Lean hydrogen/air premixed flame flashback in a turbulent boundary layer over a flat plate is investigated using three-dimensional direct numerical simulation with detailed chemical kinetics. The upstream propagation of the flame takes place in near-wall turbulence and the interaction between the flame and the approaching reactant flow is studied. It is found that backflow regions are always present immediately upstream of flame bulges that are convex towards the reactants, confirming earlier observations. A flashback speed, including the effects of flame displacement speed and flow velocity, is introduced to quantify the flame flashback behaviour. This analysis indicates that the flashback speed is overall positive and it is considerably affected by the presence of the backflow regions. A budget analysis of the pressure transport equation is performed to explain the presence of the backflow regions. It is suggested that the positive dilatation and thermal diffusion terms near the leading edge of flame bulges are the main reasons for the pressure increase, leading to an adverse pressure gradient. The effects of the flame-induced adverse pressure gradient on the structures of the turbulent boundary layer are also investigated. It is revealed that the near-wall mean velocity and skin-friction coefficient are reduced due to the adverse pressure gradient. The coherent vortical structures of the boundary layer turbulence are lifted by the adverse pressure gradient. The analysis of the Reynolds stress component showed that the ejection event is augmented by combustion while the sweep event is attenuated, which facilitates the occurrence of flame flashback.

Environment-induced epigenetics are involved in diapause regulation, but the molecular mechanism that epigenetically couples nutrient metabolism to diapause regulation remains unclear. In this study, we paid special attention to the significant differences in the level of N6-adenosine methylation (m6A) of dihydroxyacetone phosphate acyltransferase (DHAPAT) and phosphatidate phosphatase (PAP) genes in the lipid metabolism pathway of the bivoltine silkworm (Bombyx mori) strain Qiufeng developed from eggs incubated at a normal temperature (QFHT, diapause egg producer) compared to those from eggs incubated at a low temperature (QFLT, non-diapause egg producer). We knocked down DHAPAT in the pupal stage of the QFLT group, resulting in the non-diapause destined eggs becoming diapausing eggs. In the PAP knockdown group, the colour of the non-diapause destined eggs changed from light yellow to pink 3 days after oviposition, but they hatched as normal. Moreover, we validated that YTHDF3 binds to m6A-modified DHAPAT and PAP mRNAs to promote their stability and translation. These results suggest that RNA m6A methylation participates in the diapause regulation of silkworm by changing the expression levels of DHAPAT and PAP and reveal that m6A epigenetic modification can be combined with a lipid metabolism signal pathway to participate in the regulation of insect diapause traits, which provides a clearer image for exploring the physiological basis of insect diapause.

A 198.8 m deep borehole was drilled through ice to subglacial bedrock in the northwestern marginal part of Princess Elizabeth Land, ~12 km south of Zhongshan Station, in January–February 2019. Three years later, in February 2022, the borehole temperature profile was measured, and the geothermal heat flow (GHF) was estimated using a 1-D time-dependent energy-balance equation. For a depth corresponding to the base of the ice sheet, the GHF was calculated as 72.6 ± 2.3 mW m−2 and temperature −4.53 ± 0.27°C. The regional averages estimated for this area based, generally, on tectonic setting vary from 55 to 66 mW m−2. A higher GHF is interpreted to originate mostly from the occurrence of metamorphic complexes intruded by heat-producing elements in the subglacial bedrock below the drill site.

Arazyme, an alkaline metalloprotease, is produced by Serratia proteamaculans, a symbiotic bacterium isolated from the intestinal ecosystem of Nephila clavata. Arazyme is known to play a crucial role in facilitating the digestion process in N. clavata. Recently, there has been increasing interest in exploring invertebrate-associated gut symbionts as a valuable source of novel and biologically active enzymes. Animal husbandry has shown significant interest in this spider-derived bioactive enzyme. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the current understanding and knowledge of arazyme in the context of animal husbandry, offering valuable references for potential applications of this enzyme.

