The virtual model control (VMC) method establishes a direct correlation model between the end-effector and the main body by selecting appropriate virtual mechanical components. This approach facilitates direct force control while circumventing the necessity for complex dynamic modeling. However, the simplification inherent in this modeling can result in inaccuracies in the calculation of joint driving torques, ultimately diminishing control precision. Moreover, VMC typically depends on predefined models for control, which constrains its adaptability in dynamically complex environments and under varying movement conditions. To address these limitations, this paper proposes the BP-VMC method, which is based on a backpropagation neural network (BPNN). Initially, a quadruped robot model was established through kinematic analysis. Subsequently, a decomposed VMC model was developed, and BPNN was introduced to facilitate the adaptive tuning of virtual parameters. This approach resulted in the creation of a virtual mechanical component model with adaptive capabilities, compensating for errors arising from simplified modeling. Finally, a simulation control system was constructed based on the BP-VMC control framework to validate the optimization of control performance. Simulation experiments demonstrated that, in comparison to traditional VMC methods, the BP-VMC method exhibits enhanced control accuracy and stability, achieving a 30% reduction in trajectory tracking error, a 40% reduction in velocity tracking error, and a 20–30% improvement in instability indices across various working conditions. This evidence underscores the BP-VMC method’s robust adaptability in dynamic environments.

This study aims to assess the therapeutic effects of probiotic oral therapy in paediatric patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and to investigate its impact on intestinal flora composition, brain–gut peptide levels and overall clinical outcomes. A retrospective study was conducted involving 100 children diagnosed with AN at Xingtang County People’s Hospital between January 2023 and June 2024. Patients were divided into two groups: a control group (n 50) receiving zinc gluconate oral solution alone and an observation group (n 50) receiving zinc gluconate plus probiotics. Outcome measures included intestinal flora analysis, brain–gut peptide levels (somatostatin (SS) and nitric oxide (NO)), clinical efficacy, serum trace element levels (Ca, Zn and Fe) and prognosis, including recurrence rates 6 months post-treatment. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups (P > 0·05). After treatment, the observation group showed significantly higher levels of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and lower levels of Enterobacter compared with the control group (P < 0·05). Additionally, the observation group had lower levels of SS and NO (P < 0·05), indicating improved brain–gut communication. Clinical efficacy was significantly higher in the observation group (P < 0·05), with improved serum trace element levels (P < 0·05 for Ca, Zn and Fe). Furthermore, the recurrence rate 6 months post-treatment was significantly lower in the observation group compared with the control group (P < 0·05). Probiotic supplementation in children with AN effectively modulates intestinal flora, improves brain–gut peptide levels and enhances clinical outcomes.

Aiming to address the issue of low accuracy in model predictions obtained from fitting frequency domain response curves for small unmanned helicopters during the process of modeling their flight dynamics, this study proposes a system identification algorithm based on the combination of weighted least squares and improved grey wolf optimisation algorithm. The algorithm utilises the weighted least squares method to obtain the initial model structure, optimises the initial model parameters using the improved grey wolf optimisation algorithm, and enhances the local search and global optimisation ability of the grey wolf optimisation algorithm by introducing an improved grey wolf subgrouping rule, nonlinear convergence factor and dynamic cooperative rule. Ultimately, this approach establishes a dynamic model for small, unmanned helicopters. The identified model is validated using flight test data, with findings demonstrating that this method achieves higher accuracy in model identification and better fits to frequency domain response curves, thus providing a more accurate reflection of the flight dynamics of small unmanned helicopters.

This paper revisits the role of skill distribution in shaping regional comparative advantage. Theoretically, we show that it is the relative skill dispersion between exporters and importers, rather than the absolute skill dispersion of exporters, that matters for the pattern of international trade. Using industry-level data on Chinese provincial export flows, we demonstrate that regions with a more dispersed skill distribution relative to their trading partners export more goods produced by sectors with lower skill complementarity. Exploring the potential mechanisms, we further find that the trade-promoting effect from relative skill dispersion probably operates through improving product quality and diversity.

