This study examined global trends in influenza-associated lower respiratory infections (LRIs) deaths from 1990 to 2019 using data from the GBD 2019. The annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were used to analyze age-standardized death rates (ASDR). Globally, the ASDR of influenza-associated LRIs was 3.29/100,000 in 2019, which was higher in the African region (6.57/100,000) and among adults aged 70 years and older (29.88/100,000). The ASDR of influenza-associated LRIs decreased significantly from 1990 to 2019 (AAPC = −1.88%, P < 0.05). However, it was significantly increased among adults aged 70 years and older during 2017–2019 (APC = 2.31%, P < 0.05), especially in Western Pacific Region and South-East Asia Regions. The ratio of death rates between adults aged 70 years and older and children aged under 5 years increased globally from 1.63 in 1990 to 5.34 in 2019, and the Western Pacific Region experienced the most substantial increase, with the ratio soaring from 1.83 in 1990 to 12.98 in 2019. Despite a decline in the global ASDR of influenza-associated LRIs, it continues to impose a significant burden, particularly in the African, Western Pacific regions and among the elderly population.

Based on a 4f system, a 0° reflector and a single laser diode side-pump amplifier, a new amplifier is designed to compensate the spherical aberration of the amplified laser generated by a single laser diode side-pump amplifier and enhance the power of the amplified laser. Furthermore, the role of the 4f system in the passive spherical aberration compensation and its effect on the amplified laser are discussed in detail. The results indicate that the amplification efficiency is enhanced by incorporating a 4f system in a double-pass amplifier and placing a 0° reflector only at the focal point of the single-pass amplified laser. This method also effectively uses the heat from the gain medium (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) of the amplifier to compensate the spherical aberration of the amplified laser.

The manipulation of the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability growth at a heavy–light interface via successive shocks is theoretically analysed and experimentally realized in a specific shock-tube facility. An analytical model is developed to forecast the interface evolution before and after the second shock impact, and the possibilities for the amplitude evolution pattern are systematically discussed. Based on the model, the parameter conditions for each scenario are designed, and all possibilities are experimentally realized by altering the time interval between two shock impacts. These findings may enhance the understanding of how successive shocks influence hydrodynamic instabilities in practical applications.

Isolated multi-MeV $\gamma$-rays with attosecond duration, high collimation and beam angular momentum (BAM) may find many interesting applications in nuclear physics, astrophysics, etc. Here, we propose a scheme to generate such $\gamma$-rays via nonlinear Thomson scattering of a rotating relativistic electron sheet driven by a few-cycle twisted laser pulse interacting with a micro-droplet target. Our model clarifies the laser intensity threshold and carrier-envelope phase effect on the generation of the isolated electron sheet. Three-dimensional numerical simulations demonstrate the $\gamma$-ray emission with 320 attoseconds duration and peak brilliance of $9.3\times 10^{24}$ photons s${}^{-1}$ mrad${}^{-2}$ mm${}^{-2}$ per 0.1$\%$ bandwidth at 4.3 MeV. The $\gamma$-ray beam carries a large BAM of $2.8 \times 10^{16}\mathrm{\hslash}$, which arises from the efficient BAM transfer from the rotating electron sheet, subsequently leading to a unique angular distribution. This work should promote the experimental investigation of nonlinear Thomson scattering of rotating electron sheets in large laser facilities.

The effects of reshock conditions, including the interface evolution state before reshock and the second shock intensity, on interface instability induced by two successive shocks propagating in the same direction are investigated via shock-tube experiments. It is observed that the reshock promotes the interface instability, and the post-reshock perturbation evolution relates to both the pre-reshock interface evolution state and second shock intensity. For the linear evolution of the twice-shocked interface, existing models perform poorly when either the pre-reshock interface shape effect or the secondary compression effect is pronounced, as current reduction factors fail to accurately describe these effects. Besides, the reshock-induced linear amplitude growth rate shows a non-monotonic dependence on the scaled pre-reshock amplitude, primarily due to the shape effect of the pre-reshock interface. For the post-reshock nonlinear evolution, the model proposed by Zhang & Guo (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 786, 2016, pp. 47–61) offers reasonable predictions when the second shock is weak. However, when the second shock is moderately strong, the model overestimates the bubble growth and underestimates the spike evolution under the influence of the significant secondary compression effect. Furthermore, empirical linear and nonlinear models capable of describing the dependence of the post-reshock evolution on reshock conditions are proposed based on the present experimental results and existing models.

