High-temperature non-equilibrium effects are prominent in scramjet nozzle flows at high Mach numbers. Hence, the thermochemical non-equilibrium gas model incorporating the vibrational relaxation process of molecules in the hydrocarbon-air reaction is developed to numerically simulate the flow of a hydrocarbon fuel scramjet nozzle at Mach 10. Besides, the results computed by the models of the thermally perfect gas, chemically non-equilibrium gas, and thermally non-equilibrium chemically frozen gas are applied for comparative studies. Results indicate that chemical non-equilibrium effects are more significant for the flow-field structure and parameters compared to thermal non-equilibrium effects. Meanwhile, vibrational relaxation and chemical reactions interact in the flow-field. The heat released from the chemical reactions in the flow-field of the thermochemical non-equilibrium gas model makes the thermal non-equilibrium effects weaker compared to the thermally non-equilibrium chemically frozen gas model; the chemical reactions in the thermochemical non-equilibrium gas model are more intense than in the chemically non-equilibrium gas model. Due to the slow relaxation of vibrational energy, the thermal non-equilibrium models predicted nozzle thrust lower than the thermal equilibrium models by approximately 1.11% to 1.33%; when considering the chemical reactions, the chemical non-equilibrium models predicted nozzle thrust higher than the chemical frozen models by approximately 7.30% to 7.54%. Hence, the structural design and performance study of the high Mach numbers scramjet nozzle must consider thermochemical non-equilibrium effects.

A commercial bentonite (primarily smectite) from Fischer Scientific Company (F bentonite) and a natural bentonite from Peru (P bentonite) were used in the preparation of pillared clays with polyoxymetal cations of Al that were subsequently modified with Ce and La. Several Al/metal ratios (5 and 9) were used to investigate the effects on the thermal and hydrothermal stability of these synthetic clays. The structure of these materials was studied by X-ray diffraction. Isotherms were determined by N2 adsorption. Thermal stability was determined using thermogravimetric (TG) measurements and ara-monia-TPD (temperature programmed desorption) was used to obtain acidity data. These materials exhibited basal spacings from 16 to 20 Å, with surface areas from 239 to 347 m2g−1, with microporosity contributing from 50 to 80% of the total surface area. Pillared clays prepared from F bentonite generally showed larger basal spacings and surface areas than those prepared from P bentonite. Pillared clays modified with Ce or La did not show any apparent structural changes relative to the Al-pillared clays. Pillared clays modified with Ce and La had similar acid properties as Al-pillared clays. In contrast, the thermal and hydrothermal stabilities of these materials were greater than Al-pillared clays. However, Ce-pillared clay appears to be more effective than La-pillared clay in delaying the dehydroxylation of pillared clays with increasing temperature. The intercalation of Ce and La into Al-pillared clays improved the thermal stability, which may increase the utility of these materials as catalysts.

Ultra-processed plant-based foods, such as plant-based burgers, have gained in popularity. Particularly in the out-of-home (OOH) environment, evidence regarding their nutritional profile and environmental sustainability is still evolving. Plant-based burgers available at selected OOH sites were randomly sampled in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Lisbon and London. Plant-based burgers (patty, bread and condiment) (n 41) were lab analysed for their energy, macronutrients, amino acids and minerals content per 100 g and serving and were compared with reference values. For the plant-based burgers, the median values per 100 g were 234 kcal, 20·8 g carbohydrates, 3·5 g dietary fibre and 12·0 g fat, including 0·08 g TFS and 2·2 g SFA. Protein content was 8·9 g/100 g, with low protein quality according to amino acid composition. Median Na content was 389 mg/100 g, equivalent to 1 g salt. Compared with references, the median serving provided 31% of energy intake based on a 2000 kcal per day and contributed to carbohydrates (17–28%), dietary fibre (42%), protein (40%), total fat (48%), SFA (26%) and Na (54%). One serving provided 15–23% of the reference values for Ca, K and Mg, while higher contributions were found for Zn, Mn, P and Fe (30–67%). The ultra-processed plant-based burgers provide protein, dietary fibre and essential minerals and contain relatively high levels of energy, Na and total fats. The amino acid composition indicated low protein quality. The multifaceted nutritional profile of plant-based burgers highlights the need for manufacturers to implement improvements to better support healthy dietary habits, including reducing energy, Na and total fats.

