Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a major pest in corn production, and its management remains a significant challenge. Current control methods, which rely heavily on synthetic chemical pesticides, are environmentally detrimental and unsustainable, necessitating the development of eco-friendly alternatives. This study investigates the potential of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae as a biological control agent for O. furnacalis pupae, focusing on its infection efficacy and the factors influencing its performance. We conducted a series of laboratory experiments to evaluate the effects of distance, pupal developmental stage, soil depth, and light conditions on nematode attraction, pupal mortality and sublethal impacts on pupal longevity and oviposition. Results demonstrated that S. carpocapsae exhibited the highest attraction to pupae at a 3 cm distance, with infection declining significantly at greater distances. Younger pupae (<12 h old), were more attractive to nematodes than older pupae, and female pupae were preferred over males. Nematode infection was highest on the head and thorax of pupae, with a significant reduction in infection observed after 24 h. Infection caused 100% mortality in pupae within 2 cm soil depth, though efficacy was reduced under light conditions. Sublethal effects included a significant reduction in the longevity of infected adults and a decrease in the number of eggs laid by infected females compared to controls. These findings underscore the potential of S. carpocapsae as an effective biocontrol agent for sustainable pest management in corn production, offering a viable alternative to chemical pesticides.

The greatest challenge in pressure reconstruction from the measured velocity fields is that the error of material acceleration is significantly contaminated due to error propagation. Particularly for flows with moving boundaries, accurate boundary velocities are difficult to obtain due to error propagation, and a complex boundary processing technique is needed to treat the moving boundaries. The present work proposes a machine-learning-based method to determine the pressure for incompressible flows with moving boundaries. The proposed network consists of two neural networks: one network, named the boundary network, is used to track the Lagrangian boundary points; the other physics-informed neural network, named the flow network, is adopted to approximate the flow fields. These two networks are coupled by imposing boundary conditions. We further propose a new dynamic weight strategy for the loss terms to guarantee convergence and stability. The performance of the proposed method is validated by two examples: the flow over an oscillating cylinder and the flow around a swimming fish. The proposed method can accurately determine the pressure fields and boundary motion from synthetic particle image velocimetry (PIV) flow fields. Moreover, this method can also predict the boundary and pressure at a given instant without supervised data. Finally, this method was applied to reconstruct the pressure from the two-dimensional and three-dimensional PIV velocities of the left ventricle. All of the results indicate that the proposed method can accurately reconstruct the pressure fields for flows with moving boundaries and is a novel method for surface pressure estimation.

This study employs direct numerical simulations to examine the effects of varying backpressure conditions on the turbulent atomisation of impinging liquid jets. Using the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations, and a volume-of-fluid approach enhanced by adaptive mesh refinement and an isoface-based interface reconstruction algorithm, we analyse spray characteristics in the environments with ambient gas densities ranging from 1 to 40 times the atmospheric pressure under five different backpressure scenarios. We investigate the behaviour of turbulent jets, incorporate realistic orifice geometries and identify significant variations in the atomisation patterns depending on backpressure. Two distinct atomisation types emerge, namely jet-sheet-ligament-droplet at lower backpressures and jet-sheet-fragment-droplet at higher ones, alongside a transition from dilute to dense spray patterns. This variation affects the droplet size distribution and spray dynamics, with increased backpressure reducing the spray's spreading angle and breakup length, while increasing the droplet size variation. Furthermore, these conditions promote distributions that induce rapid, nonlinear wavy motion in liquid sheets. Topological analysis of the atomisation field using velocity-gradient tensor invariants reveals significant variations in topology volume fractions across different regions. Downstream, the droplet Sauter mean diameter increases and then stabilises, reflecting the continuous breakup and coalescence processes, notably under higher backpressures. This research underscores the substantial impact of backpressure on impinging-jet atomisation and provides essential insights for nozzle design to optimise droplet distributions.

Palygorskite (Pal) shows great potential for physical, chemical and biological uses due to its colloidal, catalytic and adsorption properties. Pal mines, however, are facing the challenge of low-grade materials (5–15%), making it difficult to use Pal in emerging fields such as new materials, environmental protection and health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient method for separating and purifying Pal to obtain high purity levels. Hence, we have developed a dispersant-assisted rotating liquid film reactor separation strategy based on sodium hexametaphosphate as the dispersant. This strategy utilizes the double electron layer of Pal and the density difference between impurities to achieve effective disaggregation and purification of Pal bundles through the promotion of repulsive driving effects. Under optimal conditions, the purity of Pal can be increased from less than 10% to over 80%. This research presents a novel approach to the efficient refining of low-grade Pal. The crudely purified Pal’s adsorption capacity for methylene blue increased from 84.2 to 256.4 mg g–1.

