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.

We investigate the natural oscillations of sessile drops with a central trapped bubble on a plane using linear potential flow theory, considering both free and pinned contact lines. The system is governed by the contact angle $\alpha$ and the ratio $\tau$ of inner to outer contact line radii. For bubble-containing (BC) hemispherical drops with free contact lines (referred to as free BC semi-drops), the modes mirror half of those in concentric spherical BC drops due to plane symmetry. These modes are labelled ‘plus’ (with greater inner surface deformation) and ‘minus’ (with greater outer surface deformation). As $\tau \to 0$, minus modes converge to those of bubble-free drops. Results show that varying $\alpha$ from $90^\circ$ or pinning the contact line in free BC semi-drops alters the topology of spectral lines, turning original crossings of spectral lines between minus and plus modes into avoided crossings. This shift causes minus and plus modes to form spectral trends with avoided crossings, maintaining their original spectral shapes. In an avoided crossing, two coupled modes cannot be classified as plus or minus due to their comparable inner and outer surface deformations, resulting in mode beating when both are excited, as confirmed by our direct numerical simulations. This study on the impact of inner bubbles on the spectrum may help in predicting bubble size in opaque sessile drops.

We report the first measurement of turbulent mixing developing from the convergent Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instability using time-resolved planar laser-induced fluorescence in a semi-annular convergent shock tube. A membraneless yet sharp interface with random short-wavelength perturbations, but controllable long-wavelength perturbations, is created by an automatically retractable plate, enhancing the reproducibility and reliability of RM turbulence experiments. The cylindrical air/SF$_6$ interface formed is first subjected to a convergent shock, then to its reflected shock and subsequently transits to turbulent mixing. It is found that the mixing width after reshock has a linear growth rate more than twice the rate in planar geometry. Also, the mixing width does not present power-law growth at late stages as in a planar geometry. However, the scalar spectrum and transition criterion obtained are similar to their planar counterparts. These findings indicate that the geometric constraint greatly affects the large scales of the flow, while having a weaker effect on the small scales. It is also found that the reflected shock significantly increases both scale separation and Reynolds number, explaining the rapid transition to turbulence following reshock.

Stimulated Raman scattering is a third-order nonlinear optical effect that is not only effective for wavelength converting laser output, but also for single longitudinal-mode output due to the absence of spatial hole burning. Diamond is a prominent Raman-active medium that has significant potential for linewidth narrowing and wavelength converting lasers at high power levels due to its high thermal conductivity, long Raman frequency shift and wide spectral transmission range. In this work we utilize diamond in a resonantly mode-matched external cavity to achieve cascaded Raman conversion of a 1064 nm laser. By fine-tuning the length of this external cavity, we can obtain narrow linewidth emission at 1240 and 1485 nm. When operating at maximum power, the measured linewidths were more than twofold narrower than the linewidth of the fundamental field. In addition, the noise levels of the Stokes fields are lower than that of the fundamental field throughout the entire noise frequency range, and the intrinsic linewidth of the second Stokes field, which is expressed at the hertz level (~3.6 Hz), is decreased by approximately three orders of magnitude compared to that of the pump. This work represents the first measurement and analysis of the linewidth and noise characteristics of cascaded diamond Raman lasers and, significantly, offers a new means by which high-power, narrow linewidth laser output can be produced from wavelength-converted laser systems.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a large group of mycobacteria other than the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and Mycobacterium leprae. Epidemiological investigations have found that the incidence of NTM infections is increasing in China, and it is naturally resistant to many antibiotics. Therefore, studies of NTM species in clinical isolates are useful for understanding the epidemiology of NTM infections. The present study aimed to investigate the incidence of NTM infections and types of NTM species. Of the 420 samples collected, 285 were positive for M. tuberculosis, 62 samples were negative, and the remaining 73 samples contained NTM, including 35 (8.3%) only NTM and 38 (9%) mixed (M. tuberculosis and NTM). The most prevalent NTM species were Mycobacterium intracellulare (30.1%), followed by Mycobacterium abscessus (15%) and M. triviale (12%). M. gordonae infection was detected in 9.5% of total NTM-positive cases. Moreover, this study reports the presence of Mycobacterium nonchromogenicum infection and a high prevalence of M. triviale for the first time in Henan. M. intracellulare is the most prevalent, accompanied by some emerging NTM species, including M. nonchromogenicum and a high prevalence of M. triviale in Henan Province. Monitoring NTM transmission and epidemiology could enhance mycobacteriosis management in future.

