In laser systems requiring a flat-top distribution of beam intensity, beam smoothing is a critical technology for enhancing laser energy deposition onto the focal spot. The continuous phase modulator (CPM) is a key component in beam smoothing, as it introduces high-frequency continuous phase modulation across the laser beam profile. However, the presence of the CPM makes it challenging to measure and correct the wavefront aberration of the input laser beam effectively, leading to unwanted beam intensity distribution and bringing difficulty to the design of the CPM. To address this issue, we propose a deep learning enabled robust wavefront sensing (DLWS) method to achieve effective wavefront measurement and active aberration correction, thereby facilitating active beam smoothing using the CPM. The experimental results show that the average wavefront reconstruction error of the DLWS method is 0.04 μm in the root mean square, while the Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor reconstruction error is 0.17 μm.

The seminal Bolgiano–Obukhov (BO) theory established the fundamental framework for turbulent mixing and energy transfer in stably stratified fluids. However, the presence of BO scalings remains debatable despite their being observed in stably stratified atmospheric layers and convective turbulence. In this study, we performed precise temperature measurements with 51 high-resolution loggers above the seafloor for 46 h on the continental shelf of the northern South China Sea. The temperature observation exhibits three layers with increasing distance from the seafloor: the bottom mixed layer (BML), the mixing zone and the internal wave zone. A BO-like scaling $\alpha =-1.34\pm 0.10$ is observed in the temperature spectrum when the BML is in a weakly stable stratified ($N\sim 0.0018$ rad s$^{-1}$) and strongly sheared ($Ri\sim 0.0027$) condition, whereas in the unstably stratified convective turbulence of the BML, the scaling $\alpha =-1.76\pm 0.10$ clearly deviated from the BO theory but approached the classical $-$5/3 scaling in isotropic turbulence. This suggests that the convective turbulence is not the promise of BO scaling. In the mixing zone, where internal waves alternately interact with the BML, the scaling follows the Kolmogorov scaling. In the internal wave zone, the scaling $\alpha =-2.12 \pm 0.15$ is observed in the turbulence range and possible mechanisms are provided.

Data on epidemiology trends of paediatric tuberculosis (TB) are limited in China. So, we investigated the clinical and epidemiological profiles in diagnosed TB disease and TB infection patients at Beijing Children’s Hospital. Of 3 193 patients, 51.05% had pulmonary TB (PTB) and 15.16% had extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). The most frequent forms of EPTB were TB meningitis (39.05%), pleural TB (29.75%), and disseminated TB (10.33%). PTB patients were significantly younger and associated with higher hospitalization frequency. Children aged 1–4 years exhibited higher risk of PTB and TB meningitis, and children aged 5–12 years had higher risk of EPTB. The proportion of PTB patients increased slightly from 40.9% in 2012 to 65% in 2019, and then decreased to 17.8% in 2021. The percentage of EPTB cases decreased from 18.3% in 2012 to 15.2% in 2019, but increased to 16.4% in 2021. Among EPTB cases, the largest increase was seen in TB meningitis. In conclusion, female and young children had higher risk of PTB in children. TB meningitis was the most frequent forms of EPTB among children, and young children were at high risk of TB meningitis. The distribution of different types of EPTB differed by age.

Continuum robot has become a research hotspot due to its excellent dexterity, flexibility and applicability to constrained environments. However, the effective, secure and accurate path planning for the continuum robot remains a challenging issue, for that it is difficult to choose a suitable inverse kinematics solution due to its redundancy in the confined environment. This paper presents a collision-free path planning method based on the improved artificial potential field (APF) for the cable-driven continuum robot, in which the beetle antennae search algorithm is adopted to deal with the optimal problem of APF without the necessary for velocity kinematics. In addition, the local optimum problem of traditional APF is solved by the randomness of the antennae’s direction vector which can make the algorithm easily jump out of local minima. The simulation and experimental results verify the efficiency of the proposed path planning method.