We consider the problem of parameter estimation for the superposition of square-root diffusions. We first derive the explicit formulas for the moments and auto-covariances based on which we develop our moment estimators. We then establish a central limit theorem for the estimators with the explicit formulas for the asymptotic covariance matrix. Finally, we conduct numerical experiments to validate our method.

We prove a comparison theorem between Greenberg–Benois $\mathcal {L}$-invariants and Fontaine–Mazur $\mathcal {L}$-invariants. Such a comparison theorem supplies an affirmative answer to a speculation of Besser–de Shalit.

Smart agriculture is based on latest technologies in communication, big data analysis, high-performance sensors, and automatic machinery to improve the effectiveness of agriculture industry. China is looking forward to achieve modernization of its agriculture industry through smart agriculture. But its unique climate, landscape, diversity in crops, and large population make this task more challenging compared to other counties. Herein, we present the current achievements regarding policies made to guide and support the development of smart agriculture, the promotion of smart techniques and smart equipment, and the cultivation of specialists in smart agriculture. Then we discussed the existing challenges that hinder further development of smart agriculture industry and proposed several feasible solutions to solve or ease the problem, including the pertinent development of smart agriculture in provinces with different resources, enrich modes of online technical support and specialist cultivation, and set a series of standards to guide research and development of novel smart systems.

Let G and H be two vertex disjoint graphs. The join $G+H$ is the graph with $V(G+H)=V(G)+V(H)$ and $E(G+H)=E(G)\cup E(H)\cup \{xy\;|\; x\in V(G), y\in V(H)\}$. A (finite) linear forest is a graph consisting of (finite) vertex disjoint paths. We prove that for any finite linear forest F and any nonnull graph H, if $\{F, H\}$-free graphs have a $\chi $-binding function $f(\omega )$, then $\{F, K_n+H\}$-free graphs have a $\chi $-binding function $kf(\omega )$ for some constant k.

The status of the genera Euparagonimus Chen, 1963 and Pagumogonimus Chen, 1963 relative to Paragonimus Braun, 1899 was investigated using DNA sequences from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO1) gene (partial) and the nuclear ribosomal DNA second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2). In the phylogenetic trees constructed, the genus Pagumogonimus is clearly not monophyletic and therefore not a natural taxon. Indeed, the type species of Pagumogonimus,P. skrjabini from China, is very closely related to Paragonimus miyazakii from Japan. The status of Euparagonimus is less obvious. Euparagonimus cenocopiosus lies distant from other lungflukes included in the analysis. It can be placed as sister to Paragonimus in some analyses and falls within the genus in others. A recently published morphological study placed E. cenocopiosus within the genus Paragonimus and probably this is where it should remain.

The aeroacoustic feedback loops in high-speed circular jets that impinge on a large flat plate are investigated via acoustic measurements and schlieren visualizations. In the present experiments, the nozzle pressure ratio ranges from 1.39 to 2.20, the corresponding ideally expanded jet Mach number $M_j$ is from 0.70 to 1.12 and the nozzle-to-plate distance ($H$) is from 4.0$D$ to 6.0$D$, where $D$ is the nozzle exit diameter. The results of acoustic measurements show that the strongest tones are generated in a limited frequency band. The empirical dispersion relations obtained from the fluctuating greyscales along the jet centreline of time-resolved schlieren images have good agreement with the dispersion relations from the vortex-sheet model. The coherent flow structures at tonal frequencies are extracted by spectral proper orthogonal decomposition and are analysed in detail. For the $M_j<0.82$ jets, the upstream-propagating guided jet mode is progressively confined to the potential core of jets with increasing tonal frequency, which provides the first direct experimental support for theoretical results. The evolution in the structures of acoustic resonance loops is studied along a single frequency stage of axisymmetric impinging tones. When the acoustic resonance between the upstream- and downstream-propagating guided jet modes is formed at tonal frequencies, the impinging tones are intenser. Slightly underexpanded impinging jets can simultaneously produce impingement tones and screech tones. Shock-cell structures have modulatory effects on the downstream-propagating Kelvin–Helmholtz wavepacket and the upstream- and downstream-propagating guided jet modes. Due to the interaction between the flow structures at the frequencies of impinging and screech tones, tones of axisymmetric modes can be produced outside the frequency ranges in which the axisymmetric upstream-propagating guided jet modes are supported by jets.

