This work proposes two methods for evaluating the intrinsic nonlinear parameters for the microwave ferromagnetic materials, which play an important role in the development of low passive-intermodulation devices. We find that the product of the nonlinear permeability and the skin depth serves as the intrinsic nonlinear parameter governing the passive intermodulation (PIM) effect. Analytical and numerical models are proposed to extract it from the experiments. For the coated transmission line method, an analytical expression for the relationship between PIM and the nonlinear parameter is derived. For the linearity–nonlinearity-separation (LNS) Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) full-wave method, a PIM simulation algorithm suitable for thin coating layers is established. Both methods are validated using a nickel-plated microstrip line. The extraction results from the two approaches are in good agreement, confirming the consistency and feasibility of the proposed measurement methods.

Dysregulation of fatty acids metabolism has been associated with the risk of osteoarthritis (OA), yet current evidence from epidemiological or genetic studies remains inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the phenotypic association and genetic architecture between total fatty acids, saturated fatty acids (SFA), MUFA, PUFA and OA. Leveraging individual-level data from the UK Biobank, combined with the hitherto largest genome-wide association studies of fatty acids (n 136 016) and OA (n 826 690) in European individuals, we implemented a comprehensive analytical framework. This included observational and genetic analyses, incorporating phenotypic associations, genetic correlations, cross-trait meta-analysis, enrichment analysis and Mendelian randomisation (MR). Observational analysis identified SFA as a risk factor, while MUFA and PUFA as protective factors for OA. Despite a lack of genome-wide genetic correlation, statistically significant local signals were detected within three specific genomic regions. Cross-trait meta-analysis identified sixty-eight pleiotropic loci shared between fatty acids and OA, of which nine were novel. Enrichment analysis revealed the shared genes were enriched in lipoprotein metabolism, immune response and inflammation regulation pathways. Two-sample MR provided evidence for a causal relationship of MUFA and PUFA on OA that survived false discovery rate correction. This study supports associations between circulating fatty acids and OA, with MUFA and PUFA exerting a protective role. Our findings provide new perspectives into OA prevention especially regarding the potential dietary interventions.

Compressible wall-bounded turbulent flows exhibit complex mean profiles because of the pronounced compressibility effects and heat transfer. We propose a hybrid transformation framework to collapse compressible mean velocity and temperature profiles onto incompressible forms through scaling each layer by its effective transformation, with the underlying mapping functions discovered via a physics-informed symbolic regression (PISR) method. The hybrid velocity transformation incorporates an intrinsic compressibility correction for the buffer layer and a PISR-derived mapping function for the logarithmic layer. For temperature, we introduce a hybrid transformation that integrates the Mach-invariant-type transformation in the viscous sublayer and a novel PISR-derived scaling in the logarithmic layer. The performance of these transformations is evaluated across compressible turbulent boundary layers with free-stream Mach numbers ranging from 0.5 to 8 and wall-to-recovery-temperature ratios ranging from 0.25 to 1. The hybrid velocity transformation outperforms Griffin–Fu–Moin transformation for the transformed mean velocity profiles, with the mean integrated percent error across the dataset decreasing from 1.67 % to 0.96 %. The hybrid temperature transformation performs better than the Mach-invariant-type and Trettel–Larsson-type transformations for mean temperature profiles. Moreover, the inverse hybrid velocity and temperature transformations can effectively predict the compressible mean velocity and temperature profiles with only wall conditions.

The diversity and stability of the gut microbiota, along with various microbial and host–microbe interactions, are crucial factors in maintaining a healthy state. In this study, a total of 12 healthy 1–2 years old cats of similar weight were recruited and divided into two groups according to the experimental design and breed: the British shorthair (BS) group and the nulla luctus felis (NLF) group. After 21 days of the same diet, we analyzed and compared the gut microbiota of BS and NLF. Our results showed that the values of the serum biochemical indicators of the BS and NLF selected for this experiment were within the normal range. The Venn diagram showed that the two groups had 310 common operational taxonomic units. Significant differences in beta diversity (P < 0.05), but not in alpha diversity (P > 0.05), distinguished the two groups. Comparative analysis revealed the NLF group was enriched in Lactobacillus and Bacillus, but depleted in Enterococcus at the genus level (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 59 taxa were established as biomarkers based on a linear discriminant analysis score greater than 3.5. According to PICRUSt2 function analyses, the BS group and NLF group had a ratio of 77.11% and 76.55% for metabolism at level 1, respectively. At level 3, the NLF group significantly increased 15 metabolism pathways, while decreasing 13 metabolism pathways (P < 0.05). Finally, NLF-P1, which was screened from the feces of NLF, exhibited a good antibacterial effect on three strains of pet-associated pathogens, and the evolutionary tree was constructed to show that it may be Lactobacillus paracasei or Lactobacillus casei. In conclusion, there were significant differences in intestinal microbiota composition between BS and NLF, and NLF-P1 has research and application potential.

