Real estate is a major component of China’s national wealth, serving as a key store of value. Property taxes potentially influence households’ belief in the stability of the housing market, resulting in varying effects of such taxes. This paper constructs an equilibrium model of stores of value to examine these effects under diverse beliefs. The results show that property taxes can constrain the growth of housing prices if households maintain their belief in the future stability of housing values. However, damaging this belief would lead to a safety trap with a decline in output. The paper also demonstrates that using tax revenue to finance government bond issuance can be an effective way to lower housing prices and increase output.

This study aimed to explore extracellular microRNA derived from Echinococcus multilocularis (EM) in the plasma of patients with alveolar echinococcosis (AE) and assess its potential as a diagnostic biomarker. EM-derived miRNAs were identified in plasma samples from 20 AE patients through miRNA sequencing. Three novel miRNA molecules (emu-miR-novel 1, 2 and 3) were predicted through bioinformatic analysis to elucidate their chromosomal locations, secondary structures and precursor forms. Subsequently, plasma samples from 30 AE patients and 30 controls were utilized to establish an assay via stem-loop reverse transcription PCR, optimizing primers, reaction systems, and conditions to assess cross-reactivity and sensitivity. Clinical validation revealed that emu-miR-novel 1 had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.8994, a P value of less than 0.0001, a sensitivity of 83.3%, and a specificity of 86.7%. Statistically significant differences were observed between the groups for emu-miR-novel 1 (P < 0.05), whereas emu-miR-novel 2 and 3 showed AUC values of 0.7922 and 0.6883, with P values of 0.0001 and 0.012, respectively, indicating no significant difference between groups (P > 0.05). Furthermore, the assay showed no cross-reactivity with samples from 18 common viruses, 4 parasitic infections, and miRNAs from AE sequenced from 8 species, confirming its high specificity. Emu-miR-novel 1 exhibited a sensitivity of 1 femtomolar. Emu-miR-novel 1 holds promise as a key diagnostic tool for AE, offering a novel perspective and approach for disease diagnosis.

Cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) is an innovative technology to desublimate $\text {CO}_2$ out of industrial flue gases. A comprehensive understanding of $\text {CO}_2$ desublimation and sublimation is essential for widespread application of CCC, which is highly challenging due to the complex physics behind. In this work, a lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is proposed to study $\text {CO}_2$ desublimation and sublimation for different operating conditions, including the bed temperature (subcooling degree $\Delta T_s$), gas feed rate (Péclet number $Pe $) and bed porosity ($\psi$). The $\text {CO}_2$ desublimation and sublimation properties are reproduced. Interactions between convective $\text {CO}_2$ supply and desublimation/sublimation intensity are analysed. In the single-grain case, $Pe $ is suggested to exceed a critical value $Pe _c$ at each $\Delta T_s$ to avoid the convection-limited regime. Beyond $Pe _c$, the $\text {CO}_2$ capture rate ($v_c$) grows monotonically with $\Delta T_s$, indicating a desublimation-limited regime. In the packed bed case, multiple grains render the convective $\text {CO}_2$ supply insufficient and make CCC operate under the convection-limited mechanism. Besides, in small-$\Delta T_s$ and high-$Pe $ tests, $\text {CO}_2$ desublimation becomes insufficient compared with convective $\text {CO}_2$ supply, thus introducing the desublimation-limited regime with severe $\text {CO}_2$ capture capacity loss ($\eta _d$). Moreover, large $\psi$ enhances gas mobility while decreasing cold grain volume. A moderate porosity $\psi _c$ is recommended for improving the $\text {CO}_2$ capture performance. By analysing $v_c$ and $\eta _d$, regime diagrams are proposed in $\Delta T_s$–$Pe $ space to show distributions of convection-limited and desublimation-limited regimes, thus suggesting optimal conditions for efficient $\text {CO}_2$ capture. This work develops a viable LB model to examine CCC under extensive operating conditions, contributing to facilitating its application.