The AIMTB rapid test assay is an emerging test, which adopted a fluorescence immunochromatographic assay to measure interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production following stimulation of effector memory T cells in whole blood by mycobacterial proteins. The aim of this article was to explore the ability of AIMTB rapid test assay in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection compared with the widely applied QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) test among rural doctors in China. In total, 511 participants were included in the survey. The concordance between the QFT-Plus test and the AIMTB rapid test assay was 94.47% with a Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ) of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.79–0.90). Improved concordance between the two tests was observed in males and in participants with 26 or more years of service as rural doctors. The quantitative values of the QFT-Plus test was higher in individuals with a result of QFT-Plus-/AIMTB+ as compared to those with a result of QFT-Plus-/AIMTB- (p < 0.001). Overall, our study found that there was an excellent consistency between the AIMTB rapid test assay and the QFT-Plus test in a Chinese population. As the AIMTB rapid test assay is fast and easy to operate, it has the potential to improve latent tuberculosis infection testing and treatment at the community level in resource-limited settings.

Early-season rice often faces limited market competition due to its lower quality, which diminishes farmers' incentives to cultivate it. Developing specific early-season rice varieties tailored for rice noodle production represents a practical solution to this challenge. However, limited information exists on the varietal differences regarding the yield and quality of noodles produced from early-season rice and their determinants. To address this gap, this study conducted field experiments with 15 early-season rice varieties during 2022 and 2023. The results revealed significant varietal differences in rice noodle yield per unit of land area and cooking and eating (texture) qualities of the noodles, with the variety Zhuliangyou 4024 standing out for its ability to produce rice noodles that are both high yielding and of superior cooking and eating qualities. Correlation analysis showed the yield of rice noodles per unit of land area was significantly related to grain yield per unit of land, which in turn was linked to grain weight. Additionally, the analysis showed the cooking loss rate of rice noodles and their chewiness were significantly correlated with both amylose and amylopectin content, whereas the hardness, springiness, and resilience of cooked rice noodles were significantly correlated only with amylose content. However, partial correlation analysis indicated that all these quality traits were significantly correlated solely with amylose content when controlling the influence of other chemical properties. These findings indicate that selecting early-season rice varieties with high grain weight and high amylose content can lead to the production of high-yield and high-quality rice noodles.

Sediments within accretionary complexes, preserving key information on crust growth history of Central Asian Orogenic Belt, did not get enough attention previously. Here, we conduct comprehensive geochemical study on the turbidites from the North Tianshan Accretionary Complex (NTAC) in the Chinese West Tianshan orogen, which is a good example of sediments derived from juvenile materials. The turbidites, composed of sandstone, siltstone, and argillaceous siliceous rocks, are mainly Carboniferous. All the investigated samples have relatively low Chemical Index of Alteration values (35–63) and Plagioclase Index of Alteration values (34–68), indicating relatively weak weathering before erosion and deposition. The sandstone and siltstone, and slate samples display high Index of Compositional Variability values of 0.89–1.50 and 0.89–0.93, suggesting a relatively immature source. The sandstones and siltstones were mainly derived from intermediate igneous rocks, and the slates from felsic igneous rocks, formed in oceanic/continental arc settings. The investigated samples roughly display high positive εNd(t) values (mainly at +5.5 to +7.9, except one spot at +0.8), with corresponding Nd model ages at 672 Ma–522 Ma (except one at ∼1.1 Ga). Combined with the previous studies, we suggest that the turbidites in the NTAC were mainly derived from intermediate to felsic igneous rocks with juvenile arc signature, and thus the northern Chinese West Tianshan is a typical site with significant Phanerozoic crust growth.

