For large-scale problems, efficiently optimizing task allocation with local communication and computing resources is challenging. Existing algorithms often fall short in task allocation computation time. Inspired by Bayesian estimation, we propose a parametric heuristic algorithm for redundant agents that can effectively perform dynamic task allocation in distributed architectures. Firstly, the method includes a confidence proxy-driven posterior correction algorithm (CPPCA), which can iteratively satisfy the constraint of the number of agents for each task based on local communication. We also prove that CPPCA can strictly converge after the number of neighbors is larger than a certain value. Then, we design a greedy swapping algorithm (GSA) to reduce the total cost while satisfying the constraints. It is also proved that the algorithm can converge in a finite number of steps under the condition that the communication graph is connected. Finally, the feasibility of the method is verified by simulation experiments. It shows that the confidence proxy-driven posterior correction and greedy swapping (CPPC-GS) method has significant advantages over the baseline algorithms in solving large-scale problems under the premise of redundant agents. It also has good results in the face of dynamic task allocation. Furthermore, the virtual-real fusion experiment bridges the “modeling gap” by validating the algorithm’s resilience to real-world engineering constraints, such as non-ideal communication and hardware heterogeneity, ensuring a seamless transition from theoretical frameworks to robust practical deployment.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau faces a critical shortage of superior forage germplasm resources, and existing dual-purpose varieties require substantial improvements in both yield and quality. In this study, we conducted cluster analysis and comprehensive evaluation of 12 important agronomic and quality traits from 189 globally sourced rye (Secale cereale L.) landraces over a three-year field experiment. Our objective was to identify rye landraces with preferable traits for pre-breeding and to provide foundational materials for broadening the genetic basis of forage varieties and breeding high-yield, superior-quality crops adapted to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The genetically diverse rye accessions exhibited abundant phenotypic variation in grain traits, offering rich and excellent parental materials for superior germplasm identification. Accessions with outstanding single or comprehensive traits were successfully screened: those with high thousand-kernel weight, elevated grain protein content, or combined high yield and superior quality can serve as key parental or basic materials for rye breeding programs. The three accessions with the highest comprehensive evaluation scores should be prioritized as core materials for breeding. In the cluster analysis of grain traits, clusters II and III emerged as optimal selection regions for high-yield and quality materials. The high-quality germplasm and key clusters identified in this study provide specific resource support for forage genetic improvement and sustainable development of grassland animal husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, addressing the gap in systematic screening of rye landraces with preferable traits.

Multidimensional metabolic dysregulation is implicated in hypertension development, but the utility of comprehensive metabolic vulnerability indices for assessing hypertension risk associations remains unclear. This prospective cohort study analysed 150 591 participants from the United Kingdom Biobank. The metabolic vulnerability index and its components – inflammation vulnerability index (IVX) and metabolic malnutrition index (MMX) – were calculated from six metabolites (GlycA, small HDL particles, leucine, valine, isoleucine and citrate) measured by NMR spectroscopy. Cox proportional hazards models assessed associations with incident hypertension, adjusting for demographic, lifestyle and clinical factors. Restricted cubic spline analyses examined dose–response relationships, and subgroup analyses explored effect modifications by polygenic risk score, BMI and C-reactive protein levels. During follow-up, 32 198 participants developed hypertension. After comprehensive adjustment, IVX and metabolic vulnerability index (MVX) showed significant positive associations with hypertension risk (highest v. lowest quartile: hazard ratio (HR) = 1·25 (95 % CI: 1·20, 1·31) and HR = 1·19 (95 % CI: 1·15, 1·24), respectively, P < 0·001). Each standard deviation increase in IVX and MVX was associated with 9 % and 7 % higher hypertension risk, respectively. Conversely, MMX demonstrated a slight protective effect (HR = 0·96 (95 % CI: 0·92, 0·99), P = 0·016) and exhibited a U-shaped relationship with hypertension risk. Notably, associations between IVX/MVX and hypertension were significantly stronger in non-obese individuals (BMI < 30) compared with obese participants (BMI ≥ 30) (P-interaction < 0·001 and P = 0·007, respectively). Results remained robust in sensitivity analyses excluding extreme values and early hypertension cases. Metabolic vulnerability, particularly its inflammatory component, is independently associated with hypertension risk beyond traditional risk factors. These findings highlight the potential utility of comprehensive metabolomic profiling for early identification of individuals at elevated hypertension risk.