Natural flyers and swimmers employ flexible wings or fins to propel. While the complex interaction between the foil with deformation and the surrounding non-steady fluid environment defines the propulsion performance of the propellers, elucidating the interaction mechanism through theoretical models earns much challenge. Based on elastokinetics and linear potential flow theory, this study proposes a simplified analytical model to clarify the kinematics and the propulsion performance of a flexible thin foil pitching in flow. The dynamical forces, including the inertial force of the foil and the non-steady fluid pressure, are used to determine the averaged deformation angle of the foil. Combining the averaged deformation angle and the prescribed driving pitching motion, the kinematics of the foil is resolved analytically. Based on the analytical expressions for the corresponding pitching motion, analytical relations among the physical parameters of the stiffness and the mass of the foil and the driving frequency are given to these critical conditions, including resonance of the flow–structure system, equal pitching amplitude between the flexible foil and the rigid counterpart, phase angle transition from ${\rm \pi}/2$ to $- {\rm \pi}/2$. Subsequently, the performance of the foil, including the thrust, the power and the propulsive efficiency, as a function of the flexibility of the foil are derived, together with the introduction of a bluff body type offset drag to the thrust. The formulated analytical theory, which matches nicely with previous reports, will help to interpret the effect of the flexibility and regulate the propulsive performance of the flexible foil when pitching in fluid.

In order to establish a compact all-optical Thomson scattering source, experimental studies were conducted on the 45 TW Ti: sapphire laser facility. By including a steel wafer, mixed gas, and plasma mirror into a double-exit jet, several mechanisms, such as shock-assisted ionization injection, ionization injection, and driving laser reflection, were integrated into one source. So, the source of complexity was remarkably reduced. Electron bunches with central energy fluctuating from 90 to 160 MeV can be produced. Plasma mirrors were used to reflect the driving laser. The scattering of the reflected laser on the electron bunches led to the generation of X-ray photons. Through comparing the X-ray spots under different experimental conditions, it is confirmed that the X-ray photons are generated by Thomson scattering. For further application, the energy spectra and source size of the Thomson scattering source were measured. The unfolded spectrum contains a large amount of low-energy photons besides a peak near 67 keV. Through importing the electron energy spectrum into the Monte Carlo simulation code, the different contributions of the photons with small and large emitting angles can be used to explain the origin of the unfolded spectrum. The maximum photon energy extended to about 500 keV. The total photon production was 107/pulse. The FWHM source size was about 12 μm.

Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic disorder triggered by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus) and predominantly occurred in the liver and lungs. The M2 macrophage level is considerably elevated among the liver of patients with hepatic CE and performs an integral function in liver fibrosis. However, the mechanism of CE inducing polarisation of macrophage to an M2 phenotype is unknown. In this study, macrophage was treated with E. granulosus cyst fluid (EgCF) to explore the mechanism of macrophage polarisation. Consequently, the expression of the M2 macrophage and production of anti-inflammatory cytokines increased after 48 h treatment by EgCF. In addition, EgCF promoted polarisation of macrophage to an M2 phenotype by inhibiting the expression of transcriptional factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α), which increased the expression of glycolysis-associated genes, including hexokinase 2 (HK2) and pyruvate kinase 2 (PKM2). The HIF-1α agonist ML228 also inhibited the induction of macrophage to an M2 phenotype by EgCF in vitro. Our findings indicate that E. granulosus inhibits glycolysis by suppressing the expression of HIF-1α.

Increasing evidence shows that maternal hyperglycemia inhibits cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis during fetal heart development, which leads to cardiac dysplasia. Accumulating evidence suggests that the overexpression of miR-21 in CMs has a protective role in cardiac function. Therefore, we investigated whether miR-21 can rescue CM injury caused by high glucose. First, we performed biological function analysis of miR-21-5p overexpression in H9c2 cells treated with high glucose. We found that the proliferation of H9c2 cells treated with high glucose decreased significantly and was rescued after overexpression of miR-21-5p. CCK-8 and EdU incorporation assays were performed to assess cell proliferation. The cell proliferation of the miR-21-5p mimic transfection group was improved compared with that of the NC mimic group (*p < 0.05, miR-21-5p mimics vs. NC mimics) when the proliferation of H9c2 cells was reduced by high glucose (****p < 0.0001, high glucose (HG) vs. normal glucose (NG)). Then, we verified the targeted and negative regulation of miR-21-5p on Rhob using a dual-luciferase activity assay and RT-qPCR, respectively. We further demonstrated that miR-21-5p regulates Rhob to rescue the inhibition of CM proliferation induced by high glucose. The CCK-8 results showed that the cell proliferation of the siRNA-Rhob group was higher than that of the NC mimic group (***p < 0.001) and that of the cotransfection group with Up-Rhob plasmids and miR-21-5p mimics was lower than that of the miR-21-5p mimic group (*p < 0.05). Conclusion: Overexpression of miR-21-5p rescues the inhibition of high glucose-induced CM proliferation through regulation of Rhob.