We study natural convection in porous media using a lattice Boltzmann method that recovers the incompressible Navier–Stokes–Fourier dynamics. The porous structure consists of a staggered two-dimensional cylinder array with half-cylinders at the walls, forming a Darcy continuum at the domain scale. Hydrodynamic reference simulations reveal distinct flow regimes: laminar (Darcy), steady inertial (Forchheimer) and vortex shedding. We then analyse the effects of porosity and solid-to-fluid conductivity ratio ($k_s/k_{\!f}$) on natural convection. At low porosity ($\varphi = 33\,\%$), convection is highly sensitive to thermal coupling, particularly for insulating solids, whereas conductive matrices buffer this effect through lateral diffusion. Increasing porosity ($\varphi = 43\,\%$) smooths the transition as solid and fluid phases become more balanced. Across the explored range, two inertial regimes emerge governed by plume-scale confinement. The transition from Darcy to inertia-driven convection begins once the dynamics resembles the Forchheimer regime of the reference simulations. Based on our data, the system is governed by the confinement parameter $\varLambda$, which relates the plume-neck width, equivalent to the thermal boundary-layer thickness, to the pore scale: for $\varLambda \gtrsim 1$, the dynamics follows Forchheimer scaling, while for $\varLambda \lt 1/2$ it shifts toward Rayleigh–Bénard behaviour. Comparison with experimental data shows the same trend: the nominal Darcy–Rayleigh-to-porous-Prandtl ratio, $Ra^*/\textit{Pr}_{\!p} \approx 1$, holds for $\varLambda \gt 10$, but weaker confinement causes earlier departure. Finally, we revise benchmark Nusselt numbers for a cavity with square obstacles, showing that the reference by Merrikh & Lage (2005 Intl J. Heat Transfer 48(7), 1361–1372) misrepresents trends due to improper normalisation.

Excellent products often contain profound cultural connotations. To improve the quality of cultural products, it is important to study how typical cultural carriers can be more promptly and efficiently identified and incorporated into products through a detailed and easy-to-use design process. In this article, we propose an approach from three different levels to assist designers in incorporating cultural features into products, including: (1) the integrated framework of the composition and division of cultural carriers, (2) the extraction and translation model from cultural carriers, cultural elements to cultural features and (3) the cultural product design process. The proposed approach was applied in a large and complex cultural product case, that is, inter-city train design. The evaluation of the recognition of culture features indicated that the approach contributed to conferring culture on products through thoughtful design and could ensure that the product schemes reflect cultural features as well as interesting cultural connotations.

Vapour bubbles produced by long-pulsed laser often have complex non-spherical shapes that reflect some characteristics of the laser beam. The transition between two commonly observed shapes, namely, a rounded pear-like shape and an elongated conical shape, is studied using a new computational model that combines compressible multiphase fluid dynamics with laser radiation and phase transition. Two laboratory experiments are simulated, in which a holmium:YAG or thulium fibre laser is used to generate bubbles of different shapes. In both cases, the predicted bubble nucleation and morphology agree reasonably well with the experimental observation. The full-field results of laser irradiance, temperature, velocity and pressure are analysed to explain bubble dynamics and energy transmission. It is found that due to the lasting energy input, the vapour bubble's dynamics is driven not only by advection, but also by the continued vaporisation at its surface. Vaporisation lasts less than $1~{\rm \mu}$s in the case of the pear-shaped bubble, compared with over $50~{\rm \mu}$s for the elongated bubble. It is thus hypothesised that the bubble's morphology is determined by competition. When the speed of advection is higher than that of vaporisation, the bubble tends to grow spherically. Otherwise, it elongates along the laser beam direction. To test this hypothesis, the two speeds are defined analytically using a model problem, then estimated for the experiments using simulation results. The results support the hypothesis. They also suggest that when the laser's power is fixed, a higher laser absorption coefficient and a narrower beam facilitate bubble elongation.