In the present study, acid-modified attapulgite was used, as an adsorbent, to remove as much Cd2+ as possible from aqueous solution. Static adsorption experiments using powdered acid-modified attapulgite, and dynamic adsorption using granular acid-modifed attapulgite, were conducted to explore the practical application of modified attapulgite in the adsorption of Cd2+. The modified attapulgite had a larger specific surface area and thinner fibrous crystals than the unmodified version. No obvious differences were noted, in terms of the crystal structure, between the natural attapulgite and the modified version. The effects of initial concentration, pH, contact time, and ionic strength on the adsorption of Cd2+ were investigated, and the results showed that the adsorption capacity of the modified attapulgite was increased with increasing pH and the initial Cd2+ concentration. The adsorption properties were analyzed by means of dynamic adsorption tests with respect to various Cd2+ concentrations and flow rates. The maximum adsorption capacity of 8.83 mg/g occurred at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and at an initial concentration of 75 mg/L. Because there was better accord between the data and a pseudo-second order model than a pseudo-first-order model, external mass transfer is suggested to be the rate-controlling process. The experimental data were also fitted for the intraparticle diffusion model, implying that the intraparticle diffusion of Cd2+ onto the modified attapulgite was also important for controlling the adsorption process. The Bohart-Adams model was more suitable than the Thomas model for describing the dynamic behavior with respect to the flow rate and the initial Cd2+ concentration. This research provided the theoretical basis for the dynamic adsorption of Cd2+ on the modified attapulgite. Compared to the powdered modified attapulgite, the dynamic adsorption by granular modified attapulgite appeared more favorable in terms of practical application.

Most natural and synthetic rubbers have inherently high flammability, a property which limits their uses. The aim of the present work was to study the effect of organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) and modified OMMT on the flame-retardance and mechanical properties of natural rubber (NR) composites. The OMMT was modified with hyper-branched polymer via condensation polymerization between the intercalation agent, N,N-di(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-dodecyl-N-methylammonium chloride, and the monomer, N,N-dihydroxyl-3-aminomethyl propionate. This modified OMMT was then reacted with phosphate, and a novel flame-retardant hyper-branched organic montmorillonite (FR-HOMMT) was thus obtained. The surface morphology, interlayer space, interlamellar structure, and thermal properties of these modified clays were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The FR-HOMMT showed increased basal spacing and better thermal stabilities due to the different arrangement and thermal stability of the novel organic macromolecular surfactant. Natural rubber NR/OMMT and NR/FR-HOMMT composites were prepared by conventional compounding with OMMT and the phosphorus-based organo-montmorillonite. The cure characteristics, tensile strength, wear resistance, thermal stabilities, and flame-retardant properties were researched and compared. The best dispersion of this modified clay was observed for 20 phr (parts per hundred of rubber) of FR-HOMMT-filled composite, which resulted in the best mechanical performance with an increase of 47% in tensile strength, of 40% in elongation at break, and decrease of 140% in abrasion loss compared with 20 phr of the OMMT-filled matrix. A mechanism for reinforcing and flame retardance is proposed here. The 'anchor' effect caused by the hyper-branched polymer may decrease the number and size of the voids in the NR matrix, and thus increase the crack path during tensile drawing. Meanwhile, the flame retardance of the OMMT and the phosphate may increase the number of carbonaceous layers, thus inhibiting the degree of pyrolysis of the NR matrix during burning.

Porous carbons rich in mesopores and with large pore volumes have been prepared by polymerization and carbonization of a carbon precursor, sucrose, within a matrix of the natural clay, halloysite. The carbon precursor was impregnated into the pores of halloysite and mostly deposited on the external surface of the halloysite rods during impregnation. The inorganic matrix was removed by washing the carbon-mineral composite with HF and HCl. The resultant carbons were characterized by nitrogen adsorption analysis and were found to possess a large specific surface area, a large total pore volume and significant mesoporosity, without an activation process being involved. The pore volume and mesoporosity were up to 1.86 cm3/g and 78%, respectively, even at low carbonization temperatures (500°C). The size of the mesopores of the resultant carbons is mainly between 3 and 30 nm and the dominant pore size is ∼3.7 nm. The carbonization temperature has significant effects on the pore-size distribution and structure of the resultant carbons and carbon-mineral composites, respectively. This process is relatively simple and expected to cost less than the high-temperature carbonization process in the preparation of mesoporous carbons with total pore volume and large specific surface areas.