Iron (Fe) is an essential element for all organisms. Fe deficiency can limit plant production and cause anaemia in humans. The improvement of Fe homoeostasis could resolve both problems. Fe homoeostasis in Aegilops tauschii, the D genome donor of bread wheat, is not fully understood. Here, we analysed physiological traits in 42 accessions of Ae. tauschii associated with Fe homoeostasis, i.e. mugineic acid family phytosiderophores (MAs), phenylamides, SPAD values and metal concentrations. All traits showed diversity, suggesting the presence of candidate genes in the Ae. tauschii accessions, which could improve Fe homoeostasis in bread wheat. All accessions mainly produced and secreted mainly 2′-deoxymugineic acid among MAs, but eight of them secreted unknown products from their roots under Fe deficiency. It was revealed that 15 kinds of phenylamides and 2 kinds of bread wheat phytoalexins were produced in Fe-deficient roots of Ae. tauschii. Multivariate and principal component analyses showed that chlorophyll content was correlated with shoot Fe concentration. Genome-wide association study analysis associated several genomic markers with the variations in each trait analysed. Our results suggest that Ae. tauschii has alleles that could improve Fe homoeostasis to generate Fe-deficiency-tolerant or Fe-biofortified bread wheat.

This paper explores the value of the visual features of assistive products for a positive psychological impact on users. The research focuses on upper limb prosthetic devices and their aesthetic impact on the user. Within the presented study, these products are identified not only as assistive products but also as fashion accessories. A case study is presented that applies an understanding of human behaviour, motivation, and perception of semantic cues within the cultural context of a given society to deliver a more socially acceptable child's upper limb prosthetic.

This study analyzes the linewidth narrowing characteristics of free-space-running Brillouin lasers and investigates the approaches to achieve linewidth compression and power enhancement simultaneously. The results show that the Stokes linewidth behavior in a free-space-running Brillouin laser cavity is determined by the phase diffusion of the pump and the technical noise of the system. Experimentally, a Stokes light output with a power of 22.5 W and a linewidth of 3.2 kHz was obtained at a coupling mirror reflectivity of 96%, which is nearly 2.5 times compressed compared with the linewidth of the pump (7.36 kHz). In addition, the theorical analysis shows that at a pump power of 60 W and a coupling mirror reflectivity of 96%, a Stokes output with a linewidth of 1.6 kHz and up to 80% optical conversion efficiency can be achieved by reducing the insertion loss of the intracavity. This study provides a promising technical route to achieve high-power ultra-narrow linewidth special wavelength laser radiations.

The new mineral tennantite-(Ni), Cu6(Cu4Ni2)As4S13, has been discovered from the Luobusa Chromitite, Tibet, southwestern China. Tennantite-(Ni) occurs as anhedral grains ranging from 2 to 20 μm in size. In reflected light microscopy, tennantite-(Ni) is isotropic and appears yellow-greenish grey. Reflectance data for Commission on Ore Mineralogy wavelengths in air for tennantite-(Ni) are: 31.0 (470 nm), 29.6 (546 nm), 29.6 (589 nm) and 29.3 (650 nm). Electron microprobe analysis for holotype material gave the empirical formula (on basis of total cations = 16 apfu): M(2)Cu6 M(1)[Cu4.00(Ni0.97Cu0.53Fe0.50)Σ2.00]Σ6.00X(3)(As2.94Sb1.06)Σ4S12.77. Tennantite-(Ni) is cubic, with space group I$\bar{ 4}$3m (#217), a =10.2957(9) Å, V = 1091.4(3) Å3 and Z = 2. By using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, the crystal structure has been determined and refined to a final R1 = 0.0423 on the basis of 163 independent reflections [Fo > 4σ (Fo)]. The calculated seven strongest powder X-ray diffraction lines [d in Å (I) (hkl)] are: 2.972 (100) (222), 1.820 (83) (440), 2.574 (28) (400), 1.552 (18) (622), 3.640 (10) (220), 1.880 (10) (521) and 1.287 (7) (800). Tennantite-(Ni) is isostructural with other tetrahedrite-group minerals, and nickel is hosted at the tetrahedrally coordinated M(1) site, along with Cu and minor Fe. The mineral and its name have been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA2021-018).