Paraquat, one of the most widely utilized herbicides globally, causes a significant environmental challenge due to its poor degradation rate and tendency to adsorb into clay interlayers. Several remediation methods have been proposed but their effectiveness remains suboptimal. The primary reason for this is the lack of microscopic understanding of paraquat–montmorillonite interactions. In this work molecular dynamics simulations were applied to study the interlayer structures and mobility of paraquat intercalated montmorillonite. Two stable hydration states were identified from the calculated immersion energy curve, which corresponded to a water content of 185 mgwater/gclay and 278 mgwater/gclay (the most stable). Paraquats remained in direct contact with the clay surface in both the anhydrous and hydrated states. At the water content of 185 mgwater/gclay, paraquats formed π-π stacking while at 278 mgwater/gclay, they were separated by a layer of water. Paraquat showed very small self-diffusion coefficients in the interlayer space of montmorillonite, indicating rather limited motions. The results in this work provide a basis for a better understanding of the interaction of paraquat with clay minerals.

Turbulent flow induced by elastorotational instability in viscoelastic Taylor–Couette flow (TCF) with Keplerian rotation is analogous to a turbulent accretion disk destabilized by magnetorotational instability. We examine this novel viscoelastic Keplerian turbulence via direct numerical simulations (DNS) for the shear Reynolds number ($Re$) ranging from $10^2$ to $10^4$. The observed characteristic flow structure consists of penetrating streamwise vortices with axial length scales much smaller than the gap width, distinct from the classic centrifugally induced Taylor vortices, which have axial lengths of the gap width. These intriguing vortices persist for the wide $Re$ range considered and give rise to intriguing scaling behaviour in key flow quantities. Specifically, the characteristic axial length of the penetrating vortices is shown to scale as $Re^{-0.22}$; the angular momentum transport scales as $Re^{0.42}$; the kinetic and elastic boundary-layer thicknesses based on angular velocity and hoop stress near the inner cylinder wall scale as $Re^{-0.48}$ and $Re^{-0.49}$, respectively. This implies that the viscoelastic Keplerian turbulence belongs to the classical turbulent regime of TCF with the Prandtl–Blasius-type boundary layer. Furthermore, we present an analytical relation between the viscous and elastic dissipation rates of kinetic energy and the angular momentum transport and in turn demonstrate its validity using our DNS data. This study has paved the way for future research to explore astrophysics-related Keplerian turbulence and angular momentum transport via the scaling relations of the analogous TCF of dilute polymeric solutions.

Developing a model to describe the shock-accelerated cylindrical fluid layer with arbitrary Atwood numbers is essential for uncovering the effect of Atwood numbers on the perturbation growth. The recent model (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 969, 2023, p. A6) reveals several contributions to the instability evolution of a shock-accelerated cylindrical fluid layer but its applicability is limited to cases with an absolute value of Atwood numbers close to $1$, due to the employment of the thin-shell correction and interface coupling effect of the fluid layer in vacuum. By employing the linear stability analysis on a cylindrical fluid layer in which two interfaces separate three arbitrary-density fluids, the present work generalizes the thin-shell correction and interface coupling effect, and thus, extends the recent model to cases with arbitrary Atwood numbers. The accuracy of this extended model in describing the instability evolution of the shock-accelerated fluid layer before reshock is confirmed via direct numerical simulations. In the verification simulations, three fluid-layer configurations are considered, where the outer and intermediate fluids remain fixed and the density of the inner fluid is reduced. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying the effect of the Atwood number at the inner interface on the perturbation growth are mainly elucidated by employing the model to analyse each contribution. As the Atwood number decreases, the dominant contribution of the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability is enhanced due to the stronger waves reverberated inside the layer, leading to weakened perturbation growth at initial in-phase interfaces and enhanced perturbation growth at initial anti-phase interfaces.

Emotion regulation, as a typical “top-down” emotional self-regulation, has been shown to play an important role in children’s oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) development. However, the association between other self-regulation subcomponents and the ODD symptom network remains unclear. Meanwhile, while there are gender differences in both self-regulation and ODD, few studies have examined whether their relation is moderated by gender. Five hundred and four children (age 6–11 years; 207 girls) were recruited from schools with parents and classroom teachers completing questionnaires and were followed up for assessment six months later. Using moderation network analysis, we analyzed the relation between self-regulation and ODD symptoms, and the moderating role of gender. Self-regulation including emotion regulation, self-control, and emotion lability/negativity had broad bidirectional relations with ODD symptoms. In particular, the bidirectional relations between emotion regulation and ODD3 (Defies) and between emotion lability/negativity and ODD4 (Annoys) were significantly weaker in girls than in boys. Considering the important role of different self-regulation subcomponents in the ODD symptom network, ODD is better conceptualized as a self-regulation disorder. Each ODD symptom is associated with different degrees of impaired “bottom-up” and “top-down” self-regulation, and several of the associations vary by gender.

