The appeal of quadruped robots lies not only in their ability to mimic the diverse and agile locomotion of animals but also in their potential to integrate with human artistic expression to achieve complex multi-skill movements. Continuous multi-skill motion in quadruped robots requires the realization of diverse, continuous, and long-horizon behaviors, involving a broader state space and more complex motion generation and transitions. This presents significant challenges, including sparse rewards, incomplete data, long-horizon motion planning, and the design of fine-grained motion transitions. In this work, we categorize quadruped robot skills into three types: rhythmic motions, expressive motions, and high-dynamic motions and generate reference trajectories for each category using central pattern generators, animation design, and motion capture, respectively. We then design an asymmetric neural network architecture and employ an imitation–reinforcement learning algorithm to train policies for generating these three types of motions. By composing multiple motion skill trajectories, we avoid long-horizon motion planning; by leveraging reinforcement learning, we enable smooth and continuous skill transitions; and by introducing a two-stage reference state initialization curriculum, the robot is able to switch from arbitrary states to the target motion skill. Moreover, during training, the policy imitates only key characteristics of the reference motions rather than strictly tracking fixed trajectories, making it more robust. Finally, we achieve robust motion skill generation and seamless transitions on a quadruped robot equipped with a 6-DoF manipulator, validating the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed multi-skill generation and transition method.

Neonates are highly susceptible to infection, a major cause of neonatal death, given their immature immune system. Comprehensive studies examining multiple immune-response-related proteins in relation to neonatal infection are scarce. We conducted a nested case-control study within the Shenzhen Baoan Birth and Twin (SZBBTwin) cohort, measuring 92 immune-response-related proteins in cord plasma of 149 twins (including 34 discordant twin pairs) with proximity extension assay. All twins were followed for clinical diagnoses of infection from birth until 27 days of age. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to determine differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) between infected and noninfected neonates, the predictive performance of which was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves, and their functions and pathways were annotated through enrichment analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the associations between levels of proteins and risk of neonatal infection. Finally, five DAPs (ITGA11, FCRL6, DDX58, SH2D1A, and EDAR) were identified for neonatal infection, and the area under the curve of the five DAPs achieved 0.835 for infection prediction. Enrichment analysis indicated that five DAPs were mainly involved in immune function and cell binding, and they were mainly enriched in the nuclear factor kappa-B pathway. A higher level of ITGA11 was associated with an increased risk of neonatal infection in all twins (OR 3.00; 95% CI [1.33, 6.78]) and discordant twin pairs (OR 5.50; 95% CI [1.20, 25.23]). In conclusion, multiple immune-response-related proteins in cord plasma, particularly ITGA11, are associated with the risk of neonatal infection in twins.

Neuromyths persist as pseudoscientific misconceptions in education despite repeated debunking. This study examines the foreign language effect (FLe) on neuromyth discernment through two sub-studies. Using mixed experimental designs, we found task-dependent patterns of language effects: FL enhanced discernment of highly discernible neuromyths, while native language facilitated identification of low-discernibility neuromyths. Negative framing amplified FL advantages, whereas information richness suppressed discernment, an effect mitigated by FL for medium-discernibility neuromyths. These findings suggest that neuromyth susceptibility may vary across language and contextual conditions, providing preliminary theoretical and empirical implications for future language-sensitive approaches to teacher training and neuromyth mitigation.

The viscous shock tube is a canonical test case for assessing Navier–Stokes (NS) solvers in the continuum-flow regime, widely used to validate numerical accuracy and probe flow physics. It features a rich set of interacting structures – shock and rarefaction waves, contact discontinuities, boundary layers and their couplings – spanning multiple spatial and temporal scales. However, NS-based modelling, which presumes near-equilibrium behaviour, may fail to capture important non-equilibrium effects even in nominally continuum conditions. This study investigates the viscous shock tube at low Reynolds numbers and demonstrates the presence of non-equilibrium phenomena within the conventional continuum regime. To obtain physically consistent solutions across scales, we employ the unified gas-kinetic scheme (UGKS) and compare its results with NS solutions computed using the gas-kinetic scheme (GKS). Discrepancies between UGKS and GKS solutions reveal pronounced non-equilibrium effects in regions where shock waves interact with boundary layers. For continuum flows at high Mach and low Reynolds numbers, such multiscale non-equilibrium transport becomes important, underscoring the need for multiscale methods in analysis and prediction.

This work presents an integrated modelling study of fast-proton distributions generated by ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) minority heating in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Using a series of high-confinement (H-mode) discharges with increasing ICRF power levels from 0.8 to 2.4 MW, fast protons were produced via minority heating mechanisms and analysed through simulations using the ASCOT code. The results reveal that the fast protons are primarily concentrated near the fundamental cyclotron resonance layer and exhibit strong power-dependent behaviour in both real-space (R–Z) distribution and velocity space, where R is the major radius and Z is the vertical coordinate. As the ICRF power increases, the energetic proton population shows significant spatial broadening and energy enhancement, reaching up to 1 MeV. The fast-ion pitch-angle distribution becomes increasingly anisotropic, with high-energy ions concentrated around $|\textit{v}_{\|}/\textit{v}| \lt 0.5$, where $\nu$ is the magnitude (speed) of the full velocity vector of the particle. Furthermore, the energy density of fast ions aligns well with the ICRF power deposition profile, confirming efficient central-core heating. These findings, which provide insight into fast-ion behaviour and ICRF heating characteristics in EAST plasmas, also support future fast-ion diagnostics and performance control strategies in EAST and similar experimental conditions.

