This paper provides an overview of the current status of ultrafast and ultra-intense lasers with peak powers exceeding 100 TW and examines the research activities in high-energy-density physics within China. Currently, 10 high-intensity lasers with powers over 100 TW are operational, and about 10 additional lasers are being constructed at various institutes and universities. These facilities operate either independently or are combined with one another, thereby offering substantial support for both Chinese and international research and development efforts in high-energy-density physics.

This paper introduces an equivalent series mechanism model to improve ankle rehabilitation robots’ ability to recurrence the complex movements of the anthropo-ankle and enhance human-machine locomotion compatibility. The model emulates the true anatomical architecture of the ankle joint and is integrated with a parallel rehabilitative mechanism. The rehabilitative robot includes dual virtual motion centers to mimic the ankle joint’s intricate motion, accommodate individual patient variations, and address the rehabilitation requirements of both right and left feet. Firstly, a serial equivalence model of anthropo-ankle is developed based on the kinematic and anatomical characteristics of the human ankle. The type design for the 4-degree of freedom (4-DOF) parallel ankle rehabilitative robot is then conducted on the basis of the kinematical and restrictive properties of the anthropo-ankle equivalence kinematic model. Secondly, the mechanism’s motion properties allow it to be equivalent to a series branch chain, enabling the establishment of an inverse kinematics model. The kinematical performance of the mechanisms is analyzed using the transmissibility and constrainability indices, followed by workspace analysis and dimensional optimization of the rehabilitative mechanism. Finally, a human-machine coupled rehabilitative simulation model is developed using OpenSim biomechanics software to evaluate the recovery effect.

Barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.] is a dominant weed species occurring in rice fields across China. Metamifop, a common herbicide, is frequently applied to control E. crus-galli and other grassy weeds in rice fields. Herein, HS01, an E. crus-galli population suspected to be resistant (R) to metamifop, was collected from Hanshan County in Anhui Province. Whole-plant dose-response testing revealed that, compared with the susceptible (S) population FD03, HS01 had developed high-level resistance to metamifop with a resistance index (RI) of 11.76 and showed cross-resistance to cyhalofop-butyl (RI=9.33), fenoxaprop-P-ethyl (RI=5.80) and clethodim (RI=3.24). Gene sequencing revealed a Cys-2088-Arg mutation in ACCase 1,5 allele of all the R plants, while ACCase gene overexpression was not involved in the resistance. Molecular docking indicated that the less negative binding energies might be the main reason for the resistance of HS01 to ACCase-inhibiting herbicides. A derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) method was developed for the rapid identification of the Cys-to-Arg mutation in the ACCase gene at codon position 2088 in E. crus-galli. Additionally, pretreatment with the cytochrome P450 inhibitor piperonyl butoxide or the glutathione S-transferase inhibitor 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzoxa-diazole had no significant effects (p> 0.05) on the resistance of HS01 to metamifop. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Cys-2088-Arg mutation in E. crus-galli ACCase that confers cross-resistance to ACCase-inhibiting herbicides.

The dual route cascaded (DRC) model proposes that the mapping from orthography to phonology occurs through two pathways: the sublexical and lexical routes. Cross-linguistic studies have found that Chinese character reading relies more on the lexical pathway, whereas English word reading relies more on the sublexical pathway. However, it remains unclear how these two pathways collaborate in the L2 word reading of Chinese–English bilinguals and whether their reading strategies are influenced by L2 proficiency. In the current study, 72 Chinese–English bilinguals with varying levels of L2 proficiency were tested. They were asked to name English words that varied in frequency and spelling-sound consistency. The results showed that participants with lower L2 proficiency were more sensitive to frequency, indicating a greater reliance on lexical processing in L2 word reading. In contrast, participants with higher L2 proficiency were more sensitive to consistency, suggesting a greater reliance on sublexical processing. These findings suggest that L2 word reading strategies vary as a function of L2 proficiency. As L2 proficiency increases, Chinese–English bilinguals’ reading strategies may shift from primarily relying on lexical to sublexical processing. This study provides evidence from L2 readers for the DRC model, helping to broaden the explanatory scope of the model.

Time-domain characterization of ultrashort pulses is essential for studying interactions between light and matter. Here, we propose and demonstrate an all-optical pulse sampling technique based on reflected four-wave mixing with perturbation on a solid surface. In this method, a weak perturbation pulse perturbs the four-wave mixing signal generated by a strong fundamental pulse. The modulation signal of the four-wave mixing, which is detected in the reflection geometry to ensure a perfect phase-matching condition, directly reflects the temporal profile of the perturbation pulse. We successfully characterized multi-cycle and few-cycle pulses using this method. The reliability of our approach was verified by comparing it to the widely employed frequency-resolved optical gating method. This technique provides a simple and robust method for characterizing ultrashort laser pulses.