In 2017, Brosseau & Vlahovska (Phys. Rev. Lett, vol. 119, no. 3, 2017, p. 034501) found that, in a strong electric field, a weakly conductive, low-viscosity droplet immersed in a highly conductive, high-viscosity medium formed a lens shape, and liquid rings continuously detached from its equatorial plane and subsequently broke up into satellite droplets. This fascinating multiphase electrohydrodynamic (EHD) phenomenon is known as droplet equatorial streaming. In this paper, based on the unified lattice Boltzmann method framework proposed by Luo et al. (Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A Math. Phys. Engng Sci, vol. 379, no. 2208, 2021, p. 20200397), a novel lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is constructed for multiphase EHD by coupling the Allen–Cahn type of multiphase LB model and two new LB equations to solve the Poisson equation of the electric field and the conservation equation of the surface charge. Using the proposed LB model, we successfully reproduced, for the first time, the complete process of droplet equatorial streaming, including the continuous ejection and breakup of liquid rings on the equatorial plane. In addition, it is found that, under conditions of high electric field strength or significant electrical conductivity contrast, droplets exhibit fingering equatorial streaming that was unknown before. A power-law relationship is discovered for droplet total charge evolution and a theoretical model is then proposed to describe the droplet radius and height over time. The breakup of liquid rings is found to be dominated by capillary instability, while the breakup of liquid fingers is governed by the end-pinching mechanism. Finally, a phase diagram is constructed for fingering equatorial streaming and ring equatorial streaming, and a criterion equation is established for the phase boundary.

Seed germination is a pivotal period of plant growth and development. This process can be divided into four major stages, swelling absorption, seed coat dehiscence, radicle emergence and radicle elongation. Cupressus gigantea, a tree native to Tibet, China, is characterized by its resistance to stresses such as cold, and drought, and has a high economic and ecological value. Nevertheless, given its unique geographic location, its seeds are difficult to germinate. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the mechanisms involved in seed germination in this species to improve the germination efficiency of its seeds, thereby protecting this high-quality resource. Here, our findings indicate that seed germination was enhanced when exposed to a 6-h/8-h light/dark photoperiod, coupled with a temperature of 20°C. Furthermore, the application of exogenous GA3 (1 mg/ml, about 2.9 mM) stimulated the germination of C. gigantea seeds. Subsequently, proteomics was used to detect changes in protein expression during the four stages of seed germination. We identified 34 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), including 13 at the radicle pre-emergence stage, and 17 at the radicle elongation stage. These DEPs were classified into eight functional groups, cytoskeletal proteins, energy metabolism, membrane transport, stress response, molecular chaperones, amino acid metabolism, antioxidant system and ABA signalling pathway. Most of them were found to be closely associated with amino acid metabolism. Combined, these findings indicate that, along with temperature and light, exogenous GA3 can increase the germination efficiency of C. gigantea seeds. Our study also offers insights into the changes in protein expression patterns in C. gigantea seeds during germination.

Dietary antioxidant indices (DAI) may be potentially associated with relative telomere length (RTL) of leucocytes. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between DAI and RTL. A cross-sectional study involving 1656 participants was conducted. A generalised linear regression model and a restricted cubic spline model were used to assess the correlation of DAI and its components with RTL. Generalised linear regression analysis revealed that DAI (β = 0·005, P = 0·002) and the intake of its constituents vitamin C (β = 0·043, P = 0·027), vitamin E (β = 0·088, P < 0·001), Se (β = 0·075, P = 0·003), and Zn (β = 0·075, P = 0·023) were significantly and positively correlated with RTL. Sex-stratified analysis showed that DAI (β = 0·006, P = 0·005) and its constituents vitamin E (β = 0·083, P = 0·012), Se (β = 0·093, P = 0·006), and Zn (β = 0·092, P = 0·034) were significantly and positively correlated with RTL among females. Meanwhile, among males, only vitamin E intake (β = 0·089, P = 0·013) was significantly and positively associated with RTL. Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed linear positive associations between DAI and its constituents’ (vitamin E, Se and Zn) intake and RTL in the total population. Sex-stratified analysis revealed a linear positive correlation between DAI and its constituents’ (vitamin E, Se and Zn) intake and RTL in females. Our study found a significant positive correlation between DAI and RTL, with sex differences.