Environmental insecticide residues are a growing concern in the management of disease-vector mosquitoes, such as Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae). While deltamethrin is extensively utilised in mosquito vector control, localised or intermittent sublethal exposure to this insecticide may influence mosquito population dynamics. To investigate the role of environmental residual deltamethrin in inducing transgenerational fitness costs in Ae. albopictus, this study established three different concentrations of deltamethrin solution based on its half-lethal concentration (0.002275 mg/L) for long-term exposure. And four consecutive generations were reared under these conditions. We monitored macroscopic growth and developmental data, reproductive capacity, and expression levels of yolk protein genes (vitellogenin) in each generation. Results showed that sublethal multigenerational deltamethrin exposure significantly prolonged the developmental period of Ae. albopictus; however, it did not have a significant impact on pupation or eclosion rates. In terms of fecundity, exposure to deltamethrin reduced the relative expression levels of vitellogenin-A1 and vitellogenin-C in Ae. albopictus, which was correlated with reduced reproductive output. Furthermore, there was a reduction observed in both single female oviposition rates and egg hatching success among exposed individuals. These findings highlight sublethal responses that may impact population dynamics and reproductive success in the field, underscoring the importance of considering chronic, low-dose insecticide effects in integrated vector management strategies.

The analysis of archaeological trace residues is offering expanding insights into various aspects of human (pre)history, including developments in medical knowledge. Here, the authors present results from the analysis of two medical instruments (scissors and tweezers) found in a Ming Dynasty (c. 1368–1644 CE) tomb in Jiangyin, China. While the form and composition of the instruments themselves indicate developed understandings of tool production and use, novel application of stimulated Raman scattering microscopy reveals probable traces of aconitine, likely providing direct evidence for the use of this highly toxic substance, possibly administered as a topical anaesthetic, in ancient Chinese surgery.

Bees, as vital pollinators, are currently confronting numerous survival threats. Balanced amino acid nutrient have a positive impact on helping bees to resist pathogens and pesticides. This study aims to explore the interaction between leucine (Leu) and isoleucine (Ile) on key physiological parameters of Apis mellifera ligustica (Apidae: Hymenoptera) colony. The experiment was designed into four distinct dietary groups, including control diet (CK): 6.8 g/kg Leu + 3.9 g/kg Ile; high Ile diet: 6.8 g/kg Leu + 21.9 g/kg Ile; high Leu diet: 43.8 g/kg Leu + 3.9 g/kg Ile; diet with both high L-I: 43.8 g/kg Leu + 21.9 g/kg Ile. The results showed that Leu and Ile, to a considerable extent, promote the growth and vitality of the bee colony, with Ile mitigating Leu-induced absorption inhibition. Leu and Ile synergistically reduced haemolymph triglyceride via upregulated activities of fatty acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase, and expression of Lipase 1 and adipokinetic hormone receptor compared with CK. Furthermore, L-I treatment increased key activities of immune enzymes like phenol oxidase, lysozyme, glucose oxidase, and altered expression of antimicrobial peptides (abaecin, apidaecin, and defensin 1), indicating coordinated immunomodulation. In conclusion, within the context of this study, 43.8 g/kg Leu and 21.9 g/kg Ile in the artificial pollen substitute feed prove to be beneficial for the nutrient deposition and immunity of individual bees. This work provides a framework for optimising artificial pollen diets, offering experimental guidance towards more effective strategies in sustainable beekeeping.

This paper concerns the isentropic compressible Navier–Stokes equations in a three-dimensional (3D) bounded domain with slip boundary conditions and vacuum. It is shown that the classical solutions to the initial-boundary-value problem of this system with large initial energy and vacuum exist globally in time and have an exponential decay rate, which is decreasing with respect to the adiabatic exponent $\gamma \gt 1$ provided that the fluid is nearly isothermal (namely, the adiabatic exponent is close enough to 1). This constitutes an extension of the celebrated result for the one-dimensional Cauchy problem of the isentropic Euler equations that has been established in 1973 by Nishida and Smoller (Comm. Pure Appl. Math. 26 (1973), 183–200). In addition, it is also shown that the gradient of the density will grow unboundedly with an exponential rate when the initial vacuum appears (even at a point). In contrast to previous related works, where either small initial energy is required or boundary effects are absent, this establishes the first result on the global existence and exponential growth of large-energy solutions with vacuum to the 3D isentropic compressible Navier–Stokes equations with slip boundary conditions.