This study investigated the impact of diallyl disulfide (DADS) on oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in ovine rumen epithelial cells (RECs). Initially, the effects of DADS were evaluated on cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, antioxidant capacity in RECs were estimated. Then, RNA-seq analysis was conducted in DADS-treated and untreated cells to analyze the differential gene expression, as well as Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Finally, the effects of DADS on Kelch-like ECH associated protein 1/the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Keap1/Nrf2) signaling pathway in RECs were evaluated. Results showed that DADS remarkably enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (P < 0.05) while reducing ROS and malonaldehyde production (P < 0.05) in H2O2-treated RECs. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that DADS might influence glutathione synthesis through cysteine and methionine metabolism, thereby affecting the transcription of genes involved in immunity and oxidative stress. The DADS treatment resulted in increased nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and upregulation of mRNA and protein levels of quinone oxidoreductase 1, heme oxygenase 1, and Nrf2. The Nrf2-specific inhibitor nullified the protective effects of DADS on malonaldehyde formation induced by H2O2 and decreased T-AOC and SOD activities. In conclusion, DADS demonstrated the ability to alleviate oxidative stress in RECs by promoting antioxidative capacity through the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Pebrine disease, caused by Nosema bombycis (Nb) infection in silkworms, is a severe and long-standing disease that threatens sericulture. As parasitic pathogens, a complex relationship exists between microsporidia and their hosts at the mitochondrial level. Previous studies have found that the translocator protein (TSPO) is involved in various biological functions, such as membrane potential regulation, mitochondrial autophagy, immune responses, calcium ion channel regulation, and cell apoptosis. In the present study, we found that TSPO expression in silkworms (BmTSPO) was upregulated following Nb infection, leading to an increase in cytoplasmic calcium, adenosine triphosphate, and reactive oxygen species levels. Knockdown and overexpression of BmTSPO resulted in the promotion and inhibition of Nb proliferation, respectively. We also demonstrated that the overexpression of BmTSPO promotes host cell apoptosis and significantly increases the expression of genes involved in the immune deficiency and Janus kinase-signal transducer and the activator of the transcription pathways. These findings suggest that BmTSPO activates the innate immune signalling pathway in silkworms to regulate Nb proliferation. Targeting TSPO represents a promising approach for the development of new treatments for microsporidian infections.

The mean flow behaviour of a turbulent boundary layer over rough walls is expected to exhibit symmetries that govern the flow dynamics. In particular, when roughness elements are arranged in a spanwise symmetric manner, the mean flow above them should also exhibit spanwise symmetry. This symmetrical consideration has garnered substantial empirical support. We conduct direct numerical simulations (DNS) of flow over aligned cube arrays to test such symmetry considerations further. We vary the surface coverage density from 0.25 % to 6.25 %, and employ an averaging time of about 100 large-eddy turnover times, which is longer than the typical averaging time in prior DNS studies of rough-wall boundary layers. The results suggest the presence of spanwise asymmetry in the mean flow. Specifically, we observe the development of a prominent secondary vortex on one side of the cubical roughness, accompanied by a relatively smaller secondary vortex on the other side. This asymmetry becomes most pronounced when the surface coverage density is approximately 0.59 %, and diminishes as the coverage density approaches either a low or a high value. We also establish that this mean flow asymmetry is robust across variations in the domain size, the initial condition, and the placement of the cubes in the spanwise direction.

Nitrogen fertilizer and water are two major nutrients required for the optimal production of rice worldwide. The utilization of different irrigation techniques to save water and fertigation to maximize rice production has been the main focus. A field experiment was conducted to explore the responses of 16 rice varieties to different irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer regimes. Two nitrogen treatments, 270 kg ha−1 and 225 kg ha−1 (urea N ≥ 46.4%), and two irrigation regimes, 8.7 t ha−1 and 5.22 t ha−1, were applied three times. Plant height and the soil and plant analyser development (SPAD) values were measured throughout the growth period. The total yield and quality characteristics of the rice varieties were also determined. Based on the yield, the 16 rice varieties were divided into three groups: high yield (I), middle yield (II) and low yield (III) using cluster analysis. A positive correlation was found between the growth period and yield of these 16 rice varieties. In the water-deficient regime, the growth period of the 16 varieties was reduced by 1.68–2.93%. Furthermore, nitrogen- and water-deficient regimes had significant effects on the polishing rate, protein content and taste values of all varieties. At maturity stage under these regimes, plant height and chlorophyll SPAD values were decreased by 1.25–6.05% and 1.60–31.48%, respectively. Deficient nitrogen fertilization, along with appropriate irrigation, is an effective method for the efficient utilization of irrigation and fertilizer resources in rice-growing areas.

