We present an experimental study of proton acceleration driven by femtosecond multi-PW lasers of three different prepulse parameters with the peak laser intensity of 1.2 × 1021 W/cm2 irradiating micrometre-thick metal foils. For 4-μm-thick copper foils, the highest-energy proton beam of 58.9 MeV is generated with the moderate-contrast laser, while the low-contrast or high-contrast lasers result in the lower proton cutoff energies. The one-dimensional hydrodynamic and two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations indicate that the front preplasma of foils induced by the laser prepulse can enhance electron acceleration and in turn improve proton acceleration, while the rear preplasma will weaken the sheath field and be unfavourable for accelerating ions. For the case of the moderate contrast, the scale length of the front preplasma is long enough to generate high-temperature electrons compared to the high-contrast case, and the scale length of the rear preplasma is so short that the sheath field still remains strong compared with the low-contrast case, which is advantageous for generating high-energy protons. Meanwhile, a concrete map is theoretically given for accelerating higher-energy protons. This work extends the concept of the prepulse effect on target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) to a wider range of laser parameters (multi-PW, 1021 W/cm2), representing an important step towards potential applications of TNSA-driven proton sources, especially considering that PW and even 10 PW laser facilities exist all around the world.

For a prime p, let $\mathcal {N}_p(G)$ denote the intersection of the normalisers of all non-p-nilpotent subgroups of a finite group G and set $\mathcal {N}_p(G)=G$ if G itself is p-nilpotent. We give some properties of $\mathcal {N}_p(G)$ and investigate the influence of $\mathcal {N}_p(G)$ on G.

The mandible is crucial for human physiological functions, as well as facial esthetics and expressions. The mandibular reconstruction surgery has dual challenges of restoration of both facial form and physiological function, which demands high precision in positioning and orientation of the bone graft. The traditional manual surgery heavily relies on surgeon’s experience. Although the computer image-guided surgery improves the positioning accuracy, the manual manipulation is still difficult to achieve precise spatial orientation of objects, resulting in unsatisfactory intraoperative execution of preoperative surgical design. This paper integrates computer image navigation and robotic technology to assist mandible reconstruction surgery, which empowers surgeons to achieve precise spatial localization and orientation adjustment of bone grafts. The kinematic analysis is conducted, and an improved Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm is proposed for spatial registration. A novel hand-eye calibration method for multi-arm robot and spatial registration of free bone blocks are proposed. The precision experiment of the image-guided navigation and the animal experiments are carried out. The impact of registration point numbers on spatial registration accuracy is analyzed. The results show the feasibility of the robot-assisted navigation for mandibular reconstruction surgery. The robotic system can improve the orientation accuracy of bone blocks to enhance the effectiveness of surgery.

Previous L1 syntactic processing studies have identified the crucial left frontotemporal network, whereas research on L2 syntactic processing has shown that learner factors, such as L2 proficiency and linguistic distance, can modulate the related networks. Here, we developed a function-word-based jabberwocky sentence reading paradigm to investigate the neural correlates underlying Chinese L2 syntactic processing. Twenty Chinese L2 Korean native speakers were recruited in this fMRI study. Chinese proficiency test scores and Chinese-Korean syntactic similarity scores were measured to quantify the learner factors, respectively. The imaging results revealed an effective left frontoparietal network involving superior parietal lobule (SPL), posterior inferior frontal gyrus (pIFG) and precentral gyrus (PreCG). Moreover, the signal intensity of SPL as well as the connectivity strength between SPL and PreCG significantly correlated with the learner factors. These findings shed light on the neurobiological relationships between L1 and L2 syntactic processing and on the modulation of L2 learner factors.