With the over-use of tetracycline (TC) and its ultimate accumulation in aquatic systems, the demand for TC removal from contaminated water is increasing due to its severe threat to public health. Clay minerals have attracted great attention as low-cost adsorbents for controlling water pollution. The objective of the present study was to measure the adsorption behavior and mechanisms of TC on allophane, a nanosized clay mineral with a hollow spherical structure; to highlight the advantage of the allophane nanostructure, a further objective was to compare allophane with halloysite and montmorillonite, which have nanostructures that differ from allophane. Structural features and surface physicochemical properties were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential, N2-physisorption, and acid–base titration. The adsorption data showed that TC adsorption followed the pseudo-second order and Langmuir models. The adsorption was pH dependent, as all three clay minerals performed better under neutral to weakly alkaline conditions and maintained high adsorption performance in the presence of co-existing Na+/K+/Ca2+/Mg2+ cations. Regeneration of the adsorbent was excellent, with efficiencies exceeding 75% after five recycles. By comparison, allophane always exhibited the greatest adsorption capacity, up to 796 mg g–1 at ~pH 9. The TC adsorption on allophane and halloysite was dominated by inner-sphere complexation, together with a small amount of electrostatic adsorption, while that on montmorillonite involved mainly interlayer cation exchange. The findings provide insights into the effects of nanostructures of clay minerals on their TC adsorption performance and highlight the huge potential of allophane as an efficient and inexpensive adsorbent for TC removal.

To investigate the associations between dietary patterns and biological ageing, identify the most recommended dietary pattern for ageing and explore the potential mediating role of gut microbiota in less-developed ethnic minority regions (LEMRs). This prospective cohort study included 8288 participants aged 30–79 years from the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort study. Anthropometric measurements and clinical biomarkers were utilised to construct biological age based on Klemera and Doubal’s method (KDM-BA) and KDM-BA acceleration (KDM-AA). Dietary information was obtained through the baseline FFQ. Six dietary patterns were constructed: plant-based diet index, healthful plant-based diet index, unhealthful plant-based diet index, healthy diet score, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and alternative Mediterranean diets. Follow-up adjusted for baseline analysis assessed the associations between dietary patterns and KDM-AA. Additionally, quantile G-computation identified significant beneficial and harmful food groups. In the subsample of 764 participants, we used causal mediation model to explore the mediating role of gut microbiota in these associations. The results showed that all dietary patterns were associated with KDM-AA, with DASH exhibiting the strongest negative association (β = −0·91, 95 % CI (–1·19, −0·63)). The component analyses revealed that beneficial food groups primarily included tea and soy products, whereas harmful groups mainly comprised salt and processed vegetables. In mediation analysis, the Synergistetes and Pyramidobacter possibly mediated the negative associations between plant-based diets and KDM-AA (5·61–9·19 %). Overall, healthy dietary patterns, especially DASH, are negatively associated with biological ageing in LEMRs, indicating that Synergistetes and Pyramidobacter may be potential mediators. Developing appropriate strategies may promote healthy ageing in LEMRs.

We measure the luminosity function of the Milky Way’s stellar halo using a magnitude complete, tangential velocity-selected sample from Gaia DR3. The dimmest main sequence halo dwarfs (subdwarfs) found reach an absolute MG magnitude near 14 mag, and the dimmest halo white dwarfs reach 15 mag. We find our stellar halo luminosity function compares well with these previous results, although with higher accuracy and less bias as our stellar halo sample contains more stars and probes a wider range of absolute magnitudes than these previous studies. In further efforts we will use this result to measure the Milky Way’s stellar halo mass function and mass-to-light ratio.

