The ubiquitous marine radiocarbon reservoir effect (MRE) constrains the construction of reliable chronologies for marine sediments and the further comparison of paleoclimate records. Different reference values were suggested from various archives. However, it remains unclear how climate and MREs interact. Here we studied two pre-bomb corals from the Hainan Island and Xisha Island in the northern South China Sea (SCS), to examine the relationship between MRE and regional climate change. We find that the MRE from east of Hainan Island is mainly modulated by the Southern Asian Summer Monsoon-induced precipitation (with 11.4% contributed to seawater), rather than wind induced upwelling. In contrast, in the relatively open seawater of Xisha Island, the MRE is dominated by the East Asian Winter Monsoon, with relatively more negative (lower) ΔR values associated with high wind speeds, implying horizontal transport of seawater. The average SCS ΔR value relative to the Marine20 curve is –161±39 14C years. Our finding highlights the essential role of monsoon in regulating the MRE in the northern SCS, in particularly the tight bond between east Asian winter monsoon and regional MRE.

The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic link between the age at first birth (AFB) and the occurrence of preterm labor and delivery, utilizing Mendelian randomization (MR) data alongside genomewide association analysis (GWAS). We obtained AFB-related GWAS summary data from the European Bioinformatics Institute database and preterm labor and delivery data was sourced from the FinnGen Consortium. The study considered AFB as exposure variables, with the incidence of preterm labor and delivery serving as the outcome variable. Several MR analysis methods, such as inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR Egger, weighted median, simple, and weighted mode were utilized. Besides MR-Egger intercepts, Cochrane’s Q test evaluated heterogeneity in the MR data, while MR-PRESSO test checked for horizontal pleiotropy. To assess the association’s sensitivity, A leave-one-out approach was utilized to evaluate the sensitivity of the association. The IVW analysis validated that AFB is an independent risk factor for preterm labor and delivery (p < .001). Horizontal pleiotropy was unlikely to bias causality (p > .05). The likelihood of horizontal pleiotropy affecting causality was low (p > .05), and there was no indication of heterogeneity among the genetic variants (p > .05). Ultimately, a leave-one-out analysis confirmed the stability and reliability of this correlation. Our research indicated that AFB is a protective factor for preterm labor and delivery. Further research is required to clarify the possible mechanisms.

This paper presents a numerical study on the flow around two tandem circular cylinders beneath a free surface at a Reynolds number of $180$. The free-surface effects on the wake dynamics and hydrodynamic forces are investigated through a parametric study, covering a parameter space of gap ratios from $0.20$ to $2.00$, spacing ratios from $1.50$ to $4.00$ and Froude numbers from $0.2$ to $0.8$. A jet-like flow accompanied by a shear layer of positive vorticity separating from the free surface is formed in the wake at small gap ratios, which significantly alters the wake pattern through its dynamic behaviours. At shallow submergence depths, the three-dimensional wake transitions from mode B to mode A as the distance between the cylinders increases. As submergence depth increases, the wavy deformation of the primary vortex cores disappears in the wake, and the flow transitions to a two-dimensional state. Higher Froude numbers can extend the effect of the free surface to deeper submergence depths. The critical spacing ratio tends to be larger at higher Froude numbers. Furthermore, the free-surface deformation is examined. The free-surface profile typically comprises a hydraulic jump immediately ahead of the upstream cylinder, trapped waves in the vicinity of the two tandem cylinders and well-defined travelling waves on the downstream side. The frequencies of the waves cluster around the vortex shedding frequency, indicating a close association between the generation of waves and the vortex shedding process.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been shown to play a significant role in oxidative stress across various tissues and cells; however, its role in sperm function remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of GYY4137, a slow-releasing H2S compound, on sperm damage induced by H2O2. We assessed the effects of GYY4137 on motility, viability, lipid peroxidation and caspase-3 activity in human spermatozoa in vitro following oxidative damage mediated by H2O2. Spermatozoa from 25 healthy men were selected using a density gradient centrifugation method and cultured in the presence or absence of 10 μM H2O2, followed by incubation with varying concentrations of GYY4137 (0.625–2.5 μM). After 24 h of incubation, sperm motility, viability, lipid peroxidation, and caspase-3 activity were evaluated. The results indicated that H2O2 adversely affected sperm parameters, reducing motility and viability, while increasing oxidative stress, as evidenced by elevated lipid peroxidation and caspase-3 activity. GYY4137 provided dose-dependent protection against H2O2-induced oxidative stress (OS). We concluded that supplementation with GYY4137 may offer antioxidant protection during in vitro sperm preparation for assisted reproductive technology.