The heating effect of electromagnetic waves in ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRFs) in magnetic confinement fusion device is different in different plasma conditions. In order to evaluate the ICRF heating effect in different plasma conditions, we conducted a series of experiments and corresponding TRANSP simulations on the EAST tokamak. Both simulation and experimental results show that the effect of ICRF heating is poor at low core electron density. The decrease in electron density changes the left-handed electric field near the resonant layer, resulting in a significant decrease in the power absorbed by the hydrogen fundamental resonance. However, quite a few experiments must be performed in plasma conditions with low electron density. It is necessary to study how to make ICRF heating best in low electron density plasma. Through a series of simulation scans of the parallel refractive index (n//) of the ICRF antenna, it is concluded that the change of the ICRF antenna n// will lead to the change of the left-handed electric field, which will change the fundamental absorption of ICRF power by the hydrogen minority ions. Fully considering the coupling of ion cyclotron wave at the tokamak boundary and the absorption in the plasma core, optimizing the ICRF antenna structure and selecting appropriate parameters such as parallel refractive index, minority ion concentration, resonance layer position, plasma current and core electron temperature can ensure better heating effect in the ICRF heating experiments in the future EAST upgrade. These results have important implications for the enhancement of the auxiliary heating effect of EAST and other tokamaks.

Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) caused by rarefaction waves not only features variable acceleration but also incorporates time-dependent density, which introduces great challenges in predicting the finger growth behaviours. In this work, we propose a model for predicting the single-mode finger behaviours by extending the Layzer potential-flow framework to account for time-dependent acceleration and density. Relative to the previous models, the present model can evaluate the effect of time-dependent density on finger growth, and can describe the growth behaviours of both bubbles and spikes in rarefaction-driven RTI flows. In addition, the time-dependent curvature of the finger tip as it evolves from its initial value to the quasi-steady value is quantified. To validate the model, rarefaction-tube experiments and numerical simulations are conducted across a wide range of initial conditions. The results show that the present model can accurately capture the amplitude growth and curvature evolution of bubbles and spikes across various density ratios. Moreover, both the present model and experiments demonstrate that the continuous density reduction in rarefaction-driven flows causes larger asymptotic velocities of bubbles and spikes, leading to higher Froude numbers relative to those under constant or time-dependent acceleration.

A novel entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) species, Steinernema tarimense n. sp., was isolated from soil samples collected in a Populus euphratica forest located in Yuli County within the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, China. Integrated morphological and molecular analyses consistently place S. tarimense n. sp. within the ‘kushidai-clade’. The infective juvenile (IJ) of new species is characterized by a body length of 674–1010 μm, excretory pore located 53–80 μm from anterior end, nerve ring positioned 85–131 μm from anterior end, pharynx base situated 111–162 μm from anterior end, a tail length of 41–56 μm, and the ratios D% = 42.0–66.6, E% = 116.2–184.4, and H% = 25.5–45.1. The first-generation male of the new species is characterized by a curved spicule length of 61–89 μm, gubernaculum length of 41–58 μm, and ratios D% = 36.8–66.2, SW% = 117.0–206.1, and GS% = 54.8–82.0. Additionally, the tail of first-generation female is conoid with a minute mucron. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS, 28S, and mt12S sequences demonstrated that the three isolates of S. tarimense n. sp. are conspecific and form a sister clade to members of the ‘kushidai-clade’ including S. akhursti, S. anantnagense, S. kushidai, and S. populi. Notably, the IJs of the new species exhibited faster development at 25°C compared to other Steinernema species. This represents the first described of an indigenous EPN species from Xinjiang, suggesting its potential as a novel biocontrol agent against local pests.

The high comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorders (ANX), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) complicates the study of their structural neural correlates, particularly in white matter (WM) alterations. Using fractional anisotropy (FA), this meta-analysis aimed to identify both unique and shared WM characteristics for these disorders by comparing them with healthy controls (HC). The aggregated sample size across studies includes 3,661 individuals diagnosed with MDD, ANX, or PTSD and 3,140 HC participants. The whole-brain analysis revealed significant FA reductions in the corpus callosum (CC) across MDD, ANX, and PTSD, suggesting a common neurostructural alteration underlying these disorders. Further pairwise comparisons highlighted disorder-specific differences: MDD patients showed reduced FA in the middle cerebellar peduncles and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus II relative to ANX patients and decreased FA in the CC extending to the left anterior thalamic projections (ATPs) when compared with PTSD. In contrast, PTSD patients exhibited reduced FA in the right ATPs compared to HC. No significant FA differences were observed between ANX and PTSD or between ANX and HC. These findings provide evidence for both shared and unique WM alterations in MDD, ANX, and PTSD, reflecting the neural underpinnings of the clinical characteristics that distinguish these disorders.

Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) stability occurs when a single-mode light/heavy interface is accelerated by rarefaction waves, exhibiting a sustained oscillation in perturbation amplitude. If the perturbation is accelerated again by a shock propagating in the same direction as the rarefaction waves, the interface evolution will shift from RT stability to Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instability. Depending upon the interface state when the shock arrives, the perturbation growth can be actively manipulated through controlling the magnitudes of vorticity deposited by rarefaction and shock waves. The present work first theoretically analyses the 12 different growth possibilities of a light/heavy interface accelerated by co-directional rarefaction and shock waves. A theoretical model is established by combining the RT growth rate with the RM growth rate, providing the conditions for the different possibilities of the perturbation growth. Based on the model, extensive experiments are designed and conducted in the specially designed rarefaction-shock tube. By precisely controlling the shock arrival time at the interface, the different growth possibilities, including promotion, reduction and freeze-out, are realised in experiments. This work verifies the feasibility of manipulating the light/heavy perturbation via co-directional rarefaction and shock waves, which sheds light on control of hydrodynamic instabilities in practical applications.

Gel’fand–Dorfman algebras (GD algebras) give a natural construction of Lie conformal algebras and are in turn characterized by this construction. In this article, we define the Gel’fand–Dorfman bialgebra (GD bialgebra) and enrich the above construction to a construction of Lie conformal bialgebras by GD bialgebras. As a special case, Novikov bialgebras yield Lie conformal bialgebras. We further introduce the notion of the Gel’fand–Dorfman Yang–Baxter equation (GDYBE), whose skew-symmetric solutions produce GD bialgebras. Moreover, the notions of $\mathcal {O}$-operators on GD algebras and pre-Gel’fand–Dorfman algebras (pre-GD algebras) are introduced to provide skew-symmetric solutions of the GDYBE. The relationships between these notions for GD algebras and the corresponding ones for Lie conformal algebras are given. In particular, there is a natural construction of Lie conformal bialgebras from pre-GD algebras. Finally, GD bialgebras are characterized by certain matched pairs and Manin triples of GD algebras.

Persistent malnutrition is associated with poor clinical outcomes in cancer. However, assessing its reversibility can be challenging. The present study aimed to utilise machine learning (ML) to predict reversible malnutrition (RM) in patients with cancer. A multicentre cohort study including hospitalised oncology patients. Malnutrition was diagnosed using an international consensus. RM was defined as a positive diagnosis of malnutrition upon patient admission which turned negative one month later. Time-series data on body weight and skeletal muscle were modelled using a long short-term memory architecture to predict RM. The model was named as WAL-net, and its performance, explainability, clinical relevance and generalisability were evaluated. We investigated 4254 patients with cancer-associated malnutrition (discovery set = 2977, test set = 1277). There were 2783 men and 1471 women (median age = 61 years). RM was identified in 754 (17·7 %) patients. RM/non-RM groups showed distinct patterns of weight and muscle dynamics, and RM was negatively correlated to the progressive stages of cancer cachexia (r = –0·340, P < 0·001). WAL-net was the state-of-the-art model among all ML algorithms evaluated, demonstrating favourable performance to predict RM in the test set (AUC = 0·924, 95 % CI = 0·904, 0·944) and an external validation set (n 798, AUC = 0·909, 95 % CI = 0·876, 0·943). Model-predicted RM using baseline information was associated with lower future risks of underweight, sarcopenia, performance status decline and progression of malnutrition (all P < 0·05). This study presents an explainable deep learning model, the WAL-net, for early identification of RM in patients with cancer. These findings might help the management of cancer-associated malnutrition to optimise patient outcomes in multidisciplinary cancer care.

Ice shelves affect the stability of ice sheets by supporting the mass balance of ice upstream of the grounding line. Marine ice, formed from supercooled water freezing at the base of ice shelves, contributes to mass gain and affects ice dynamics. Direct measurements of marine ice thickness are rare due to the challenges of borehole drilling. Here we assume hydrostatic equilibrium to estimate marine ice distribution beneath the Amery Ice Shelf (AIS) using meteoric ice-thickness data obtained from radio-echo sounding collected during the Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition between 2015 and 2019. This is the first mapping of marine ice beneath the AIS in nearly 20 years. Our new estimates of marine ice along two longitudinal bands beneath the northwest AIS are spatially consistent with earlier work but thicker. We also find a marine ice layer exceeding 30 m of thickness in the central ice shelf and patchy refreezing downstream of the grounding line. Thickness differences from prior results may indicate time-variation in basal melting and freezing patterns driven by polynya activity and coastal water intrusions masses under the ice shelf, highlighting that those changes in ice–ocean interaction are impacting ice-shelf stability.

