Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) shows spatiotemporal heterogeneity in China. A spatiotemporal filtering model was constructed and applied to HFMD data to explore the underlying spatiotemporal structure of the disease and determine the impact of different spatiotemporal weight matrices on the results. HFMD cases and covariate data in East China were collected between 2009 and 2015. The different spatiotemporal weight matrices formed by Rook, K-nearest neighbour (KNN; K = 1), distance, and second-order spatial weight matrices (SO-SWM) with first-order temporal weight matrices in contemporaneous and lagged forms were decomposed, and spatiotemporal filtering model was constructed by selecting eigenvectors according to MC and the AIC. We used MI, standard deviation of the regression coefficients, and five indices (AIC, BIC, DIC, R2, and MSE) to compare the spatiotemporal filtering model with a Bayesian spatiotemporal model. The eigenvectors effectively removed spatial correlation in the model residuals (Moran’s I < 0.2, p > 0.05). The Bayesian spatiotemporal model’s Rook weight matrix outperformed others. The spatiotemporal filtering model with SO-SWM was superior, as shown by lower AIC (92,029.60), BIC (92,681.20), and MSE (418,022.7) values, and higher R2 (0.56) value. All spatiotemporal contemporaneous structures outperformed the lagged structures. Additionally, eigenvector maps from the Rook and SO-SWM closely resembled incidence patterns of HFMD.

Manned lunar landers must ensure astronaut safety while enhancing payload capacity. Due to traditional landers being weak in high-impact energy absorb and heavy payload capacity, a Starship-type manned lunar lander is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on the traditional cantilever beam cushioning mechanism for manned lander. Subsequently, a 26-ton manned lander and its landing mechanism were designed, and a rigid-flexible coupling dynamic analysis was performed on the compression process of the primary and auxiliary legs. Secondly, the landing performance of the proposed Starship-type manned lunar lander was compared with the traditional 14-ton manned lander in multiple landing conditions. The results indicate that under normal conditions, the largest acceleration of the proposed 26-ton Starship-type manned lander decreases more than 13.1%. It enables a significant increase in payload capacity while mitigating impact loads under various landing conditions.

In this study, we developed an adaptive gain-scheduling algorithm for hypersonic flight vehicles operating across wide altitude-Mach number envelopes. First, we employed a gap metric-based nominal point selection algorithm to establish a linear parameter-varying (LPV) model more accurate than the traditional Jacobian linearisation method. Active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) was then applied to cope with disturbances and uncertainties, and control gains were scheduled using the Guardian maps (GM) method to adapt to the wide envelope of velocity and altitude. The simulation results demonstrate that under all operating conditions, the proposed algorithm can automatically iterate to obtain a gain-scheduling strategy that meets the flying qualities requirements. Notably, the proposed algorithm exhibited an integral of the time absolute error approximately half of that of the traditional ADRC and significantly lower than that of the GM-LQR method in the ascent phase, demonstrating its excellent control performance and robustness.

Influenced by human activities, microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed in terrestrial ecosystems. However, their ecotoxicity remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed the ecotoxicity of polyamide microplastics (PA-MPs) by investigating their toxic effects on the model insect, the silkworms Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). In this study, fifth-instar silkworm larvae were fed mulberry leaves treated with PA-MPs for 120 hours, but no changes in mortality rates were observed. However, the body weight, pupal weight, cocoon weight, egg laying amount, and cocoon shell weight in F0 generation silkworms were significantly reduced. This indicates that PA-MPs have sublethal effects on silkworms. To further investigate the effects of PA-MPs on the offspring of silkworms, we applied the age-stage, two-sex life table analysis. We found that in the PA-MPs treatment group, the duration of the larval and pupal stages of F1 generation silkworms was significantly prolonged, while the lifespan of the adults and total longevity were shortened. Meanwhile, the life history parameters (sxj, exj, lx, fxj, lxmx, and vxj values) and population parameters (R0, λ, r, and T) of F1 generation silkworms in the PA-MPs treatment group were also lower than control. This indicates that PA-MPs have transgenerational effects, affecting the growth, development, and reproduction of F1 generation silkworms. Our research findings demonstrate the sublethal and transgenerational effects of PA-MPs on silkworms, providing evidence for their ecotoxicity.