Using the visual world paradigm with printed words, this study investigated the flexibility and representational nature of phonological prediction in real-time speech processing. Native speakers of Mandarin Chinese listened to spoken sentences containing highly predictable target words and viewed a visual array with a critical word and a distractor word on the screen. The critical word was manipulated in four ways: a highly predictable target word, a homophone competitor, a tonal competitor, or an unrelated word. Participants showed a preference for fixating on the homophone competitors before hearing the highly predictable target word. The predicted phonological information waned shortly but was re-activated later around the acoustic onset of the target word. Importantly, this homophone bias was observed only when participants were completing a ‘pronunciation judgement’ task, but not when they were completing a ‘word judgement’ task. No effect was found for the tonal competitors. The task modulation effect, combined with the temporal pattern of phonological pre-activation, indicates that phonological prediction can be flexibly generated by top-down mechanisms. The lack of tonal competitor effect suggests that phonological features such as lexical tone are not independently predicted for anticipatory speech processing.

The reshocked Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) is examined in three different configurations via shock-tube experiments: RMI at a single-mode interface with a planar reshock (configuration I); RMI at a flat interface with a sinusoidal reshock (configuration II); RMI at a single-mode interface with a sinusoidal reshock (configuration III). The sinusoidal reshock is created by an incident shock reflecting off a sine-shaped wall surface. For all three configurations, the initial conditions of the experiment are specially set such that the interface evolution is at the linear stage when the reshock arrives. It is found that the amplitude of the reshocked interface increases linearly with time for all three configurations. For configuration I, the post-reshock perturbation growth depends heavily on the pre-reshock amplitude and growth rate, which can be predicted by a modified Mikaelian model (Phys. Rev. A, vol. 31, 1985, pp. 410–419). For configuration II, velocity perturbation associated with the non-uniform rippled reshock plays an important role in the instability growth. For configuration III, the post-reshock instability growth is much quicker (lower) than in configuration I when the sinusoidal reshock is in phase (out of phase) with the interface. A major reason is that for the in-phase (anti-phase) case, the velocity perturbation gives rise to an instability growth with an identical (opposite) direction to the pressure perturbation. A linear theory is developed that takes velocity perturbation, pressure perturbation and pre-reshock growth rate into account, which gives a reasonable prediction of the growth of the reshocked RMI in configurations II and III.

To comprehensively study the physical properties of inductively coupled plasma (ICP), a finite element method (FEM) simulation model of ICP is developed using the well-established COMSOL software. To benchmark the validation of the FEM model, two key physical parameters, the electron density and the electron temperature of the ICP plasma, are precisely measured by the state-of-the-art laser Thomson scattering diagnostic approach. For low-pressure plasma such as ICP, the local pressure in the generator tube is difficult to measure directly. The local gas pressure in the ICP tube has been calibrated by comparing the experimental and simulation results of the maximum electron density. And on this basis, the electron density and electron temperature of ICP under the same gas pressure and absorbed power have been compared by experiments and simulations. The good agreement between the experimental and simulation data of these two key physical parameters fully verifies the validity of the ICP FEM simulation model. The experimental verification of the ICP FEM simulation model lays a foundation for further study of the distribution of various physical quantities and their variation with pressure and absorption power, which is beneficial for improving the level of ICP-related processes.