We measure the enclosed Milky Way (MW) mass profile to Galactocentric distances of ∼70 and ∼50 kpc using the smooth, diffuse stellar halo samples of Bird et al. The samples are Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey/Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SDSS/SEGUE) K giants (KG) and SDSS/SEGUE blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars with accurate metallicities. The 3D kinematics are available through LAMOST and SDSS/SEGUE distances and radial velocities and Gaia DR2 proper motions. Two methods are used to estimate the enclosed mass: 3D spherical Jeans equation and Evans et al. tracer mass estimator (TME). We remove substructure via the Xue et al. method based on integrals of motion. We evaluate the uncertainties on our estimates due to random sampling noise, systematic distance errors, the adopted density profile, and non-virialization and non-spherical effects of the halo. The tracer density profile remains a limiting systematic in our mass estimates, although within these limits we find reasonable agreement across the different samples and the methods applied. Out to ∼70 and ∼50 kpc, the Jeans method yields total enclosed masses of 4.3±0.95 (random) ±0.6 (systematic) ×1011 M⊙ and 4.1±1.2 (random) ±0.6 (systematic) ×1011 M⊙ for the KG and BHB stars, respectively. For the KG and BHB samples we find a dark matter virial mass of (random) ±0.083 (systematic) ×1012 M⊙ and (random) ±0.15 (systematic) ×1012 M⊙, respectively.

Carotenoids are important bioactive substances in breast milk, the profile of which is seldom studied. This study aimed to explore the profile of carotenoids in breast milk and maternal/cord plasma of healthy mother–neonate pairs in Shanghai, China, and their correlation with dietary intake. Maternal blood, umbilical cord blood and breast milk samples from five lactation stages (colostrum, transitional milk and early-, mid- and late-term mature milk) were collected. Carotenoid levels were analysed by HPLC. Carotenoid levels in breast milk changed as lactation progressed (P < 0·001). β-Carotene was the primary carotenoid in colostrum. Lutein accounted for approximately 50 % of total carotenoids in transitional milk, mature milk and cord blood. Positive correlations were observed between five carotenoids in umbilical cord blood and maternal blood (P all < 0·001). β-Carotene levels were also correlated between maternal plasma and three stages of breast milk (r = 0·605, P < 0·001; r = 0·456, P = 0·011, r = 0·446; P = 0·013, respectively). Dietary carotenoid intakes of lactating mothers also differed across lactation stages, although no correlation with breast milk concentrations was found. These findings suggest the importance of exploring the transport mechanism of carotenoids between mothers and infants and help guide the development of formulas for Chinese infants as well as the nutritional diets of lactating mothers.

Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) is considered to be a major regulator to control cholesterol homoeostasis in mammals. However, the role of SREBP2 in teleost remains poorly understand. Here, we explored the molecular characterisation of SREBP2 and identified SREBP2 as a key modulator for 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase, which were rate-limiting enzymes of cholesterol biosynthesis. Moreover, dietary palm oil in vivo or palmitic acid (PA) treatment in vitro elevated cholesterol content through triggering SREBP2-mediated cholesterol biosynthesis in large yellow croaker. Furthermore, our results also found that PA-induced activation of SREBP2 was dependent on the stimulating of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in croaker myocytes and inhibition of ERS by 4-Phenylbutyric acid alleviated PA-induced SREBP2 activation and cholesterol biosynthesis. In summary, our findings reveal a novel insight for understanding the role of SREBP2 in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism in fish and may deepen the link between dietary fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been tied to several forms of emotional and behavioral dysregulation in adolescence, with less attention paid to regulation of anger. Most assume that anger dysregulation leads to engagement in NSSI, rather than the reverse. However, it is plausible that NSSI compromises adolescents’ abilities to regulate their emotions, including anger, because it may reduce the development of alternative regulatory strategies and intensify negative emotions by reducing tolerance of distress. Using three waves of data from a sample of adolescents in 17 Swedish schools (n = 1,304 Mage = 13.68, SDage = .67; 89% of Swedish origin; 58% girls), we examined the directionality of ties between NSSI and three forms of anger dysregulation: dysregulated expressions of anger, anger suppression, and low anger reflection. We also looked for differences in magnitude of paths and gender differences. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models showed that NSSI predicted changes in all forms of anger dysregulation but found no support for the opposite direction. Gender differences were not evident. Results challenge directionality assumptions and support suggestions that adolescents’ anger regulation degrades when they self-injure.