In a recent survey of nematodes associated with tobacco in Shandong, China, the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus coffeae was identified using a combination of morphology and molecular techniques. This nematode species is a serious parasite that damages a variety of plant species. The model plant benthi, Nicotiana benthamiana, is frequently used to study plant-disease interactions. However, it is not known whether this plant species is a host of P. coffeae. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the parasitism and pathogenicity of five populations of the root-lesion nematode P. coffeae on N. benthamiana. N. benthamiana seedlings with the same growth status were chosen and inoculated with 1,000 nematodes per pot. At 60 days after inoculation, the reproductive factors (Rf = final population densities (Pf)/initial population densities (Pi)) for P. coffeae in the rhizosphere of N. benthamiana were all more than 1, suggesting that N. benthamiana was a good host plant for P. coffeae. Nicotiana. benthamiana infected by P. coffeae showed weak growth, decreased tillering, high root reduction, and noticeable brown spots on the roots. Thus, we determined that the model plant N. benthamiana can be used to study plant-P. coffeae interactions.

The target backsheath field acceleration mechanism is one of the main mechanisms of laser-driven proton acceleration (LDPA) and strongly depends on the comprehensive performance of the ultrashort ultra-intense lasers used as the driving sources. The successful use of the SG-II Peta-watt (SG-II PW) laser facility for LDPA and its applications in radiographic diagnoses have been manifested by the good performance of the SG-II PW facility. Recently, the SG-II PW laser facility has undergone extensive maintenance and a comprehensive technical upgrade in terms of the seed source, laser contrast and terminal focus. LDPA experiments were performed using the maintained SG-II PW laser beam, and the highest cutoff energy of the proton beam was obviously increased. Accordingly, a double-film target structure was used, and the maximum cutoff energy of the proton beam was up to 70 MeV. These results demonstrate that the comprehensive performance of the SG-II PW laser facility was improved significantly.

People often make more rational choices between monetary prospects when their choices will be played out many times rather than just once. For example, previous research has shown that the certainty effect and the possibility effect (two common-ratio effects that violate expected utility theory) are eliminated in multiple-play decisions. This finding is challenged by seven new studies (N = 2391) and two small meta-analyses. Results indicate that, on average, certainty and possibility effects are reduced but not eliminated in multiple-play decisions. Moreover, in our within-participants studies, the certainty and possibility choice patterns almost always remained the modal or majority patterns. Our primary results were not reliably affected by prompts that encouraged a long-run perspective, by participants’ insight into long-run payoffs, or by participants’ numeracy. The persistence of common-ratio effects suggests that the oft-cited benefits of multiple plays for the rationality of decision makers’ choices may be smaller than previously realized.

Dietary patterns (DP) rich in plant foods are associated with improved health and reduced non-communicable disease risk. In October 2021, the Nutrition Society hosted a member-led conference, held online over 2 half days, exploring the latest research findings examining plant-rich DP and health. The aim of the present paper is to summarise the content of the conference and synopses of the individual speaker presentations are included. Topics included epidemiological analysis of plant-rich DP and health outcomes, the effects of dietary interventions which have increased fruit and vegetable (FV) intake on a range of health outcomes, how adherence to plant-rich DP is assessed, the use of biomarkers to assess FV intake and a consideration of how modifying behaviour towards increased FV intake could impact environmental outcomes, planetary health and food systems. In conclusion, although there are still considerable uncertainties which require further research, which were considered as part of the conference and are summarised in this review, adopting a plant-rich DP at a population level could have a considerable impact on diet and health outcomes, as well as planetary health.

We report the experimental results of the commissioning phase in the 10 PW laser beamline of the Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility (SULF). The peak power reaches 2.4 PW on target without the last amplifying during the experiment. The laser energy of 72 ± 9 J is directed to a focal spot of approximately 6 μm diameter (full width at half maximum) in 30 fs pulse duration, yielding a focused peak intensity around 2.0 × 1021 W/cm2. The first laser-proton acceleration experiment is performed using plain copper and plastic targets. High-energy proton beams with maximum cut-off energy up to 62.5 MeV are achieved using copper foils at the optimum target thickness of 4 μm via target normal sheath acceleration. For plastic targets of tens of nanometers thick, the proton cut-off energy is approximately 20 MeV, showing ring-like or filamented density distributions. These experimental results reflect the capabilities of the SULF-10 PW beamline, for example, both ultrahigh intensity and relatively good beam contrast. Further optimization for these key parameters is underway, where peak laser intensities of 1022–1023 W/cm2 are anticipated to support various experiments on extreme field physics.