Understanding the yield attributes of rice crops grown at super high-yielding sites is useful for identifying how to achieve super high yield in rice. In this study, field experiments were conducted in 2021 and 2022 to compare grain yield and yield attributes of ten high-yielding hybrid rice varieties between Xingyi (a super high-yielding site) and Hengyang (a site with typical yields). Results showed that Xingyi produced an average grain yield of 13.4 t ha−1 in 2021 and 14.0 t ha−1 in 2022, which were, respectively, 20% and 44% higher than those at Hengyang. Higher panicles per m2 and higher grain weight were responsible for the higher grain yield at Xingyi compared to Hengyang. The higher values of panicles per m2 and grain weight at Xingyi compared to Hengyang were due to greater source capacity resulting from improved pre-heading biomass production. This study suggests that simultaneously increasing panicle number and grain weight through improving pre-heading biomass production is a potential way to achieve super high yield in rice.

This study proposes a novel super-resolution (or SR) framework for generating high-resolution turbulent boundary layer (TBL) flow from low-resolution inputs. The framework combines a super-resolution generative adversarial neural network (SRGAN) with down-sampling modules (DMs), integrating the residual of the continuity equation into the loss function. The DMs selectively filter out components with excessive energy dissipation in low-resolution fields prior to the super-resolution process. The framework iteratively applies the SRGAN and DM procedure to fully capture the energy cascade of multi-scale flow structures, collectively termed the SRGAN-based energy cascade reconstruction framework (EC-SRGAN). Despite being trained solely on turbulent channel flow data (via ‘zero-shot transfer’), EC-SRGAN exhibits remarkable generalization in predicting TBL small-scale velocity fields, accurately reproducing wavenumber spectra compared to direct numerical simulation (DNS) results. Furthermore, a super-resolution core is trained at a specific super-resolution ratio. By leveraging this pretrained super-resolution core, EC-SRGAN efficiently reconstructs TBL fields at multiple super-resolution ratios from various levels of low-resolution inputs, showcasing strong flexibility. By learning turbulent scale invariance, EC-SRGAN demonstrates robustness across different TBL datasets. These results underscore the potential of EC-SRGAN for generating and predicting wall turbulence with high flexibility, offering promising applications in addressing diverse TBL-related challenges.

Achieving optimal nutritional status in patients with penetrating Crohn’s disease is crucial in preparing for surgical resection. However, there is a dearth of literature comparing the efficacy of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) v. exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) in optimising postoperative outcomes. Hence, we conducted a case-matched study to assess the impact of preoperative EEN v. TPN on the incidence of postoperative adverse outcomes, encompassing overall postoperative morbidity and stoma formation, among penetrating Crohn’s disease patients undergoing bowel surgery. From 1 December 2012 to 1 December 2021, a retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary centre to enrol consecutive patients with penetrating Crohn’s disease who underwent surgical resection. Propensity score matching was utilised to compare the incidence of postoperative adverse outcomes. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the risk factors associated with adverse outcomes. The study included 510 patients meeting the criteria. Among them, 101 patients in the TPN group showed significant improvements in laboratory indicators at the time of surgery compared with pre-optimisation levels. After matching, TPN increased the occurrence of postoperative adverse outcomes (92·2 % v. 64·1 %, P = 0·001) when compared with the EEN group. In the multivariate analysis, TPN showed a significantly higher OR for adverse outcomes than EEN (OR = 4·241; 95 % CI 1·567–11·478; P = 0·004). The study revealed that penetrating Crohn’s disease patients who were able to fulfil their nutritional requirements through EEN exhibited superior nutritional and surgical outcomes in comparison with those who received TPN.

Power scaling in conventional broad-area (BA) lasers often leads to the operation of higher-order lateral modes, resulting in a multiple-lobe far-field profile with large divergence. Here, we report an advanced sawtooth waveguide (ASW) structure integrated onto a wide ridge waveguide. It strategically enhances the loss difference between higher-order modes and the fundamental mode, thereby facilitating high-power narrow-beam emission. Both optical simulations and experimental results illustrate the significant increase in additional scattering loss of the higher-order modes. The optimized ASW lasers achieve an impressive output power of 1.1 W at 4.6 A at room temperature, accompanied by a minimal full width at half maximum lateral divergence angle of 4.91°. Notably, the far-field divergence is reduced from 19.61° to 11.39° at the saturation current, showcasing a remarkable 42% improvement compared to conventional BA lasers. Moreover, the current dependence of divergence has been effectively improved by 38%, further confirming the consistent and effective lateral mode control capability offered by our design.