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ∼56 Ma) marks a rapid, intense warming event at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. However, the terrestrial record of the PETM is limited, and its paleoenvironmental impacts are debated. This study examines the effects of the PETM on terrestrial lake environments using mineralogical, inorganic and organic geochemical analyses of the Paleocene Kongdian Formation’s organic-rich rocks from the Bohai Bay Basin. Findings show that global PETM warming drove regional aridification and evaporation, while carbonate isotopic signals (negative δ13C, positive δ18O) are consistent with enhanced hydrological cycling and salinity fluctuations, reflecting the interplay between global climate forcing and local hydrological responses. Nutrient influx during the PETM boosted paleoproductivity. Arid-adapted organisms like Podocarpidites and Ephedripites also became present. The PETM experienced heightened seasonal variance and climatic extremes, with elevated temperatures causing increased evaporation and salinity during dry seasons, indicating greater aridity. Seasonal precipitation likely intensified due to monsoonal rains or the tropical convergence zone’s northward movement. Pollen from the Bohai Bay Basin indicates both significant episodic precipitation and increased aridity, reflecting complex climatic interactions. Increased detrital kaolinite content during the PETM suggests intensified physical weathering and erosion in kaolinite-bearing catchment areas, driven by episodic heavy rainfall. Our sedimentological observations (e.g., laminated shale cyclicity and detrital mineral assemblages) indicate sporadic heavy rainfall events, enhancing physical weathering and altering detrital sediment mineral content in the Bohai Bay Basin.

Superswells and domes – large-scale, persistent interface deformations – are key features in geophysical and multiphase systems driven by thermal convection. These structures often emerge in layered convective systems, such as Earth’s mantle or two-fluid industrial processes, where buoyancy contrasts and fluid properties create complex interface dynamics. However, the physical mechanisms governing the formation of these structures remain poorly understood. Here, we use high-resolution direct numerical simulations of two-layer Rayleigh–Bénard convection to investigate how the Prandtl number ($\textit{Pr}$) and buoyancy number ($B$) govern transitions in interfacial morphology. At a fixed Rayleigh number ($\textit{Ra}$), we identify three distinct regimes: stratified convection at high $B$, where compositional buoyancy suppresses interfacial motion; an interfacial fragmentation regime at low $\textit{Pr}$ and $B$, driven by inertial–thermal buoyant balance; and a transitional dome-forming regime within a $\textit{Pr}$-dependent range, where viscous and buoyant forces deform the interface into coherent, superswell-like structures. A theoretical phase diagram predicts these transitions and agrees well with simulation results. These findings provide mechanistic insight into interfacial phase behaviour in thermally driven flows, offering a framework that links geophysical surface features with underlying convective dynamics and informing the control of interfacial morphology in complex multiphase systems.

The hypersonic flow over 30$^{\circ }$–50$^{\circ }$ double-cone configurations with three nose bluntness levels was experimentally investigated at Mach 6. High-speed schlieren photography, pressure sensors and pressure-sensitive paint were used to examine both global flow patterns and unsteady dynamics at a transitional Reynolds number. The experimental results indicate that the size of the separation region at the cone junction increases with increasing nose bluntness. Type V shock–shock interactions were observed in all three configurations, while the shock wave structures in the region below the triple point exhibited two patterns: Mach shock wave reflection in the sharp and small-blunt-nose cases, and regular shock wave reflection in the large-blunt-nose case. Spectral analysis of high-speed schlieren sequences revealed two types of unsteadiness across all cases: low-frequency shock oscillations and high-frequency unsteady structures along the boundary of supersonic jet on the second cone. For the low-frequency unsteadiness, shock oscillations displayed a broadband nature in the sharp and small-blunt-nose configurations, while a dominant frequency of approximately 2 kHz was observed in the large-blunt-nose case, characterised by shock motion and bubble breathing – an observation not experimentally reported before. Additionally, spectral analysis of wall pressure contours indicated that the low-frequency unsteadiness was primarily characterised by axisymmetric modes for all configurations. Global stability analysis and resolvent analysis further demonstrated noise-amplifier behaviour in all configurations, and the dominant low-frequency unsteadiness in the large-blunt-nose case is attributed to modal resonance induced by environmental noise.

High-energy nanosecond pulses at wavelengths beyond 2.5 μm in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) region are of significant interest for applications such as polymer processing, minimally invasive surgery, laser ranging and infrared countermeasures. While rare-earth-doped fluoride fibers provide a compact and robust platform for mid-IR pulse generation, achieving millijoule (mJ)-level nanosecond pulses beyond 3 μm remains challenging. In this work, we demonstrate high-energy nanosecond pulse generation at 3.17 μm using a master oscillator power amplifier based on a 980 nm diode-pumped Er3+/Dy3+ co-doped fluoride fiber. Seeded by an actively Q-switched oscillator operating at a 1 kHz repetition rate, the system delivers 0.68 mJ of pulse energy with a pulse width of 132 ns and a peak power of 4.8 kW, while maintaining single-transverse-mode operation (M2 = 1.2–1.3). To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first report on mJ-level nanosecond pulse generation beyond 3 μm from a fiber-based system.