We present the third data release from the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) project. The release contains observations of 32 pulsars obtained using the 64-m Parkes ‘Murriyang’ radio telescope. The data span is up to 18 yr with a typical cadence of 3 weeks. This data release is formed by combining an updated version of our second data release with $\sim$3 yr of more recent data primarily obtained using an ultra-wide-bandwidth receiver system that operates between 704 and 4032 MHz. We provide calibrated pulse profiles, flux density dynamic spectra, pulse times of arrival, and initial pulsar timing models. We describe methods for processing such wide-bandwidth observations and compare this data release with our previous release.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the infection risk of aircraft passengers seated within and beyond two rows of the index case(s) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus, and SARS-CoV-1. PubMed databases were searched for articles containing information on air travel–related transmission of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus, and SARS-CoV-1 infections. We performed a meta-analysis of inflight infection data. In the eight flights where the attack rate could be calculated, the inflight SARS-CoV-2 attack rates ranged from 2.6% to 16.1%. The risk ratios of infection for passengers seated within and outside the two rows of the index cases were 5.64 (95% confidence interval (CI):1.94–16.40) in SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks, 4.26 (95% CI:1.08–16.81) in the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus outbreaks, and 1.91 (95% CI:0.80–4.55) in SARS-CoV-1 outbreaks. Furthermore, we found no significant difference between the attack rates of SARS-CoV-2 in flights where the passengers were wearing masks and those where they were not (p = 0.22). The spatial distribution of inflight SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks was more similar to that of the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus outbreaks than to that of SARS-CoV-1. Given the high proportion of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infection in SARS-CoV-2 transmission, we hypothesised that the proximity transmission, especially short-range airborne route, might play an important role in the inflight SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) can preferentially desublimate $\text {CO}_2$ out of the flue gas. A widespread application of CCC requires a comprehensive understanding of $\text {CO}_2$ desublimation properties. This is, however, highly challenging due to the multiphysics behind it. This study proposes a lattice Boltzmann (LB) model to study $\text {CO}_2$ desublimation on a cooled cylinder surface during CCC. In two-dimensional (2-D) simulations, various $\text {CO}_2$ desublimation and capture behaviours are produced in response to different operation conditions, namely, gas velocity (Péclet number $\textit {Pe}$) and cylinder temperature (subcooling degree $\Delta T_{sub}$). As $\textit {Pe}$ increases or $\Delta T_{sub}$ decreases, the desublimation rate gradually becomes insufficient compared with the $\text {CO}_2$ supply via convection/diffusion. Correspondingly, the desublimated solid $\text {CO}_2$ layer (SCL) transforms from a loose (i.e. cluster-like, dendritic or incomplete) structure to a dense one. Four desublimation regimes are thus classified as diffusion-controlled, joint-controlled, convection-controlled and desublimation-controlled regimes. The joint-controlled regime shows quantitatively a desirable $\text {CO}_2$ capture performance: fast desublimation rate, high capture capacity, and full cylinder utilization. Regime distributions are summarized on a $\textit {Pe}$–$\Delta T_{sub}$ space to determine operation parameters for the joint-controlled regime. Moreover, three-dimensional simulations demonstrate four similar desublimation regimes, verifying the reliability of 2-D results. Under regimes with loose SCLs, however, the desublimation process shows an improved $\text {CO}_2$ capture performance in three dimensions. This is attributed to the enhanced availability of gas–solid interface and flow paths. This work develops a reliable LB model to study $\text {CO}_2$ desublimation, which can facilitate applications of CCC for mitigating climate change.

In this work, we propose using an ensemble Kalman method to learn a nonlinear eddy viscosity model, represented as a tensor basis neural network, from velocity data. Data-driven turbulence models have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional models for providing closure mapping from the mean velocities to Reynolds stresses. Most data-driven models in this category need full-field Reynolds stress data for training, which not only places stringent demand on the data generation but also makes the trained model ill-conditioned and lacks robustness. This difficulty can be alleviated by incorporating the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solver in the training process. However, this would necessitate developing adjoint solvers of the RANS model, which requires extra effort in code development and maintenance. Given this difficulty, we present an ensemble Kalman method with an adaptive step size to train a neural-network-based turbulence model by using indirect observation data. To our knowledge, this is the first such attempt in turbulence modelling. The ensemble method is first verified on the flow in a square duct, where it correctly learns the underlying turbulence models from velocity data. Then the generalizability of the learned model is evaluated on a family of separated flows over periodic hills. It is demonstrated that the turbulence model learned in one flow can predict flows in similar configurations with varying slopes.