Accurate prediction of the global properties of wall-bounded turbulence holds significant importance for both fundamental research and engineering applications. In atmospheric boundary layers, the relationship between friction drag and geostrophic wind is described by the geostrophic drag law (GDL). We use carefully designed large-eddy simulations to study nocturnal stable atmospheric boundary layers (NSBLs), which are characterized by a negative potential temperature flux at the surface and neutral stratification higher up. Our simulations explore a wider range of the Kazanski–Monin parameter, $\mu = L_f / L_s = [16.7, 193.3]$, with $L_f$ the Ekman length scale and $L_s$ the surface Obukhov length. We show collapse of the GDL coefficients onto single curves as functions of $\mu$, thereby validating the GDL's applicability to NSBLs over a very wide $\mu$ range. We show that the boundary-layer height $h$ scales with $\sqrt {L_f L_s}$, while both the streamwise and spanwise wind gradients scale with $u_*^2 / (h^2 f)$, where $u_*$ represents the friction velocity and $f$ the Coriolis parameter. Leveraging these insights, we developed new analytical expressions for the GDL coefficients, significantly enhancing our understanding of the GDL for turbulent boundary layers. These formulations facilitate the analytical prediction of the geostrophic drag coefficient and cross-isobaric angle.

Folate metabolism is involved in the development and progression of various cancers. We investigated the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in folate-metabolising genes and their interactions with serum folate concentrations with overall survival (OS) and liver cancer-specific survival (LCSS) of newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. We detected the genotypes of six SNP in three genes related to folate metabolism: methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase reductase (MTRR) and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase (MTR). Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI. This analysis included 970 HCC patients with genotypes of six SNP, and 864 of them had serum folate measurements. During a median follow-up of 722 d, 393 deaths occurred, with 360 attributed to HCC. In the fully-adjusted models, the MTRR rs1801394 polymorphism was significantly associated with OS in additive (per G allele: HR = 0·84, 95 % CI: 0·71, 0·99), co-dominant (AG v. AA: HR = 0·77; 95 % CI: 0·62, 0·96) and dominant (AG + GG v. AA: HR = 0·78; 95 % CI: 0·63, 0·96) models. Carrying increasing numbers of protective alleles was linked to better LCSS (HR10–12 v. 2–6 = 0·70; 95 % CI: 0·49, 1·00) and OS (HR10–12 v. 2–6 = 0·67; 95 % CI: 0·47, 0·95). Furthermore, we observed significant interactions on both multiplicative and additive scales between serum folate levels and MTRR rs1801394 polymorphism. Carrying the variant G allele of the MTRR rs1801394 is associated with better HCC prognosis and may enhance the favourable association between higher serum folate levels and improved survival among HCC patients.

The diversity and health of insects that feed on plants are closely related to their mutualistic symbionts and host plants. These symbiotic partners significantly influence various metabolic activities in these insects. However, the symbiotic bacterial community of toxic plant feeders still needs further characterisation. This study aims to unravel bacterial communities associated with the different species of insect representing three insect orders: Thysanoptera, Hemiptera, and Lepidoptera, along with their predicted functional role, which exclusively feeds on latex-rich plant species Ficus microcarpa. By using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, the analysis was able to define the major alignment of the bacterial population, primarily comprising Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota. Significant differences in symbiotic organisms between three insect groups were discovered by the study: hemipterans had Burkholderia and Buchnera, and lepidopterans had Acinetobacter. At the same time, Pseudomonas was detected in high abundance in both lepidopteran and thysanopteran insects. Furthermore, these symbionts exhibit consistent core functions, potentially explaining how different insects can consume the same host plant. The identified core functions of symbionts open avenues for innovative approaches in utilising these relationships to develop environment-friendly solutions for pest control, with broader implications for agriculture and environmental conservation.

We report on an improved ytterbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet thin-disk multi-pass amplifier for kilowatt-level ultrafast lasers, showcasing excellent beam quality. At a repetition rate of 800 kHz, the 6.8 ps, 276 W seed laser is amplified up to an average power of 1075 W, corresponding to a pulse energy of 1.34 mJ. The 36-pass amplifier is designed as a compact mirror array in which the beam alternately propagates between the mirrors and the disk by a quasi-collimated state. We adopted a quasi-collimated propagation to confine stray and diffracted light by the slight curvature of the disk, which enables us to achieve an outstanding extraction efficiency of up to 57% with excellent beam quality in stable laser operation at high power. The beam quality at 1075 W was measured to be M2 < 1.51. Furthermore, stability testing was demonstrated with a root-mean-square power fluctuation of less than 1.67% for 10 min.