Due to the curvature of the droplet surface, the propagation of transmitted waves is complex inside a droplet impacted by an incident shock wave. The wave converging phenomena inside a two-dimensional water column impacted by different curved shock waves are explored in this paper by means of theoretical ray analysis and high-resolution numerical simulations. An analytical method describing the wave structure evolution characteristics inside the shocked water column is established. Hence, the morphological pattern and focus locations of these waves are theoretically obtained. The analysis shows that both the first and the second reflected waves focus inside the water column regardless of the convergent, planar or divergent nature of the incident shock wave shape. The dimensionless distances from focusing points to the column centre are derived as ${\kappa }/{( 3\kappa -{{M}_{0}}{{f}_{s}} )}$ for the former and ${\kappa }/{( 5\kappa -{{M}_{0}}{{f}_{s}})}$ for the latter, respectively. Here, $\kappa$, $M_0$ and $f_s$ represent the sound-speed ratio of the two phases, the incident shock wave strength and a function characterising the shock wave shape effect, respectively. Moreover, highly negative pressures due to the first reflected wave focusing and significant pressure oscillations due to the second reflected wave focusing are numerically tracked for three shapes of the incident shock. The effects of the incident shock wave intensity on the pressure variations at focus points are further studied. As the incident shock wave intensity increases, stronger negative pressure and higher pressure oscillation are induced. The converged incident shock wave can enhance the above phenomena, but the diverged one can weaken them.

In this work, we present a high-power, high-repetition-rate, all-fiber femtosecond laser system operating at 1.5 $\unicode{x3bc}$m. This all-fiber laser system can deliver femtosecond pulses at a fundamental repetition rate of 10.6 GHz with an average output power of 106.4 W – the highest average power reported so far from an all-fiber femtosecond laser at 1.5 $\unicode{x3bc}$m, to the best of our knowledge. By utilizing the soliton-effect-based pulse compression effect with optimized pre-chirping dispersion, the amplified pulses are compressed to 239 fs in an all-fiber configuration. Empowered by such a high-power ultrafast fiber laser system, we further explore the nonlinear interaction among transverse modes LP01, LP11 and LP21 that are expected to potentially exist in fiber laser systems using large-mode-area fibers. The intermodal modulational instability is theoretically investigated and subsequently identified in our experiments. Such a high-power all-fiber ultrafast laser without bulky free-space optics is anticipated to be a promising laser source for applications that specifically require compact and robust operation.

Shortawn foxtail (Alopecurus aequalis Sobol.) is an obligate wetland plant that is widely distributed throughout Europe, temperate Asia, and North America. In China, it is widespread in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River as a noxious weed in winter cropping fields with a rice (Oryza sativa L.) rotation. The acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibiting herbicide mesosulfuron-methyl has been widely used to control annual grass and broadleaf weeds, including A. aequalis, in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) fields, leading to the selection of herbicide-resistant weeds. In this study, an A. aequalis population, AHFT-4, that survived mesosulfuron-methyl at the field-recommended rate (9 g ai ha−1) was collected in Anhui Province. Single-dose testing confirmed that the suspected resistant AHFT-4 had evolved resistance to mesosulfuron-methyl. Target gene sequencing revealed a resistance mutation of Pro-197-Ala in ALS1 of the resistant plants, and a derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence marker was developed to specifically detect the mutation. A relative expression assay showed no significant difference in ALS expression between AHFT-4 and a susceptible population without or with mesosulfuron-methyl treatment. Whole-plant dose–response bioassays indicated that AHFT-4 had evolved broad-spectrum cross-resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides of all five chemical families tested, with GR50 resistance index (RI) values ranging from 21 to 206. However, it remained susceptible to the photosystem II inhibitor isoproturon. Pretreatment with the cytochrome P450 inhibitor malathion or the glutathione S-transferase inhibitor 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzoxadiazole had no significant effects on the resistance of AHFT-4 to mesosulfuron-methyl. To our knowledge, this study reports for the first time the ALS gene Pro-197-Ala substitution conferring broad-spectrum cross-resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides in A. aequalis.