We systematically study the dissipative anomaly in compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence using direct numerical simulations, and show that the total dissipation remains finite as viscosity diminishes. The dimensionless dissipation rate $\mathcal {C}_{\varepsilon }$ fits well with the model $\mathcal {C}_{\varepsilon } = \mathcal {C}_{\varepsilon,\infty } + \mathcal {D}/R_L^-$ for all levels of flow compressibility considered here, where $R_L^-$ is the generalized large-scale Reynolds number. The asymptotic value $\mathcal {C}_{\varepsilon,\infty }$ describes the total energy transfer flux, and decreases with increase of the flow compressibility, indicating non-universality of the dimensionless dissipation rate in compressible MHD turbulence. After introducing an empirically modified dissipation rate, the data from compressible cases collapse to a form similar to the incompressible MHD case depending only on the modified Reynolds number.

The sustainability of high-level radioactive waste repositories situated in fractured crystalline rocks depends on the stability of bentonite liners, and this can pose a problem in certain groundwater conditions that favor the formation of colloids from backfill materials that are prone to erosion. The influence of different environments on the structure of Gaomiaozi bentonite (GMZ) and GMZ colloids (GMZC) is presented here. Different hydrated interlayer structures of bulk and colloidal forms of this bentonite from small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data are demonstrated. Analysis of the scattering data showed that GMZ had three interlayer water structures: dehydrated (0W), monohydrated (1W), and bi-hydrated (2W). The colloids readily agglomerated at acidic pH (pH <5) but showed resistance to agglomeration in an alkaline condition (pH >7). The effect of Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ on the lamellar structure and agglomerate morphology of GMZC particles was investigated. In general, the tendency of colloids to agglomerate was greater in the presence of divalent metal cations compared with monovalent metal cations. High concentrations (10–5 to 10–3 mol L–1) of divalent ions imparted order into the stacked lamellar structure after the saturation of the interlayer. In contrast, monovalent ions reduced the tendency of the particles to aggregate, leading to an abundance of colloidal nanoparticles prone to erosion. This work helps to better understand the structural characteristics of GMZC in the groundwater environment, and provides a valuable reference for the evaluation of nuclide migration in the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a large group of mycobacteria other than the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and Mycobacterium leprae. Epidemiological investigations have found that the incidence of NTM infections is increasing in China, and it is naturally resistant to many antibiotics. Therefore, studies of NTM species in clinical isolates are useful for understanding the epidemiology of NTM infections. The present study aimed to investigate the incidence of NTM infections and types of NTM species. Of the 420 samples collected, 285 were positive for M. tuberculosis, 62 samples were negative, and the remaining 73 samples contained NTM, including 35 (8.3%) only NTM and 38 (9%) mixed (M. tuberculosis and NTM). The most prevalent NTM species were Mycobacterium intracellulare (30.1%), followed by Mycobacterium abscessus (15%) and M. triviale (12%). M. gordonae infection was detected in 9.5% of total NTM-positive cases. Moreover, this study reports the presence of Mycobacterium nonchromogenicum infection and a high prevalence of M. triviale for the first time in Henan. M. intracellulare is the most prevalent, accompanied by some emerging NTM species, including M. nonchromogenicum and a high prevalence of M. triviale in Henan Province. Monitoring NTM transmission and epidemiology could enhance mycobacteriosis management in future.

The flow-induced vibrations (FIVs) of two identical tandem square cylinders with mass ratio m* = 3.5 at Reynolds number Re = 150 are investigated through two-dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) and linear stability analysis over a parameter range of spacing ratio 1.5 ≤ L* ≤ 5 and reduced velocity 3 ≤ Ur ≤ 34. Three kinds of FIV responses, namely vortex-induced vibration (VIV), biased oscillation (BO) and galloping (GA), are identified. The FIVs are then further classified into the branches of initial VIV (IV), resonant VIV (RV and RV′), flutter-induced VIV (FV), desynchronized VIV (DV), VIV developing from GA (GV), transitional state between VIV and GA (TR), BO and GA based on the characteristics of the vibration responses. The transitions among different FIV branches are examined by combining the DNS with linear stability analysis, where the transition boundaries among the VIV, BO and GA branches over the concerned parameters are identified on the branch maps. The transition from IV to RV or RV′ is found to be related to the unstable wake mode, while the FV, transiting from RV or RV′, is induced by the unstable structural factor in the wake-structure mode. The structural instability is considered as the physical origin of GA, whereas the mode competition between unstable wake and structure leads to DV, GV and TR, and thus delays the appearance of GA. The transition from DV to BO with biased equilibrium position, accompanied by the even-order harmonic frequencies, is essentially induced by the symmetry breaking bifurcation.

Conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) holds that most conceptual metaphors are processed unconsciously. However, whether multiple words can be integrated into a holistic metaphoric sentence without consciousness remains controversial in cognitive science and psychology. This study aims to investigate the role of consciousness in processing Chinese nominal metaphoric sentences ‘A是B’ (A is[like] B) with a psychophysical experimental paradigm referred to as breaking continuous flash suppression (b-CFS). We manipulated sentence types (metaphoric, literal and anomalous) and word forms (upright, inverted) in a two-staged experiment (CFS and non-CFS). No difference was found in the breakthrough times among all three types of sentences in the CFS stage, while literal sentences were detected more slowly than either metaphoric or anomalous sentences in the non-CFS stage. The results suggest that the integration of multiple words may not succeed without the participation of consciousness, let alone metaphoric processing. These findings may redefine ‘unconscious’ in CMT as ‘preconscious’ and support the indirect access view regarding how the metaphoric meaning is processed in the brain.

As an environmental factor, temperature impacts the distribution of species and influences interspecific competition. The molecular chaperones encoded by small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are essential for rapid, appropriate responses to environmental stress. This study focuses on Hsp20.8, which encodes a temperature-responsive sHsp in Liriomyza trifolii, an insect pest that infests both agricultural and ornamental crops. Hsp20.8 expression was highest at 39℃ in L. trifolii pupae and adults, and expression levels were greater in pupae than in adults. Recombinant Hsp20.8 was expressed in Escherichia coli and conferred a higher survival rate than the empty vector to bacterial cells exposed to heat stress. RNA interference experiments were conducted using L. trifolii adults and prepupae and the knockdown of Hsp20.8 expression increased mortality in L. trifolii during heat stress. The results expand our understanding of sHsp function in Liriomyza spp. and the ongoing adaptation of this pest to climate change. In addition, this study is also important for predicting the distribution of invasive species and proposing new prevention and control strategies based on temperature adaptation.

Energy loss of protons with 90 and 100 keV energies penetrating through a hydrogen plasma target has been measured, where the electron density of the plasma is about 1016 cm−3 and the electron temperature is about 1-2 eV. It is found that the energy loss of protons in the plasma is obviously larger than that in cold gas and the experimental results based on the Bethe model calculations can be demonstrated by the variation of effective charge of protons in the hydrogen plasma. The effective charge remains 1 for 100 keV protons, while the value for 90 keV protons decreases to be about 0.92. Moreover, two empirical formulae are employed to extract the effective charge.

The third-order law links energy transfer rates in the inertial range of magneto- hydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence with third-order structure functions. Anisotropy, a typical property in the solar wind, challenges the applicability of the third-order law with the isotropic assumption. To shed light on the energy transfer process in the presence of anisotropy, we conducted direct numerical simulations of forced MHD turbulence with normal and hyper-viscosity under various strengths of the external magnetic field ($B_0$), and calculated three forms of third-order structure function with or without averaging of the azimuthal or polar angles with respect to $B_0$ direction. Correspondingly, three estimated energy transfer rates were obtained. The result shows that the peak of normalized third-order structure function occurs at larger scales closer to the $B_0$ direction, and the maximum of longitudinal transfer rates shifts away from the $B_0$ direction at larger $B_0$. Compared with normal viscous cases, hyper-viscous cases can attain better separated inertial range, thus facilitating the estimation of the energy cascade rates. We find that the widespread use of the isotropic form of the third-order law in estimating the energy transfer rates is questionable in some cases, especially when the anisotropy arising from the mean magnetic field is inevitable. In contrast, the direction-averaged third-order structure function properly accounts for the effect of anisotropy and predicts the energy transfer rates and inertial range accurately, even at very high $B_0$. With limited statistics, the third-order structure function shows a stronger dependence on averaging of azimuthal angles than the time, especially for high $B_0$ cases. These findings provide insights into the anisotropic effect on the estimation of energy transfer rates.

The benefits of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) administration after hepatic intervention in patients with liver diseases remain unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of BCAA on patients undergoing hepatectomy, trans-arterial embolisation and radiofrequency ablation. Relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT) were obtained from PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate the pooled effect size by using random-effects models. The primary outcomes were survival and tumour recurrence. The secondary outcomes were hospital stay, nutrition status, biochemistry profile, complication rate of liver treatment and adverse effect of BCAA supplementation. In total, eleven RCT involving 750 patients were included. Our meta-analysis showed no significant difference in the rates of tumour recurrence and overall survival between the BCAA and control groups. However, the pooled estimate showed that BCAA supplementation in patients undergoing hepatic intervention significantly increased serum albumin (mean difference (MD): 0·11 g/dl, 95 % CI: 0·02, 0·20; 5 RCT) at 6 months and cholinesterase level (MD: 50·00 U/L, 95 % CI: 21·08, 78·92; 1 RCT) at 12 months and reduced ascites incidence (risk ratio: 0·39, 95 % CI: 0·21, 0·71; 4 RCT) at 12 months compared with the control group. Additionally, BCAA administration significantly increased body weight at 6 months and 12 months and increased arm circumference at 12 months. In conclusion, BCAA supplementation significantly improved the liver function, reduced the incidence of ascites and increased body weight and arm circumference. Thus, BCAA supplementation may beneficial for selected patients undergoing liver intervention.