Diarrhoea caused by pathogens such as enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) is a serious threat to the health of young animals and human infants. Here, we investigated the protective effect of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on the intestinal epithelium with ETEC challenge in a weaned piglet model. Twenty-four weaned piglets were randomly divided into three groups: (1) non-ETEC-challenged control (CON); (2) ETEC-challenged control (ECON); and (3) ETEC challenge + 2·5 g/kg FOS (EFOS). On day 19, the CON pigs were orally infused with sterile culture, while the ECON and EFOS pigs were orally infused with active ETEC (2·5 × 109 colony-forming units). On day 21, pigs were slaughtered to collect venous blood and small intestine. Result showed that the pre-treatment of FOS improved the antioxidant capacity and the integrity of intestinal barrier in the ETEC-challenged pigs without affecting their growth performance. Specifically, compared with ECON pigs, the level of GSH peroxidase and catalase in the plasma and intestinal mucosa of EFOS pigs was increased (P < 0·05), and the intestinal barrier marked by zonula occluden-1 and plasmatic diamine oxidase was also improved in EFOS pigs. A lower level (P < 0·05) of inflammatory cytokines in the intestinal mucosa of EFOS pigs might be involved in the inhibition of TLR4/MYD88/NF-κB pathway. The apoptosis of jejunal cells in EFOS pigs was also lower than that in ECON pigs (P < 0·05). Our findings provide convincing evidence of possible prebiotic and protective effect of FOS on the maintenance of intestinal epithelial function under the attack of pathogens.

Fat-soluble vitamins during pregnancy are important for fetal growth and development. The present study aimed at exploring the association between vitamin A, E and D status during pregnancy and birth weight. A total of 19 640 women with singleton deliveries from a retrospective study were included. Data were collected by the hospital electronic information system. Maternal serum vitamin A, E and D concentrations were measured during pregnancy. Logistic regression was performed to estimate the association between the vitamin status and low birth weight (LBW) or macrosomia. Women with excessive vitamin E were more likely to have macrosomia (OR 1·30, 95 % CI 1·07, 1·59) compared with adequate concentration. When focusing on Z scores, there was a positive association between vitamin E and macrosomia in the first (OR 1·07, 95 % CI 1·00, 1·14), second (OR 1·27, 95 % CI 1·11, 1·46) and third (OR 1·28, 95 % CI 1·06, 1·54) trimesters; vitamin A was positively associated with LBW in the first (OR 1·14, 95 % CI 1·01, 1·29), second (OR 1·31, 95 % CI 1·05, 1·63) and third (OR 2·00, 95 % CI 1·45, 2·74) trimesters and negatively associated with macrosomia in the second (OR 0·79, 95 % CI 0·70, 0·89) and third (OR 0·77, 95 % CI 0·62, 0·95) trimesters. The study identified that high concentrations of vitamin E are associated with macrosomia. Maintaining a moderate concentration of vitamin A during pregnancy might be beneficial to achieve optimal birth weight. Further studies to explore the mechanism of above associations are warranted.

High inductive helical support provides a solution to controlling the alignment error of inner electrodes in magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs). Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations were performed to examine the current loss mechanism and the effects of structural parameters on electron flow in an MITL with a helical inductor. An empirical expression related to the ratio of electron current loss to anode current and the ratio of anode current to self-limited current was obtained. Electron current loss caused by helical inductor with different structures was displayed. The results indicate that the current loss in an MITL, near an inductive helical support, comprises both the inductor current and the electron current loss. The non-uniform structure and current of a helical inductor cause an abrupt change in the magnetic field near the helical support, which leads to anomalous behavior and current loss of electron flow. In addition, current loss in the inductive helical-supported MITL is negligible when the inductance of the support is sufficiently high. This work facilitates the estimation of electron current loss caused by the inductive helical support in MITLs.