The sulfur microbial diet (SMD), a dietary pattern associated with 43 sulfur-metabolizing bacteria, may influence gut microbiota composition and contribute to aging process through gut-produced hydrogen sulfide (H2S). We aimed to explore the association between SMD and biological age acceleration, using the cross-sectional study included 71,579 individuals from the UK Biobank. The SMD score was calculated by multiplying β-coefficients by corresponding serving sizes and summing them, based on dietary data collected using the Oxford WebQ, a 24-hour dietary assessment tool. Biological age (BA) was assessed using Klemerae-Doubal (KDM) and PhenoAge methods. The difference between BA and chronological age refers to the age acceleration (AgeAccel), termed “KDMAccel” and “PhenoAgeAccel”. Generalized linear regression was performed. Mediation analyses were used to investigate underlying mediators including body mass index (BMI) and serum aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio. Following adjustment for multiple variables, a positive association was observed between consuming a dietary pattern with a higher SMD score and both KDMAccel (βQ4vsQ1 = 0.35, 95%CI = 0.27 to 0.44, P<0.001) and PhenoAgeAccel (βQ4vsQ1 = 0.32, 95%CI = 0.23 to 0.41, P<0.001). Each 1-standard deviation increase in SMD score was positively associated with the acceleration of biological age by 7.90% for KDMAccel (P<0.001) and 7.80% for PhenoAgeAccel (P<0.001). BMI and AST/ALT mediated the association. The stratified analysis revealed stronger accelerated aging impacts in males and smokers. Our study indicated a higher SMD score is associated with elevated markers of biological aging, supporting the potential utility of gut microbiota-targeted dietary interventions in attenuating the aging process.

Many particles, whether passive or active, possess elongated shapes. When these particles settle or swim in shear flows, they often form regions of accumulation and depletion. Additionally, the density contrast between the particles and the fluid can further alter the flow by increasing the local suspension density, resulting in a two-way buoyancy–flow coupling mechanism. This study investigates the buoyancy–flow coupled dispersion of active spheroids, examining the effects of elongation, orientation-dependent settling and gyrotaxis in a vertical pipe subjected to either downwards or upwards discharge. While the concentration and velocity profiles of passive settling spheroids and spherical gyrotactic swimmers can be analysed similarly to a recent study, notable differences in dispersion characteristics emerge due to different streamline-crossing mechanisms. For suspensions of elongated swimmers, the interplay between orientation-dependent settling, gyrotaxis-induced accumulation and shear-induced trapping results in distinct concentration and velocity distributions compared to those of neutrally buoyant particles and extremely dilute suspensions with negligible coupling effect. These differences further impact drift velocity, dispersivity, and the time elapsed to steady dispersion under varying flow rates. Interestingly, low-shear trapping of non-settling elongated swimmers around the centreline, commonly observed in planar Poiseuille flow, is absent in the vertical pipe due to the change of confinement from reflectional to rotational symmetry. However, elongated settling swimmers show a non-trivial concentration response to strong downwelling discharge. This phenomenon, linked to the centreline accumulation of passive settling spheroids, bears similarities to low-shear trapping observed in planar Poiseuille flow.

Bombyx mori Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (BmWARS) belongs to the family of Ic-like aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs), whose specific recognition of the substrate Trp, tRNA, maintains the fidelity of protein synthesis. In this study, BmWARS was cloned and characterized from the midgut of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, resulting in an open reading frame (ORF) with a full length of 1,149 bp, which can encode 382 Aa. BmWARS is localized in the cytoplasm, and is expressed in all tissues of the silkworm, with higher expression in the testis, ovary, silk gland and malpighian tubule. The expression of BmWARS was significantly up-regulated in the midgut and silk gland after infection with Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV). In addition, overexpression of BmWARS inhibited BmNPV infection and replication extremely significantly, while interference with BmWARS expression promoted BmNPV infection and replication. Analysis of the immune pathways in which BmWARS may be involved revealed that the expression of the key genes of the PI3K-Akt pathway, BmPI3K, BmAkt, BmPDK1, BmeIF4E, BmS6, and p-Akt protein was significantly reduced, whereas the expression of BmPTEN, BmFoxO, and BmCaspase9 was significantly increased in the cells that overexpressed BmWARS and were infected with BmNPV. Meanwhile, the results of the study interfering with the expression of BmWARS were completely opposite to those of the study overexpressing BmWARS. This is the first report that BmWARS has antiviral effects in Bombyx mori. Moreover, BmWARS inhibits BmNPV infection and replication in Bombyx mori cells by promoting apoptosis and inhibiting cell proliferation.