This paper is focused on the existence and uniqueness of nonconstant steady states in a reaction–diffusion–ODE system, which models the predator–prey interaction with Holling-II functional response. Firstly, we aim to study the occurrence of regular stationary solutions through the application of bifurcation theory. Subsequently, by a generalized mountain pass lemma, we successfully demonstrate the existence of steady states with jump discontinuity. Furthermore, the structure of stationary solutions within a one-dimensional domain is investigated and a variety of steady-state solutions are built, which may exhibit monotonicity or symmetry. In the end, we create heterogeneous equilibrium states close to a constant equilibrium state using bifurcation theory and examine their stability.

Objectives/Goals: Transmission-blocking vaccines hold promise for malaria elimination by reducing community transmission. But a major challenge that limits the development of efficacious vaccines is the vast parasite’s genetic diversity. This work aims to assess the genetic diversity of the Pfs25 vaccine candidate in complex infections across African countries. Methods/Study Population: We employed next-generation amplicon deep sequencing to identify nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 194 Plasmodium falciparum samples from four endemic African countries: Senegal, Tanzania, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. The individuals aged between 1 and 74 years, but most of them ranged from 1 to 19 years, and all presented symptomatic P. falciparum infection. The genome amplicon sequencing was analyzed using Geneious software and P. falciparum 3D7 as a reference. The SPNs were called with a minimum coverage of 500bp, and for this work, we used a very sensitive threshold of 1% variant frequency to determine the frequency of SNPs. The identified SNPs were threaded to the crystal structure of the Pfs25 protein, which allowed us to predict the impact of the novel SNP in the protein or antibody binding. Results/Anticipated Results: We identified 26 SNPs including 24 novel variants, and assessed their population prevalence and variant frequency in complex infections. Notably, five variants were detected in multiple samples (L63V, V143I, S39G, L63P, and E59G), while the remaining 21 were rare variants found in individual samples. Analysis of country-specific prevalence showed varying proportions of mutant alleles, with Ghana exhibiting the highest prevalence (44.6%), followed by Tanzania (12%), Senegal (11.8%), and Burkina Faso (2.7%). Moreover, we categorized SNPs based on their frequency, identifying dominant variants (>25%), and rare variants (Discussion/Significance of Impact: We identified additional SNPs in the Pfs25 gene beyond those previously reported. However, the majority of these newly discovered display low variant frequency and population prevalence. Further research exploring the functional implications of these variations will be important to elucidate their role in malaria transmission.

Coherent combining of several low-energy few-cycle beams offers a reliable and feasible approach to producing few-cycle laser pulses with energies exceeding the multi-joule level. However, time synchronization and carrier-envelope phase difference (ΔCEP) between pulses significantly affect the temporal waveform and intensity of the combined pulse, requiring precise measurement and control. Here, we propose a concise optical method based on the phase retrieval of spectral interference and quadratic function symmetry axis fitting to simultaneously measure the time synchronization and ΔCEP between few-cycle pulses. The control precision of our coherent beam combining system can achieve a time delay stability within 42 as and ΔCEP measurement precision of 40 mrad, enabling a maximum combining efficiency of 98.5%. This method can effectively improve the performance and stability of coherent beam combining systems for few-cycle lasers, which will facilitate the obtaining of high-quality few-cycle lasers with high energy.

The dissolution kinetics occurring on clay minerals are influenced by various factors, including pH, temperature and mineral lattice structure. However, the influence of the surfactant is rarely studied. In the present work, cationic surfactants were investigated in terms of the dissolution of clay minerals in acidic environments. Kaolinite was selected as the representative clay mineral. The cationic surfactant inhibited the dissolution of clay minerals because it limited the attack of H+ on the kaolinite surface and then inhibited the dissolution of kaolinite by modifying the hydrophilicity of the kaolinite surface towards hydrophobicity. The inhibition ability of the surfactant might be related to its molecular structure and the type of acid used in dissolution experiments.