Root-lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) are a group of economically important pathogens that have caused serious economic losses in many crops. In 2019, root-lesion nematodes were recovered from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) root samples collected from Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China (PRC). Extracted nematodes were disinfected, and one individual female was cultured on a carrot disc for propagation at 25 °C by parthenogenesis and designated the SC isolate. Afterwards, the isolate was identified on the basis of morphometric and molecular markers. Both morphometric characters and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region gene (ITS) of ribosomal DNA, the D2-D3 expansion region of the 28S rDNA gene and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtDNA-COI) gene revealed that the species of root-lesion nematode was Pratylenchus scribneri. The Bayesian tree inferred from the ITS rDNA, 28S rDNA and mtDNA-COI gene sequences also showed that this isolate formed a highly supported clade with other P. scribneri isolates. The pathogenicity of the root-lesion nematode SC isolate on tomato was assessed, showing that tomato was a suitable host for P. scribneri. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. scribneri on tomato in Sichuan Province, PRC. These are also the first molecular data obtained from P. scribneri on tomato in the PRC, and the pathogenicity of P. scribneri to tomato was studied for the first time. This study provides scientific data for the detection, identification and control of tomato root-lesion nematode disease.

We experimentally investigate the effect of geometrical anisotropy for buoyant spheroidal particles rising in a still fluid. All other parameters, such as the Galileo number (the ratio of gravitational to viscous forces) $Ga \approx 6000$, the ratio of the particle to fluid density $\varGamma \approx 0.53$ and the dimensionless moment of inertia $\boldsymbol{\mathsf{I}}^*= \boldsymbol{\mathsf{I}}_p/\boldsymbol{\mathsf{I}}_f$ (with $\boldsymbol{\mathsf{I}}_p$ being the moment of inertia of the particle and $\boldsymbol{\mathsf{I}}_f$ that of the fluid in an equivalent volume), are kept constant. The geometrical aspect ratio of the spheroids, $\chi$ , is varied systematically from $\chi = 0.2$ (oblate) to 5 (prolate). Based on tracking all degrees of particle motion, we identify six regimes characterised by distinct rise dynamics. Firstly, for $0.83 \le \chi \le 1.20$, increased rotational dynamics are observed and the particle flips over semi-regularly in a ‘tumbling’-like motion. Secondly, for oblate particles with $0.29 \le \chi \le 0.75$, planar regular ‘zig–zag’ motion is observed, where the drag coefficient is independent of $\chi$. Thirdly, for the most extreme oblate geometries ($\chi \le 0.25$), a ‘flutter’-like behaviour is found, characterised by precession of the oscillation plane and an increase in the drag coefficient. For prolate geometries, we observed two coexisting oscillation modes that contribute to complex trajectories: the first is related to oscillations of the pointing vector and the second corresponds to a motion perpendicular to the particle's symmetry axis. We identify a ‘longitudinal’ regime ($1.33 \le \chi \le 2.5$), where both modes are active and a different one, the ‘broadside’-regime ($3 \le \chi \le 4$), where only the second mode is present. Remarkably, for the most prolate particles ($\chi = 5$), we observe an entirely different ‘helical’ rise with completely unique features.

Harvest weed seed control (HWSC) is a weed management technique that intercepts and destroys weed seeds before they replenish the soil weed seedbank and can be used to control herbicide-resistant weeds in global cropping systems. Wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum L.) is a problematic, globally distributed weed species that is considered highly susceptible to HWSC, as it retains much of its seed on the plant during grain harvest. However, previous studies have demonstrated that R. raphanistrum is capable of adapting its life cycle, in particular its flowering time, to allow individuals more time to mature and potentially shed seeds before harvest, thereby evading HWSC interception. This study compared the vegetative growth plus physiological and ecological fitness of an early-flowering R. raphanistrum biotype with an unselected genetically related biotype to determine whether physiological costs of early flowering exist when in competition with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Early flowering time adaptation in R. raphanistrum did not change the relative growth rate or competitive ability of R. raphanistrum. However, the height of first flower was reduced in the early flowering time–selected population, indicating that this population would retain more pods below the typical harvest cutting height (15 cm) used in HWSC. The presence of wheat competition (160 to 200 plants m−2) increased flowering height in the early flowering time–selected population, which would likely increase the susceptibility of early-flowering R. raphanistrum plants to HWSC. Overall, early-flowering adaption in R. raphanistrum is a possible strategy to escape being captured by the HWSC; however, increasing crop competition is likely to be an effective strategy to maintain the effectiveness of HWSC.