the external magnetic field and the perturbed wave's direction increases when the angle between the external magnetic field and the perturbed wave's direction is large enough. Whereas, the perturbed wave frequency first increases as the whistler wavenumber increases, reaches a peak value and then decreases as whistler wavenumber increases.

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a major destructive insect pest of coffee, which impacts the coffee crops negatively. As a draft genome has been completed for this insect, most molecular studies on gene transcriptional levels under different experimental conditions will be conducted using real-time reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reactions (RT-qPCR). However, the lack of suitable internal reference genes will affect the accuracy of RT-qPCR results. In this study, the expression stability of nine candidate reference genes was evaluated under different developmental stages, temperature stress, and Beauveria bassiana infection. Data analyses were completed by four commonly used programs, BestKeeper, NormFinder, geNorm, and RefFinder. The result showed that RPL3 and EF1α combination were recommended as the most stable reference genes for developmental stages. EF1α and RPS3a combination were the top two stable reference genes for B. bassiana infection. RPS3a and RPL3 combination performed as the optimal reference genes both in temperature stress and all samples. Our results should provide a good foundation for the expression profile analyses of target genes in the future, especially for molecular studies on insect genetic development, temperature adaptability, and immune mechanism to entomogenous fungi in H. hampei.

Sepiolite-based composites have great potential for application as flame-retardant and thermal-insulation material but their application and development are limited by poor mechanical properties. The objective of the present study was to combine polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH-550) with sepiolite (Sep) to improve its aerogel strength. A universal testing machine, thermogravimetry, and microcalorimetry were used to investigate the mechanical properties, thermal-stability, and flame-retardant properties, respectively, of aerogels. The results indicated that KH-550 can enhance effectively the mechanical properties and flame retardancy of aerogels. The compressive modulus of PVA/Sep vs KH-550/PVA/Sep aerogel was 209.28 vs. 474.43 kPa, the LOI index changed from 26.4 to 30.4%. The porosity of the aerogels was > 96% and the density was < 0.05 g/cm3. The thermal conductivity remained at between 0.0340 and 0.0390 W/(m·K), and the aerogel could recover to > 85% after a 50% compressive deformation. These data indicated that Sep-based aerogel would act as a flame retardant and a thermal insulating material with excellent mechanical properties.

Guiding-centre orbit-following simulations of the charge exchange (CX) loss of neutral beam injection (NBI) ions are presented. The finite Larmor radius (FLR) effect in the fast ion–neutral collision can be included in guiding-centre orbit-following simulations by using the gyroaverage method. It is proved that the neutralization probability of fast ions computed by using the gyroaverage method in the guiding-centre orbit simulation is roughly the same as that computed in the full-orbit simulation when the time step in the guiding-centre simulation is the order of the gyroperiod. The CX losses of NBI fast ions for two NBIs in the EAST tokamak have been simulated by the guiding-centre orbit-following code GYCAVA, and the FLR effect in the fast ion–neutral collision on CX losses has been numerically studied. The CX effect of the fast ion–neutral collision can significantly enhance NBI ion losses on EAST. The FLR effect in the fast ion–neutral collision can enhance the CX loss. Vertical asymmetry of localized heat loads induced by CX losses is found, which is related to the FLR effect of fast ions and the strong radial gradient of the neutral density near the plasma edge. Heat loads induced by CX losses are localized in the regions near the poloidal angle $\theta =-60^\circ$, because the likelihood of exchanging charge is the largest at gyrophase $\xi ={\rm \pi}$, and this leads to fast downwards moving neutrals. Fast ion loss fractions induced by CX increase with the neutral density increasing.