This study examined the sour grapes/sweet lemons rationalization through 2 conditions: ‘attainable’ (sweet lemons) and ‘unattainable’ (sour grapes), reflecting China’s 2019-nCoV vaccination strategy. The aim was to find ways to change people’s beliefs and preferences regarding vaccines by easing their safety concerns and encouraging more willingness to get vaccinated. An online survey was conducted from January 22 to 27, 2021, with 3,123 residents across 30 provinces and municipalities in the Chinese mainland. The direction of belief and preference changed in line with the sour grapes/sweet lemons rationalization. Using hypothetical and real contrasts, we compared those for whom the vaccine was relatively unattainable (‘sour grapes’ condition) with those who could get the vaccine easily (‘sweet lemons’). Whether the vaccine was attainable was determined in the early stage of the vaccine roll-out by membership in a select group of workers that was supposed to be vaccinated to the greatest extent possible, or, by being in the second stage when the vaccine was available to all. The attainable conditions demonstrated higher evaluation in vaccine safety, higher willingness to be vaccinated, and lower willingness to wait and see. Hence, we propose that the manipulation of vaccine attainability, which formed the basis of the application of sour grapes/sweet lemons rationalization, can be utilized as a means to manipulate the choice architecture to nudge individuals to ease vaccine safety concerns, reducing wait-and-see tendencies, and enhancing vaccination willingness. This approach can expedite universal vaccination and its associated benefits in future scenarios resembling the 2019-nCoV vaccine rollout.

The material removal rate (MRR) serves as a crucial indicator in the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process of semiconductor wafers. Currently, the mainstream method to ascertain the MRR through offline measurements proves time inefficient and struggles to represent process variability accurately. An efficient MRR prediction model based on stacking ensemble learning that integrates models with disparate architectures was proposed in this study. First, the processing signals collected during wafer polishing, as available in the PHM2016 dataset, were analyzed and preprocessed to extract statistical and neighbor domain features. Subsequently, Pearson correlation coefficient analysis (PCCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed to fuse the extracted features. Ultimately, random forest (RF), light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), and backpropagation neural network (BPNN) with hyperparameters optimized by the Bayesian Optimization Algorithm were integrated to establish an MRR prediction model based on stacking ensemble learning. The developed model was verified on the PHM2016 benchmark test set, and a Mean Square Error (MSE) of 7.72 and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 95.82% were achieved. This indicates that the stacking ensemble learning based model, integrated with base models of disparate architectures, offers considerable potential for real-time MRR prediction in the CMP process of semiconductor wafers.

Dietary restriction-influenced biological performance is found in many animal species. Pardosa pseudoannulata is a dominant spider species in agricultural fields and is important for controlling pests. In this study, three groups – a control group (CK group), a re-feeding group (RF group), and a dietary restriction group (RT group) – were used to explore development, mating, reproduction, and the expression levels of Vg (vitellogenin) and VgR (vitellogenin receptor) genes in the spider. The findings indicated that when subjected to dietary restriction, the carapace size, weight of the spiderlings, and weight of the adults exhibited a decrease. Furthermore, the preoviposition period and egg stage were observed to be prolonged, while the number of spiderlings decreased. It was also observed that re-feeding reduced cannibalism rates and extended the preoviposition period. Dietary restriction also affected the expression of the Vg-3 gene in the spider. These results will contribute to the understanding of the impact of dietary restriction in predators of pest control, as well as provide a theoretical foundation for the artificial rearing and utilisation of the dominant spider in the field.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding RNAs, which are functional in a variety of biological processes through post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. However, the role of miRNAs in the interaction between Bacillus thuringiensis and insects remains unclear. In this study, small RNA libraries were constructed for B. thuringiensis-infected (Bt) and uninfected (CK) Spodoptera exigua larvae (treated with double-distilled water) using Illumina sequencing. Utilising the miRDeep2 and Randfold, a total of 233 known and 726 novel miRNAs were identified, among which 16 up-regulated and 34 down-regulated differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified compared to the CK. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that potential target genes of DE miRNAs were associated with ABC transporters, fatty acid metabolism and MAPK signalling pathway which are related to the development, reproduction and immunity. Moreover, two miRNA core genes, SeDicer1 and SeAgo1 were identified. The phylogenetic tree showed that lepidopteran Dicer1 clustered into one branch, with SeDicer1 in the position closest to Spodoptera litura Dicer1. A similar phylogenetic relationship was observed in the Ago1 protein. Expression of SeDicer1 increased at 72 h post infection (hpi) with B. thuringiensis; however, expression of SeDicer1 and SeAgo1 decreased at 96 hpi. The RNAi results showed that the knockdown of SeDicer1 directly caused the down-regulation of miRNAs and promoted the mortality of S. exigua infected by B. thuringiensis GS57. In conclusion, our study is crucial to understand the relationship between miRNAs and various biological processes caused by B. thuringiensis infection, and develop an integrated pest management strategy for S. exigua via miRNAs.