The demand for flexible grasping of various objects by robotic hands in the industry is rapidly growing. To address this, we propose a novel variable stiffness gripper (VSG). The VSG design is based on a parallel-guided beam structure inserted by a slider from one end, allowing stiffness variation by changing the length of the parallel beams participating in the system. This design enables continuous adjustment between high compliance and high stiffness of the gripper fingers, providing robustness through its mechanical structure. The linear analytical model of the deflection and stiffness of the parallel beam is derived, which is suitable for small and medium deflections. The contribution of each parameter of the parallel beam to the stiffness is analyzed and discussed. Also, a prototype of the VSG is developed, achieving a stiffness ratio of 70.9, which is highly competitive. Moreover, a vision-based force sensing method utilizing ArUco markers is proposed as a replacement for traditional force sensors. By this method, the VSG is capable of closed-loop control during the grasping process, ensuring efficiency and safety under a well-defined grasping strategy framework. Experimental tests are conducted to emphasize the importance and safety of stiffness variation. In addition, it shows the high performance of the VSG in adaptive grasping for asymmetric scenarios and its ability to flexible grasping for objects with various hardness and fragility. These findings provide new insights for future developments in the field of variable stiffness grippers.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) possess fast-moving abilities and have been used in various tasks in the past decades. However, their performances are still restricted by insufficient endurance and confined environments. Intuitively, combining other locomotion modes with UAVs, such as diving and driving, would be an appropriate idea to improve the robot’s adaptability and solve the endurance problem. Recently, the terrestrial/aerial hybrid robots have drawn the researchers’ eyes for their outstanding performances, which can deploy flight mode to traverse insurmountable terrains and ground mode to increase endurance and realize detailed searches. Therefore, this paper developed the autonomous quadrotor tilting hybrid robot (AQT-HR) to achieve terrestrial/aerial dual-modal mobility and verified that the robot delivers high energy efficiency. The AQT-HR can achieve flying and driving through a quadrotor tilting mechanism, which can alter one single driving force into different directions. Furthermore, the dynamic models of the hybrid robot’s aerial and ground locomotion are derived and introduced into the model-feedforward PID control algorithm for improving the robot’s flying stability. Finally, we conducted some mobility tests and experiments about traversing obstacles to demonstrate that the proposed hybrid robot can realize autonomous mode switching and perform a low energy consumption in ground movement mode.

Competition among the two-plasmon decay (TPD) of backscattered light of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), filamentation of the electron-plasma wave (EPW) and forward side SRS is investigated by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Our previous work [K. Q. Pan et al., Nucl. Fusion 58, 096035 (2018)] showed that in a plasma with the density near 1/10 of the critical density, the backscattered light would excite the TPD, which results in suppression of the backward SRS. However, this work further shows that when the laser intensity is so high ($>{10}^{16}$ W/cm2) that the backward SRS cannot be totally suppressed, filamentation of the EPW and forward side SRS will be excited. Then the TPD of the backscattered light only occurs in the early stage and is suppressed in the latter stage. Electron distribution functions further show that trapped-particle-modulation instability should be responsible for filamentation of the EPW. This research can promote the understanding of hot-electron generation and SRS saturation in inertial confinement fusion experiments.

We investigated the drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients with tuberculosis (TB) and HIV, and those diagnosed with only TB in Sichuan, China. TB isolates were obtained from January 2018 to December 2020 and subjected to drug susceptibility testing (DST) to 11 anti-TB drugs and to GeneXpert MTB/RIF testing. The overall proportion of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) isolates was 32.1% (n = 10 946). HIV testing was not universally available for outpatient TB cases, only 29.5% (3227/10 946) cases had HIV testing results. The observed proportion of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) isolates was almost double than that of the national level, with approximately 1.5% and 0.1% of the isolates being extensively drug resistant and universally drug resistant, respectively. The proportions of resistant isolates were generally higher in 2018 and 2019 than in 2020. Furthermore, the sensitivities of GeneXpert during 2018–2020 demonstrated a downward trend (80.9, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 76.8–85.0; 80.2, 95% CI 76.4–84.1 and 75.4, 95% CI 70.7–80.2, respectively). Approximately 69.0% (7557/10 946) of the TB cases with DST results were subjected to GeneXpert detection. Overall, the DR-TB status and the use of GeneXpert in Sichuan have improved, but DR-TB challenges remain. HIV testing for all TB cases is recommended.