AlMgB14–TiB2 ceramic was successfully brazed to TC4 alloy with inactive AgCu filler alloy. X-ray diffractometer, SEM, and energy-dispersive spectrometer were used to study interfacial microstructure and shear strength of the joints under different brazing temperatures. The results indicated that the typical microstructure of the TC4/AlMgB14–TiB2 joint was TC4/Ti(s.s) + Ti2Cu/Ti2Cu/TiCu/TiCu2Al/Ag(s.s) + Cu(s.s)/TiB whiskers/TiB2 reaction layer/AMBT. By increasing the brazing temperature, the thickness of the TC4 diffusion layer was improved, whereas that of the brazing seam decreased remarkably. When the brazing temperature was increased to 880 °C, the brazing seam was composed of Ti–Cu intermetallic Ag(s.s) with a few Cu(s.s), TiCu2Al distributed. Meanwhile, the formation of a continuous TiB2 reaction layer at the interface of the AMBT and brazing filler facilitated the improvement of joint shear strength. The joint with the maximum shear strength of 46.7 MPa was obtained while brazing at 880 °C for 10 min.

Conotruncal heart defects are considered to be one of the most common types of birth defect worldwide. Genetic disturbances in folate metabolism such as Thymidylate synthase may increase risk for conotruncal heart defects. We evaluated two common Thymidylate synthase polymorphisms, including the 28 bp tandem repeat in the promoter enhancer region of the 5′-untranslated region and the 6 bp deletion in the 3′-untranslated region, as risk factors of conotruncal heart defects including various subtypes of malformations, in a total of 193 mothers with conotruncal heart defect in offspring and 234 healthy controls in the Chinese population. Logistic regression analyses revealed that mothers who were homozygotes with deletion (−/−) had a 1.8-fold (odds ratio: 1.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.0–3.0, p = 0.040) increased risk for conotruncal heart defect in offspring, respectively, when compared with mothers carrying the wild type (+/+) genotype. Consistently, individuals carrying the genotype −/− of the Thymidylate synthase 6 bp deletion also had higher plasma homocysteine levels compared to the mothers carrying the genotype +/+ in the control and conotruncal heart defect groups (p = 0.006 and p = 0.004, respectively). However, our results showed that Thymidylate synthase 28 bp tandem repeat polymorphism was not associated with risk for conotruncal heart defect and plasma homocysteine level. In conclusion, our data suggest that the maternal Thymidylate synthase 6 bp deletion polymorphism might be associated with plasma homocysteine level and risk for conotruncal heart defect in offspring.

Valvular heart diseases lead to over 300,000 heart valve replacements worldwide each year. Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs), derived from glutaraldehyde (GLUT) crosslinked porcine or bovine pericardium, are often used. However, valve failure can occur within 12–15 years due to progressive degradation and/or calcification. Being innovated by previous amino reagent studies used for GLUT detoxification and carbodiimide [1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide, EDC] chemistry, in this study, we developed a new fabrication method that utilizes exogenous amino donor arginine or lysine carbodiimide combined treatments to better stabilize the extracellular matrix of porcine pericardium. The carboxyl group density, amine content, differential scanning calorimetry, collagenase and elastase degradation, calcification by rat subdermal implantation, cytotoxicity, and platelet adhesion were characterized. We demonstrated that exogenous amino donor carbodiimide combined treatment for pericardiums had better resistance to elastase degradation (1.63 ± 0.11% and 1.44 ± 0.24% in arginine or lysine versus 3.68 ± 0.16% and 3.04 ± 0.11% in GLUT and GLUT/EDC control) and calcification (0.624 ± 0.193 and 0.637 ± 0.213 Ca µg/mg tissue in arginine or lysine versus 1.610 ± 0.124 and 1.512 ± 0.075 Ca µg/mg tissue in GLUT and GLUT/EDC control). This new strategy combined arginine or lysine and carbodiimide crosslinking would be a promising method to produce more robust BHVs with better structural stability and anticalcification property.