Sichuan cuisine was previously fitted into the Chinese Heart-Healthy Diet (CHH) trial to verify the antihypertensive effect. Whether the modified Sichuan diet lessens cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not fully explored. We aimed to estimate the effects of the Sichuan version of CHH diet (CHH diet-SC) on the 10-year risk of CVD and vascular age. A single-blinded randomised controlled feeding trial was conducted. General CVD prediction model was used in manners of intention-to-treat and per-protocol set. After a 7-d run-in period, fifty-three participants with pre- and grade I hypertension from local communities were randomised and provided with either CHH diet-SC (n 27) or a control diet (n 26) for 4 weeks. Mean absolute and relative estimated CVD risks were reduced by 4·5 % and 27·9 % in the CHH diet-SC group, and the between-group relative risk reduction was 19·5 % (P < 0·001) using linear mixed-effects models. The sensitivity analysis with datasets and models showed consistent results, and pre-specified factors were not associated with the intervention effects. The vascular age of CHH-SC group was theoretically 4·4 years younger than that of the control group after intervention. Compared with a typical diet, adopting the CHH diet-SC over 1 month significantly reduced 10-year CVD risks and vascular ages among local adults with mild hypertension.

SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spreads among humans via social networks, with social mixing and network characteristics potentially facilitating transmission. However, limited data on topological structural features has hindered in-depth studies. Existing research is based on snapshot analyses, preventing temporal investigations of network changes. Comparing network characteristics over time offers additional insights into transmission dynamics. We examined confirmed COVID-19 patients from an eastern Chinese province, analyzing social mixing and network characteristics using transmission network topology before and after widespread interventions. Between the two time periods, the percentage of singleton networks increased from 38.9$ \% $ to 62.8$ \% $$ (p<0.001) $; the average shortest path length decreased from 1.53 to 1.14 $ (p<0.001) $; the average betweenness reduced from 0.65 to 0.11$ (p<0.001) $; the average cluster size dropped from 4.05 to 2.72 $ (p=0.004) $; and the out-degree had a slight but nonsignificant decline from 0.75 to 0.63 $ (p=0.099). $ Results show that nonpharmaceutical interventions effectively disrupted transmission networks, preventing further disease spread. Additionally, we found that the networks’ dynamic structure provided more information than solely examining infection curves after applying descriptive and agent-based modeling approaches. In summary, we investigated social mixing and network characteristics of COVID-19 patients during different pandemic stages, revealing transmission network heterogeneities.

Iodine is a vital trace element in the human body and is associated with several important coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors. We aimed to explore the correlation between urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and CAD. Data from 15 793 US adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003–2018) were analysed. We conducted multivariable logistic regression models and fitted smoothing curves to study the correlation between UIC and CAD. Furthermore, we performed subgroup analysis to investigate possible effect modifiers between them. We found a J-shaped association between UIC and CAD, with an inflection point at Lg UIC = 2·65 μg/l. This result indicated a neutral association (OR 0·89; 95 % CI 0·68, 1·16) between UIC and CAD as Lg UIC < 2·65 μg/l, but the per natural Lg [UIC] increment was OR 2·29; 95 % CI 1·53, 3·43 as Lg UIC ≥ 2·65 μg/l. An interaction between diabetes and UIC might exist. The increase in UIC results in an increase in CAD prevalence (OR 1·84, 95 % CI 1·32, 2·58) in diabetes but results in little to no difference in non-diabetes (OR 0·98, 95 % CI 0·77, 1·25). The J-shaped correlation between UIC and CAD and the interaction between diabetes and UIC should be confirmed in a prospective study with a series of UIC measurements. If excessive iodine precedes CAD, then this new finding could guide clinical practice and prevent iodine deficiency from being overcorrected.