As an important component of prehistoric subsistence, an understanding of bone-working is essential for interpreting the evolution of early complex societies, yet worked bones are rarely systematically collected in China. Here, the authors apply multiple analytical methods to worked bones from the Longshan site of Pingliangtai, in central China, showing that Neolithic bone-working in this area, with cervid as the main raw material, was mature but localised, household-based and self-sufficient. The introduction of cattle in the Late Neolithic precipitated a shift in bone-working traditions but it was only later, in the Bronze Age, that cattle bones were utilised in a specialised fashion and dedicated bone-working industries emerged in urban centres.

Unraveling the neurobiological foundations of childhood maltreatment is important due to the persistent associations with adverse mental health outcomes. However, the mechanisms through which abuse and neglect disturb resting-state network connectivity remain elusive. Moreover, it remains unclear if positive parenting can mitigate the negative impact of childhood maltreatment on network connectivity. We analyzed a cohort of 194 adolescents and young adults (aged 14–25, 47.42% female) from the Neuroscience in Psychiatry Network (NSPN) to investigate the impact of childhood abuse and neglect on resting-state network connectivity. Specifically, we examined the SAN, DMN, FPN, DAN, and VAN over time. We also explored the moderating role of positive parenting. The results showed that childhood abuse was linked to stronger connectivity within the SAN and VAN, as well as between the DMN-DAN, DMN-VAN, DMN-SAN, SAN-DAN, FPN-DAN, SAN-VAN, and VAN-DAN networks about 18 months later. Positive parenting during childhood buffered the negative impact of childhood abuse on network connectivity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the protective effect of positive parenting on network connectivity following childhood abuse. These findings not only highlight the importance of positive parenting but also lead to a better understanding of the neurobiology and resilience mechanisms of childhood maltreatment.

The electromagnetic scattering problem over a wide incident angle can be rapidly solved by introducing the compressive sensing theory into the method of moments, whose main computational complexity is comprised of two parts: a few calculations of matrix equations and the recovery of original induced currents. To further improve the method, a novel construction scheme of measurement matrix is proposed in this paper. With the help of the measurement matrix, one can obtain a sparse sensing matrix, and consequently the computational cost for recovery can be reduced by at least half. The scheme is described in detail, and the analysis of computational complexity and numerical experiments are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness.

To meet the demands of laser-ion acceleration at a high repetition rate, we have developed a comprehensive diagnostic system for real-time and in situ monitoring of liquid sheet targets (LSTs). The spatially resolved rapid characterizations of an LST’s thickness, flatness, tilt angle and position are fulfilled by different subsystems with high accuracy. With the help of the diagnostic system, we reveal the dependence of thickness distribution on collision parameters and report the 238-nm liquid sheet generated by the collision of two liquid jets. Control methods for the flatness and tilt angle of LSTs have also been provided, which are essential for applications of laser-driven ion acceleration and others.

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.

Polarized electron beam production via laser wakefield acceleration in pre-polarized plasma is investigated by particle-in-cell simulations. The evolution of the electron beam polarization is studied based on the Thomas–Bargmann–Michel–Telegdi equation for the transverse and longitudinal self-injection, and the depolarization process is found to be influenced by the injection schemes. In the case of transverse self-injection, as found typically in the bubble regime, the spin precession of the accelerated electrons is mainly influenced by the wakefield. However, in the case of longitudinal injection in the quasi-1D regime (for example, F. Y. Li et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 135002 (2013)), the direction of electron spin oscillates in the laser field. Since the electrons move around the laser axis, the net influence of the laser field is nearly zero and the contribution of the wakefield can be ignored. Finally, an ultra-short electron beam with polarization of $99\%$ can be obtained using longitudinal self-injection.