Depression is highly prevalent in haemodialysis patients, and diet might play an important role. Therefore, we conducted this cross-sectional study to determine the association between dietary fatty acids (FA) consumption and the prevalence of depression in maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) patients. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated FFQ between December 2021 and January 2022. The daily intake of dietary FA was categorised into three groups, and the lowest tertile was used as the reference category. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were applied to assess the relationship between dietary FA intake and the prevalence of depression. As a result, after adjustment for potential confounders, a higher intake of total FA [odds ratio (OR)T3 vs. T1 = 1·59, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1·04, 2·46] and saturated fatty acids (SFA) (ORT3 vs. T1 = 1·83, 95 % CI = 1·19, 2·84) was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms. Significant positive linear trends were also observed (P < 0·05) except for SFA intake. Similarly, the prevalence of depression in MHD patients increased by 20% (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.01–1.43) for each standard deviation increment in SFA intake. RCS analysis indicated an inverse U-shaped correlation between SFA and depression (Pnonlinear > 0·05). Additionally, the sensitivity analysis produced similar results. Furthermore, no statistically significant association was observed in the subgroup analysis with significant interaction. In conclusion, higher total dietary FA and SFA were positively associated with depressive symptoms among MHD patients. These findings inform future research exploring potential mechanism underlying the association between dietary FA and depressive symptoms in MHD patients.

Previous animal studies found beneficial effects of choline and betaine on maternal glucose metabolism during pregnancy, but few human studies explored the association between choline or betaine intake and incident gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to explore the correlation of dietary choline or betaine intake with GDM risk among Chinese pregnant women. A total of 168 pregnant women with GDM cases and 375 healthy controls were enrolled at the Seventh People’s Hospital in Shanghai during their GDM screening at 24–28 gestational weeks. A validated semi-quantitative FFQ was used to estimate choline and betaine consumption through face-to-face interviews. An unconditional logistic regression model was adopted to examine OR and 95 % CI. Compared with the controls, those women with GDM incidence were likely to have higher pre-pregnancy BMI, be older, have more parities and have higher plasma TAG and lower plasma HDL-cholesterol. No significant correlation was observed between the consumption of choline or betaine and incident GDM (adjusted OR (95 % CI), 0·77 (0·41, 1·43) for choline; 0·80 (0·42, 1·52) for betaine). However, there was a significant interaction between betaine intake and parity on the risk of GDM (Pfor interaction = 0·01). Among those women with no parity history, there was a significantly inverse correlation between betaine intake and GDM risk (adjusted OR (95 % CI), 0·25 (0·06, 0·81)). These findings indicated that higher dietary betaine intake during pregnancy might be considered a protective factor for GDM among Chinese women with no parity history.

One species-general life history (LH) principle posits that challenging childhood environments are coupled with a fast or faster LH strategy and associated behaviors, while secure and stable childhood environments foster behaviors conducive to a slow or slower LH strategy. This coupling between environments and LH strategies is based on the assumption that individuals’ internal traits and states are independent of their external surroundings. In reality, individuals respond to external environmental conditions in alignment with their intrinsic vitality, encompassing both physical and mental states. The present study investigated attachment as an internal mental state, examining its role in mediating and moderating the association between external environmental adversity and fast LH strategies. A sample of 1169 adolescents (51% girls) from 9 countries was tracked over 10 years, starting from age 8. The results confirm both mediation and moderation and, for moderation, secure attachment nullified and insecure attachment maintained the environment-LH coupling. These findings suggest that attachment could act as an internal regulator, disrupting the contingent coupling between environmental adversity and a faster pace of life, consequently decelerating human LH.

High-elevation environments present harsh challenges for the pursuit of agropastoral subsistence strategies and relatively little is known about the mechanisms early communities employed to adapt to such locations successfully. This article presents the sequential carbon and oxygen analysis of archaeological caprine teeth from Bangga (c. 3000–2200 BP), which is approximately 3750masl on the Tibetan Plateau. Made visible through this method, intra-tooth variation in isotopic composition allows insights into herding strategies that possibly included the provisioning of livestock with groundwater and agricultural fodder and summer grazing in saline or marsh environments. Such intensive provisioning differs markedly from lower-elevation agropastoralism.