Crematogaster rogenhoferi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an omnivorous ant, is one of the dominant predatory natural enemies of a soft scale pest, Parasaissetia nigra Nietner (Homoptera: Coccidae), and can effectively control P. nigra populations in rubber forests. Olfaction plays a vital role in the process of predation. However, the information about the molecular mechanism of olfaction-evoked behaviour in C. rogenhoferi is limited. In this study, we conducted antennal transcriptome analysis to identify candidate olfactory genes. We obtained 53,892 unigenes, 16,185 of which were annotated. Based on annotations, we identified 49 unigenes related to chemoreception, including four odourant-binding proteins, three chemosensory proteins, 37 odourant receptors, two odourant ionotropic receptors and three sensory neuron membrane proteins. This is the first report on the molecular basis of the chemosensory system of C. rogenhoferi. The findings provide a basis for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of the olfactory-related behaviours of C. rogenhoferi, which would facilitate a better application of C. rogenhoferi as a biological control agent.

A novel 3-R(RRR)R+R (R as revolute joint) hybrid antenna mechanism (HAM) is proposed for noncircular polarized antenna. First, its mobility characteristic is analyzed. Besides, its kinematics is deduced, and the velocity and acceleration are obtained. Afterward, its dynamic model is established. The actuation torques of each actuation joint are obtained. Its actuation torques are verified by mathematical model analysis and dynamic simulation. Furthermore, its workspace is also presented. Finally, the motion characteristics experimental results show that the 3-R(RRR)R+R HAM can carry out the azimuth and pitch motion. This research work serves as a fundamental theoretical basis for its further application.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a common adverse drug reaction leading to the interruption of tuberculosis (TB) therapy. We aimed to identify whether the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection would increase the risk of DILI during first-line TB treatment. A meta-analysis of cohort studies searched in PubMed, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure was conducted. Effect sizes were reported as risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and calculated by R software. Sixteen studies with 3960 TB patients were eligible for analysis. The risk of DILI appeared to be higher in TB patients co-infected with HBV (RR 2.66; 95% CI 2.13–3.32) than those without HBV infection. Moreover, patients with positive hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) were more likely to develop DILI (RR 3.42; 95% CI 1.95–5.98) compared to those with negative HBeAg (RR 2.30; 95% CI 1.66–3.18). Co-infection with HBV was not associated with a higher rate of anti-TB DILI in latent TB patients (RR 4.48; 95% CI 0.80–24.99). The effect of HBV infection on aggravating anti-TB DILI was independent of study participants, whether they were newly diagnosed with TB or not. Besides, TB and HBV co-infection patients had a longer duration of recovery from DILI compared to non-co-infected patients (SMD 2.26; 95% CI 1.87–2.66). To conclude, the results demonstrate that HBV infection would increase the risk of DILI during TB therapy, especially in patients with positive HBeAg, and close liver function monitoring is needed for TB and HBV co-infection patients.

Cotton fibre yield and quality are markedly influenced by drought and high-temperature stress. We examined the traits of the leaf stomata in 39 cotton genotypes subjected to exogenous phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) signalling, electrolyte leakage under 40°C thermal stress, and relative GhHsfA, GhbZIP and GhHSP70 expression levels under two treatments. Stomatal density and area ranged from 66 to 182/mm2 and 663 to 1305 μm2, respectively. Under exogenous ABA signalling, the changes in stomatal aperture (ΔSAp) were in the range of 2.5–31.2%; ΔSAp and relative GhHsfA, GhbZIP and GhHSP70 expression levels were significantly correlated, respectively. Electrolyte leakage increased unequally among cotton genotypes after heat stress. The changes in electrolyte leakage (ΔEL) and relative GhHsfA, GhbZIP and GhHSP70 expression levels were very strongly correlated, respectively. Their relative expression levels could be used as references for the rapid identification of stress-tolerant cotton strains. Cluster analysis of the 39 cotton genotypes indicated that Xinluzao36, Shiyang1, shinong98-7 and Zhongmiansuo293 are heat- and drought-resistant. We integrated both analysis of physiological parameters and molecular methods to identify cotton varieties with the drought and heat tolerance, in order to provide a reference for the selection of materials and methods for the research and production of cotton.