The mixing-layer analogy is due to Raupach, Finnigan & Brunet (Boundary-Layer Meteorol., vol. 25, 1996, pp. 351–382). In the analogy, the flow in the roughness sublayer of a homogeneous deep vegetation canopy boundary layer is analogous to a plane mixing layer rather than a surface layer. Evidence for the analogy includes the inflected velocity profile, which resembles the velocity profile in a plane mixing layer, and, most notably, the following estimate as a result of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability: $\varLambda _x=8.1L_s$, where $\varLambda _x$ is the spacing of the large-scale eddies, and $L_s$ is the shear length. The mixing-layer analogy has been very successful in vegetation canopy flow research, but has received only limited support in urban-canopy flow research. This work revisits Raupach et al.'s mixing-layer analogy, and we present the evidence for the mixing-layer analogy in urban-canopy flows: the exponential velocity profile in the canopy layer, i.e. $(U-U_c)/(U_h-U_c)=\exp (z/L_m)$, and $L_m\sim [(U_h/U_c-1)(U_h/U_c+3)]^{-1}$. Here, $z$ is the vertical coordinate, $L_m$ is the attenuation length and is a measure of the largest eddy in the canopy layer, $U_h$ is the wind speed at the canopy crest and $U_c$ is the velocity in the inactive layer. We conduct direct numerical simulations of various deep homogeneous urban-canopy flows and test the above two scalings. We also discuss why Raupach et al.'s analogy has not seen as many successes in urban-canopy flows as in vegetation canopy flows.

The subduction model of the Neo-Tethys during the Early Cretaceous has always been a controversial topic, and the scarcity of Early Cretaceous magmatic rocks in the southern part of the Gangdese batholith is the main cause of this debate. To address this issue, this article presents new zircon U–Pb chronology, zircon Hf isotope, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotope data for the Early Cretaceous quartz diorite dykes with adakite affinity in Liuqiong, Gongga. Zircon U–Pb dating of three samples yielded ages of c. 141–137 Ma, indicating that the Liuqiong quartz diorite was emplaced in the Early Cretaceous. The whole-rock geochemical analysis shows that the Liuqiong quartz diorite is enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare-earth elements (LREEs) and is depleted in high-field-strength elements (HFSEs), which are related to slab subduction. Additionally, the Liuqiong quartz diorite has high SiO2, Al2O3 and Sr contents, high Sr/Y ratios and low heavy rare-earth element (HREE) and Y contents, which are compatible with typical adakite signatures. The initial 87Sr/86Sr values of the Liuqiong adakite range from 0.705617 to 0.705853, and the whole-rock ϵNd(t) values vary between +5.78 and +6.24. The zircon ϵHf(t) values vary from +11.5 to +16.4. Our results show that the Liuqiong adakite magma was derived from partial melting of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic plate (mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) + sediment + fluid), with some degree of subsequent peridotite interaction within the overlying mantle wedge. Combining regional data, we favour the interpretation that the Neo-Tethyan oceanic crust was subducted at a low angle beneath the Gangdese during the Early Cretaceous.

We propose a new neighbouring prediction model for mortality forecasting. For each mortality rate at age x in year t, mx,t, we construct an image of neighbourhood mortality data around mx,t, that is, Ꜫmx,t (x1, x2, s), which includes mortality information for ages in [x-x1, x+x2], lagging k years (1 ≤ k ≤ s). Combined with the deep learning model – convolutional neural network, this framework is able to capture the intricate nonlinear structure in the mortality data: the neighbourhood effect, which can go beyond the directions of period, age, and cohort as in classic mortality models. By performing an extensive empirical analysis on all the 41 countries and regions in the Human Mortality Database, we find that the proposed models achieve superior forecasting performance. This framework can be further enhanced to capture the patterns and interactions between multiple populations.

Gravitational waves from coalescing neutron stars encode information about nuclear matter at extreme densities, inaccessible by laboratory experiments. The late inspiral is influenced by the presence of tides, which depend on the neutron star equation of state. Neutron star mergers are expected to often produce rapidly rotating remnant neutron stars that emit gravitational waves. These will provide clues to the extremely hot post-merger environment. This signature of nuclear matter in gravitational waves contains most information in the 2–4 kHz frequency band, which is outside of the most sensitive band of current detectors. We present the design concept and science case for a Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory (NEMO): a gravitational-wave interferometer optimised to study nuclear physics with merging neutron stars. The concept uses high-circulating laser power, quantum squeezing, and a detector topology specifically designed to achieve the high-frequency sensitivity necessary to probe nuclear matter using gravitational waves. Above 1 kHz, the proposed strain sensitivity is comparable to full third-generation detectors at a fraction of the cost. Such sensitivity changes expected event rates for detection of post-merger remnants from approximately one per few decades with two A+ detectors to a few per year and potentially allow for the first gravitational-wave observations of supernovae, isolated neutron stars, and other exotica.

The Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP) in SW China is considered to be a typical mantle-plume-derived LIP. The picrites formed at relatively high temperatures in the ELIP, providing one of the important lines of argument for the role of mantle plume. Here we report trace-element data on olivine phenocrysts in the Dali picrites from the ELIP. The olivines are Ni-rich, and characterized by high (>1.4) 100×Mn/Fe value and low (<13) 10 000×Zn/Fe value, indicating a peridotite-dominated source. Since the olivine–melt Ni partition coefficient (KDNiol/melt) will decrease at high temperatures and pressures, the picrites derived from peridotite melting at high pressure, and that crystallized olivines at lower pressure, can generate high concentrations of Ni in olivine phenocrysts, excluding the necessity of a metasomatic pyroxenite contribution. Based on the Al-in-olivine thermometer, olivine crystallization temperature and mantle potential temperature (TP) were calculated at c. 1491°C and c. 1559°C, respectively. Our results are c. 200°C higher than that of the normal asthenospheric mantle, and are consistent with the role of a mantle thermal plume for the ELIP.

The oxidation behavior of the selective laser melting (SLM)–fabricated Inconel 718 was investigated through isothermal oxidation testing at 650 °C for 500 h and compared with that of the as-cast and as-forged specimens at the same testing conditions. The effect of microstructure and surface roughness on the oxidation behavior of the SLM-fabricated, as-cast, and as-forged Inconel 718 specimens was examined. The result shows that Inconel 718 fabricated by SLM with the unique layer structure exhibited a better resistance to the 500 h oxidation at 650 °C compared with as-cast and as-forged 718 with coarse dendritic structure and uniform equiaxed grain microstructure, respectively. The influence of the surface roughness on the long-time oxidation resistance of SLM specimens is not pronounced compared with that of as-cast and as-forged specimens. The tiny dendrites instead of grain boundaries are a major influencing factor for the oxidation process of SLM specimens. The surface roughness has more evident influence on the oxidation resistance of as-forged specimens than that of the as-cast ones subjected to the 500 h oxidation at 650 °C.

The Weibel instability and the induced magnetic field are of great importance for both astrophysics and inertial confinement fusion. Because of the stochasticity of this magnetic field, its main wavelength and mean strength, which are key characteristics of the Weibel instability, are still unobtainable experimentally. In this paper, a theoretical model based on the autocorrelation tensor shows that in proton radiography of the Weibel-instability-induced magnetic field, the proton flux density on the detection plane can be related to the energy spectrum of the magnetic field. It allows us to extract the main wavelength and mean strength of the two-dimensionally isotropic and stochastic magnetic field directly from proton radiography for the first time. Numerical calculations are conducted to verify our theory and show good consistency between pre-set values and the results extracted from proton radiography.

Existing data on folate status and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis are scarce. We prospectively examined whether serum folate concentrations at diagnosis were associated with liver cancer-specific survival (LCSS) and overall survival (OS) among 982 patients with newly diagnosed, previously untreated HCC, who were enrolled in the Guangdong Liver Cancer Cohort (GLCC) study between September 2013 and February 2017. Serum folate concentrations were measured using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI by sex-specific quartile of serum folate. Compared with patients in the third quartile of serum folate, patients in the lowest quartile had significantly inferior LCSS (HR = 1·48; 95 % CI 1·05, 2·09) and OS (HR = 1·43; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·99) after adjustment for non-clinical and clinical prognostic factors. The associations were not significantly modified by sex, age at diagnosis, alcohol drinking status and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage. However, there were statistically significant interactions on both multiplicative and additive scale between serum folate and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels or smoking status and the associations of lower serum folate with worse LCSS and OS were only evident among patients with CRP > 3·0 mg/l or current smokers. An inverse association with LCSS were also observed among patients with liver damage score ≥3. These results suggest that lower serum folate concentrations at diagnosis are independently associated with worse HCC survival, most prominently among patients with systemic inflammation and current smokers. A future trial of folate supplementation seems to be promising in HCC patients with lower folate status.