The Wood Snipe Gallinago nemoricola is one of the least known shorebird species, and its habitat associations are very poorly understood. Here we provide the first assessment of the habitat use of the Wood Snipe during the breeding season. Between May and July 2021 at a 4-km2 alpine meadow in Sichuan province, China, we conducted population surveys and behavioural observations to identify sites where breeding Wood Snipe occurred and foraged. We quantified the habitat characteristics and food resource availability of these sites and compared them with randomly selected “background” sites. Comparison between 34 occurrence sites and 25 background sites indicated that during the breeding season, Wood Snipes are not distributed evenly across alpine meadow habitats, but preferred habitats in the lower part (3,378–3,624 m) of the alpine meadow with intermediate levels of soil moisture. In addition, comparison between 17 foraging sites and 24 background sites showed that the Wood Snipe tended to forage at sites with higher soil fauna abundance. We found weak evidence for denser vegetation cover at its height and no evidence for other biotic habitat variables such as vegetation composition or other abiotic habitat variables such as slope, soil penetrability, or disturbance level to influence Wood Snipe habitat associations. Our results suggest that the actual distribution range of the Wood Snipe during the breeding season may be smaller than expected from the extent of apparently suitable habitat. We advise caution in evaluating the potential habitat availability and distribution of the Wood Snipe, and call for further research to better understand the ecology of this rare species to inform its conservation.

Previous hydrocarbon explorations in the middle of the Tarim Basin indicate that strike-slip faults play an important role in the development of Ordovician carbonate reservoirs and hydrocarbon accumulation. The SB5 fault in the Tarim Basin was the target of this investigation. An evaluation of the stress in situ was carried out and provided boundary conditions to build a 3D geomechanical model. The distribution and application of present in situ stress in the strike-slip fault were studied. The results show good agreement between the absolute measured stress in situ and the modelled stresses, revealing a different stress regime along the strike-slip fault. The uplift segment belongs to a strike-slip stress state, and other areas belong to a normal fault stress state. The strike-slip fault has a significant influence on the present in situ stress distribution. The direction of the maximum horizontal stress deflects near the fault and tends to be parallel to the fault strike. This work introduces a comprehensive evaluation of the present in situ stress of the fractured carbonate reservoirs controlled by the strike-slip fault system. The present in situ stress direction can clarify the propagation direction of hydraulic fracturing and serve to evaluate the effectiveness of natural fractures.

Steinernema populi n. sp. was recovered by baiting from beneath poplar trees in China. Morphological and molecular features provided evidence for placing the new species into the Kushidai clade. The new species is characterized by the following morphological features: third-stage infective juveniles (IJ) with a body length of 1095 (973–1172) μm, a distance from the anterior end to excretory pore of 77 (70–86) μm and a tail length of 64 (55–72) μm. The Body length/Tail length (c) ratio and Anterior end to Excretory pore/ Tail length × 100 (E%) of S. populi n. sp. are substantially greater than those of all other ‘Feltiae–Kushidai–Monticolum’ group members. The first-generation males can be recognized by a spicule length of 66 (57–77) μm and a gubernaculum length of 46 (38–60) μm. The new species is further characterized by sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and partial 28S regions of the ribosomal DNA. Phylogenetic analyses show that Steinernema akhursti and Steinernema kushidai are the closest relatives to S. populi n. sp.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in animals’ survival in their local environments. The intertidal rocky shore is a key interface of oceanic, atmospheric and terrestrial environments, and the transmission modes of microbes between an intertidal host and the environment are complex and largely ignored. In the present study, we characterized the gut microbiota of the intertidal snail Nerita yoldii, which is experiencing a northward range shift under the combined impacts of climate change and anthropogenic seascape transformation, and also determined the nearby environmental microbiota on the rock and in the seawater at five locations along the snail's distribution range in China. The gut microbial communities were significantly different from the environmental microbial communities, and the dominant phyla were Tenericutes, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria in the gut, rock and seawater microbial communities, respectively. At the genus level, Mycoplasma, with a relative abundance of 48.0 ± 10.2%, was the dominant genus in the gut microbial community, however, the relative abundances of this genus on the rock and in the water were low. These results imply that the gut microbial community of the intertidal snail N. yoldii is relatively independent from the environmental microbial community, and the dominant genus Mycoplasma in the gut, that is rare in the environment, can potentially assist the snail living in the harsh intertidal environment, especially at its northernmost distribution range edge.

The southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) records the assembly process between several micro-continental blocks and the North China Craton (NCC), with the consumption of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO), but whether the S-wards subduction of the PAO beneath the northern NCC was ongoing during Carboniferous–Permian time is still being debated. A key issue to resolve this controversy is whether the Carboniferous magmatism in the northern NCC was continental arc magmatism. The Alxa Block is the western segment of the northern NCC and contiguous to the southeastern CAOB, and their Carboniferous–Permian magmatism could have occurred in similar tectonic settings. In this contribution, new zircon U–Pb ages, elemental geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotopic analyses are presented for three early Carboniferous granitic plutons in the southwestern Alxa Block. Two newly identified aluminous A-type granites, an alkali-feldspar granite (331.6 ± 1.6 Ma) and a monzogranite (331.8 ± 1.7 Ma), exhibit juvenile and radiogenic Sr–Nd isotopic features, respectively. Although a granodiorite (326.2 ± 6.6 Ma) is characterized by high Sr/Y ratios (97.4–139.9), which is generally treated as an adikitic feature, this sample has highly radiogenic Sr–Nd isotopes and displays significantly higher K2O/Na2O ratios than typical adakites. These three granites were probably derived from the partial melting of Precambrian continental crustal sources heated by upwelling asthenosphere in lithospheric extensional setting. Regionally, both the Alxa Block and the southeastern CAOB are characterized by the formation of early Carboniferous extension-related magmatic rocks but lack coeval sedimentary deposits, suggesting a uniform lithospheric extensional setting rather than a simple continental arc.

The origins of metal coinage and the monetisation of ancient economies have long been a research focus in both archaeology and economic history. Recent excavations of an Eastern Zhou period (c. 770–220 BC) bronze foundry at Guanzhuang in Henan Province, China, have yielded clay moulds for casting spade coins. The technical characteristics of the moulds demonstrate that the site functioned as a mint for producing standardised coins. Systematic AMS radiocarbon-dating indicates that well-organised minting developed c. 640–550 BC, making Guanzhuang the world's oldest-known, securely dated minting site. This discovery provides important new data for exploring the origin of monetisation in ancient China.

Pareto distribution is an important distribution in extreme value theory. In this paper, we consider parallel systems with Pareto components and study the effect of heterogeneity on skewness of such systems. It is shown that, when the lifetimes of components have different shape parameters, the parallel system with heterogeneous Pareto component lifetimes is more skewed than the system with independent and identically distributed Pareto components. However, for the case when the lifetimes of components have different scale parameters, the result gets reversed in the sense of star ordering. We also establish the relation between star ordering and dispersive ordering by extending the result of Deshpande and Kochar [(1983). Dispersive ordering is the same as tail ordering. Advances in Applied Probability 15(3): 686–687] from support $(0, \infty )$ to general supports $(a, \infty )$, $a > 0$. As a consequence, we obtain some new results on dispersion of order statistics from heterogeneous Pareto samples with respect to dispersive ordering.

The work aims to realize energy-efficient bipedal walking by employing the three-mass inverted pendulum model (3MIPM) and compare its energy performance with linear inverted pendulum model (LIPM). To do this, a general optimal index on center of mass (CoM) acceleration is first derived for energetic cost evaluation. After defining the equivalent zero moment point (ZMP) motion, an unconstrained optimization approach for CoM generation is extended for 3MIPM, which can track different ZMP references and address the height variation as well. To make use of the allowable ZMP movement, a constrained optimization method is also employed, contributing to lower energetic cost. Simulation and hardware experiments on a humanoid robot demonstrate that the 3MIPM could achieve higher energy efficiency.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerged disease with various clinical manifestations and imaging features. The diagnosis of COVID-19 depends on a positive nucleic acid amplification test by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the clinical manifestations and imaging features of COVID-19 are non-specific, and nucleic acid test for SARS-CoV-2 can have false-negative results. It is presently believed that detection of specific antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 is an effective screening and diagnostic indicator for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus, a combination of nucleic acid and specific antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 will be more effective to diagnose COVID-19, especially to exclude suspected cases.