Prior research suggests that low-carbohydrate diets may reduce the frequency of headache attacks in individuals with migraine. However, the association between dietary carbohydrate intake and migraine in adults remains unclear. Given migraine’s significant public health burden and the modifiable nature of diet, understanding this relationship is vital for prevention. This study therefore investigated whether carbohydrate intake is associated with severe headache or migraine in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (1999–2004), this study examined the association between dietary carbohydrate intake and severe headache or migraine in adults aged over 20. Multivariable logistic regression was used, adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. The study surveyed 10,413 participants, with 2062 reporting severe headache or migraine. Analysis of carbohydrate energy percentage revealed: compared to Q1 (≤42.7%), odds ratios (ORs) for severe headache or migraine were 1.04 for Q2 (42.7% to ≤50.5%, P = 0.642), 1.13 for Q3 (50.5% to ≤58.0%, P = 0.176), and 1.32 for Q4 (>58.0%, P = 0.008). A non-linear association was found between dietary carbohydrate intake and severe headache or migraine among U.S. adults (P for non-linearity = 0.002). The group with carbohydrate intake ≥51.1% of total energy had an OR of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.09–1.38, P = 0.002) compared to those below this level. The data suggest a significant association, with an important inflection point occurring at approximately 51.1%. This research uncovered a non-linear link between carbohydrate intake from diet and the chance of suffering from severe headache or migraine among American adults.

The study of rotating Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) turbulence is of fundamental significance for geophysical processes and certain engineering applications. This work systematically investigates the effects of rotation on RT turbulence using direct numerical simulation (DNS), focusing primarily on the generation of kinetic energy and enstrophy, as well as the scale-to-scale transfer of kinetic energy. Based on the DNS results, it is demonstrated that there is a notable delay and inhibition of the mixing layer growth with enhancing rotation (quantified as a decreasing Rossby number, $Ro$). That is, energy conversion efficiency drops substantially, from approximately $50\,\%$ in the non-rotating case $Ro = \infty$ to only $10\,\%$ in the strong rotating case $Ro=0.1$. This is because rotation amplifies the viscous dissipation associated with the shear stress components in the vertical direction within the mixing layer. Regarding enstrophy generation, baroclinic effects dominate during the early stage of flow evolution, while vortex stretching and tilting become the primary contributors in the later stage. Notably, the vortex stretching and tilting term is significantly suppressed by the rotation, resulting in three-dimensional RT turbulence exhibiting an enstrophy generation mechanism more akin to two-dimensional flow. Furthermore, analysis of scale-to-scale transfer of kinetic energy reveals an increased likelihood of local inverse energy transfer events under enhanced rotation. Specifically, strong rotation (e.g. $Ro=0.1$) results in strongly helical turbulence, which contains more high-helicity regions favourable for local inverse energy transfer. Moreover, the presence of rotation leads to more coherent and elongated flow structures and an enhanced efficiency of fluid mixing within the mixing layer.

Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis exhibit both baseline and progressive brain structural abnormalities. However, the extent to which these changes reflect neurobiological trajectories of illness progression versus iatrogenic effects of antipsychotic (AP) treatment remains unresolved. A total of 148 AP-naïve CHRs and 65 healthy controls (HCs) underwent baseline structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. One hundred thirty CHRs received second-generation AP treatment and completed 2-month follow-up scans. HCs also completed the follow-up scans. We compared baseline and longitudinal brain volume changes between CHRs and HCs and explored the relationship between AP treatment and brain structural changes in CHR. At baseline, CHRs showed enlarged third and inferior lateral ventricles compared to HCs. Within CHRs, larger ventricular, as well as smaller hippocampus and amygdala volumes, were associated with more severe symptoms and poorer functioning. No cortical volume differences were observed between groups at baseline, nor were cortical volumes related to clinical symptoms. After 2-month AP treatment, CHRs exhibited continued ventricular enlargement, reduced accumbens volume, and widespread cortical volume loss relative to HCs. Notably, cortical volume reductions were dose-dependent, with higher AP dose correlating with more pronounced cortical reductions. Additionally, cortical volume changes were linked to treatment response, with high-dose responders showing more significant HC-referenced changes compared to high-dose non-responders, low-dose responders, and low-dose non-responders. Our findings underscore the complex, region-specific, and clinically relevant neuroanatomical changes in CHR individuals, emphasizing the critical need to account for AP exposure in CHR neuroimaging studies.