This paper presents a notched ultra-wideband antenna designed to suppress interference from narrowband communication systems. The antenna features a defected ground structure and a stepped microstrip feedline for improved impedance matching and enhanced bandwidth. A bent slot structure is incorporated into the radiating patch to achieve the band-notched characteristic. It has a wide tunable frequency range which allows for flexible adjustment of the notch frequency. Traditional optimization methods, such as numerical analysis, are computationally expensive and inefficient, while heuristic algorithms are less precise. To address these challenges, an improved one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1DCNN-IPS) model is proposed for optimizing the bent slot design more efficiently. The trained 1DCNN-IPS model can accurately predict the antenna’s electromagnetic parameters, reducing mean squared error and training times compared to traditional methods. This provides an efficient and precise solution for antenna structural optimization.

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.

The dependence of the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) on post-shock Atwood number ($A_1$) is experimentally investigated for a heavy–light single-mode interface. We create initial interfaces with density ratios of heavy to light gases ranging from 1.73 to 34.07, and achieve the highest $|A_1|$ value reported to date for gaseous-interface experiments (0.95). For the first time, spike acceleration is observed in experiments with a heavy–light configuration. The models for the start-up, linear and weakly nonlinear evolution stages are evaluated over a wide range of $A_1$ conditions. Specifically, the models proposed by Li et al. (Phys. Fluids, vol. 36, 2024, 056104) and Wouchuk & Nishihara (Phys. Plasmas, vol. 4, 1997, 1028–1038) effectively describe the start-up and linear stages, respectively, across all cases. None of the considered nonlinear models is valid under all $A_1$ conditions. Based on the dependence of spike and bubble evolutions on $A_1$ provided by the present work and previous study (Chen et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 975, 2023, A29), the SEA model (Sadot et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 80, 1998, pp. 1654–1657), whose expression has clear physical meanings, is modified by revising the coefficient that governs its prediction for early-time evolution. The modified model applies to prediction of the weakly nonlinear evolution of RMI with $A_1$ ranging from −0.95 to −0.35 and from 0.30 to 0.86. Based on this model, an approximation of the critical $A_1$ for the occurrence of spike acceleration is obtained.

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.

The viruses associated with bats have generated significant concern; however, there is limited knowledge regarding the endoparasites that affect these mammals. This study involved the collection of seven nematode specimens (three males and four females) from the intestines of Hipposideros armiger in Shaoguan City, Guangdong, China. Next-generation sequencing was employed to obtain the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome, which was determined to be 14,130 base pairs in length. The mitochondrial genome comprised 12 protein-coding genes, 21 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and an AT-rich non-coding region. Phylogenetic analyses based on mtDNA sequences indicated that the nematode forms a sister clade to Nematodirus, exhibiting only 74% nucleotide identity. In contrast, the nuclear ITS1 gene demonstrated a high degree of nucleotide identity (98.6%–98.8%) with Durettenema guangdongense. Consequently, the parasitic nematode identified from H. armiger is likely to belong to the genus Durettenema and has been designated as Durettenema sp. 888. Furthermore, an epidemiological investigation revealed the presence of the parasitic nematode infections in H. armiger collected from Guangdong, Guangxi, and Guizhou Provinces. Given the widespread distribution of H. armiger and their tendency to inhabit areas in close proximity to human dwellings, the influence of parasite prevalence on bat population numbers and potential for human and domestic animal transmission of this pathogen warrants further investigation.