Double-cone ignition [Zhang et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 378, 20200015 (2020)] was proposed recently as a novel path for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion using high-power lasers. In this scheme, plasma jets with both high density and high velocity are required for collisions. Here we report preliminary experimental results obtained at the Shenguang-II upgrade laser facility, employing a CHCl shell in a gold cone irradiated with a two-ramp laser pulse. The CHCl shell was pre-compressed by the first laser ramp to a density of 3.75 g/cm3 along the isentropic path. Subsequently, the target was further compressed and accelerated by the second laser ramp in the cone. According to the simulations, the plasma jet reached a density of up to 15 g/cm3, while measurements indicated a velocity of 126.8 ± 17.1 km/s. The good agreements between experimental data and simulations are documented.

This paper retrospectively analysed the prevalence of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) in some parts of China. Between January 2013 and December 2019, we collected 4,145 respiratory samples, including pharyngeal swabs and alveolar lavage fluid. The highest PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae was 74.5% in Beijing, the highest resistance rate was 100% in Shanghai, and Gansu was the lowest with 20%. The highest PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae was 74.5% in 2013, and the highest MRMP was 97.4% in 2019; the PCR-positive rate of M. pneumoniae for adults in Beijing was 17.9% and the MRMP was 10.48%. Among the children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), the PCR-positive and macrolide-resistant rates of M. pneumoniae were both higher in the severe ones. A2063G in domain V of 23S rRNA was the major macrolide-resistant mutation, accounting for more than 90%. The MIC values of all MRMP to erythromycin and azithromycin were ≥ 64 μg/ml, and the MICs of tetracycline and levofloxacin were ≤ 0.5 μg/ml and ≤ 1 μg/ml, respectively. The macrolide resistance varied in different regions and years. Among inpatients, the macrolide-resistant rate was higher in severe pneumonia. A2063G was the common mutation, and we found no resistance to tetracycline and levofloxacin.

Mythimna separata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an omnivorous pest that poses a great threat to food security. Insect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small peptides that are important effector molecules of innate immunity. Here, we investigated the role of the AMP cecropin B in the growth, development, and immunity of M. separata. The gene encoding M. separata cecropin B (MscecropinB) was cloned. The expression of MscecropinB was determined in different developmental stages and tissues of M. separata. It was highest in the prepupal stage, followed by the pupal stage. Among larval stages, the highest expression was observed in the fourth instar. Tissue expression analysis of fourth instar larvae showed that MscecropinB was highly expressed in the fat body and haemolymph. An increase in population density led to upregulation of MscecropinB expression. MscecropinB expression was also upregulated by the infection of third and fourth instar M. separata with Beauveria bassiana or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). RNA interference (RNAi) targeting MscecropinB inhibited the emergence rate and fecundity of M. separata, and resulted in an increased sensitivity to B. bassiana and Bt. The mortality of M. separata larvae was significantly higher in pathogen plus RNAi-treated M. separata than in controls treated with pathogens only. Our findings indicate that MscecropinB functions in the eclosion and fecundity of M. separata and plays an important role in resistance to infection by B. bassiana and Bt.

Illite is a common clay mineral that is found in a wide range of geological settings. The good thermal stability and non-swelling properties of illite make it valuable in ceramic materials, paints and coatings, drilling fluids, agriculture and geological studies. To gain a deeper understanding of the physical and chemical properties of illite, in the present paper the atomic and electronic structures of a typical trans-vacant 1M Al-rich illite were constructed and calculated using density functional theory. The calculated indirect band gap of Al-rich illite was 4.99 eV. The electronic analysis revealed that the interactions in the tetrahedral sheet were more stable than those in the octahedral sheet. The substitution of Al atoms noticeably reduced the stability of the tetrahedral sheet in Al-rich illite. Other properties of Al-rich illite, including the density of states, electron population/charge, electronic charge density and bonding interaction, are also discussed and analysed in detail.