Calcioancylite-(La), ideally (La,Ca)2(CO3)2(OH,H2O)2, has been discovered from nepheline syenite of the Gejiu alkaline complex in the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. The mineral occurs as aggregates of subhedral grains, and the size of single crystals varies between 5–20 μm. Calcioancylite-(La) is colourless to pale pinkish grey and has transparent to translucent lustre. It is brittle with a Mohs hardness of 4. The calculated density is 4.324 g/cm3. The mineral is biaxial (−), with α =1.662, β = 1.730, γ = 1.771, 2Vmeas. = 70°(1) and 2Vcalc. = 73°. Electron microprobe analysis for holotype material yielded an empirical formula of (La0.58Ce0.55Pr0.14Nd0.10Ca0.39Sr0.20K0.04)Σ2.00(CO3)2[(OH)1.25F0.06⋅0.69H2O]Σ2.00. Calcioancylite-(La) is orthorhombic, with space group Pmcn, a = 5.0253(3) Å, b = 8.5152(6) Å, c = 7.2717(6) Å, V = 311.17(4) Å3 and Z = 2. By using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, the crystal structure has been determined and refined to a final R1 = 0.0652 on the basis of 347 independent reflections (I > 2σ). The seven strongest powder X-ray diffraction lines [d in Å (I) (hkl)] are: 2.334 (100) (013), 2.970 (80) (121), 4.334 (75) (110), 3.678 (68) (111), 2.517 (55) (200), 2.647 (47) (031) and 2.077 (44) (221). Calcioancylite-(La) is the La-analogue of calcioancylite-(Ce) and is a new member of ancylite-group minerals. The mineral and its name have been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA2021-090).

The frog-inspired robots with amphibious locomotion ability have greatest application prospects and practical value in the fields of resource exploration and environmental reconnaissance. Although frog-inspired robots have been of interest over many years, research on frog-inspired amphibious robots is still in its infancy. Since the locomotion mechanism is the basis for the research of frog-inspired amphibious robots, the research methods of the single motion mechanism of frogs are firstly inductive analyzed, and a reference scheme is proposed to inspire the research on the amphibious motion mechanism. Then, we collect and introduce a systematic discussion of the research status of frog-inspired robots according to the locomotion mode. The characteristics of the robots are analyzed from the aspects of design concept, structural characteristics, driving method, and motion performance. Finally, the technical challenges faced by the research on the frog-inspired robots are analyzed, and the development trend is predicted. The authors hope that this study can provide an informative reference for future research in the direction of frog-inspired amphibious robot.

In the present work, direct numerical simulation of a laboratory-scale lean premixed reacting jet in cross-flow was performed to explore the flow–flame structures and turbulence–flame interactions. A jet of lean premixed ethylene–air mixtures (equivalence ratio $\phi = 0.6$) was injected into a hot vitiated cross-flow. Both non-reacting and reacting cases were simulated. It was found that the reacting jet penetrates deeper in the cross-flow with a weaker shear layer compared with the non-reacting one. The wake of the non-reacting and reacting jet is characterized by vertical vortices and recirculation zones, respectively. As for the flame structure of the reacting case, the reaction intensity varies considerably in different flame zones. The heat release rate on the leeward side is higher than that on the windward side, but lower than that of the corresponding laminar flame. The analysis of the turbulence–flame interactions of the reacting case showed that the large local Damköhler number ($Da$) related to reaction-induced dilatations results in an increased tendency of the scalar gradient to align with the most extensive strain rate, which is more evident in the regions with high heat release rate on the leeward side. Negative dilatation regions with positive tangential strain rate and negative normal strain rate are observed on the windward side. High positive dilatations appear on the flame front of the leeward side. The tangential strain rate is negatively correlated with the normal strain rate and curvature. Regions with a high local $Da$ on the windward side correspond with high positive curvature regions.

Patients with cirrhosis experience worse health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and attempts are warranted further exploration of modifiable factors to improve HRQoL. Data on the impact of malnutrition risk on HRQoL among cirrhosis are limited; thus, we aimed to strengthen understanding by clarifying the relationship between nutritional status and low HRQoL in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Consecutive inpatients with cirrhosis attending our department within a tertiary hospital were studied. Generic health profiles and malnutrition risk were evaluated by the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and Royal Free Hospital-Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT) score, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine association of malnutrition risk with low HRQoL. In this cohort of 364 patients with median age of 64 years and 49·5 % male, 55·5 % of the study population reported impairment pertinent to HRQoL in at least one dimension in terms of the EQ-5D. Moreover, malnutrition risk (RFH-NPT score: β coefficient = −0·114, P = 0·038) was proved to be independently associated with poor HRQoL in multiple analysis, after adjustment for significant variables like age, BMI and markers of decompensation. Notably, we found that health dimensions representing physical function (i.e. mobility, self-care and usual activities) are substantially affected, while malnourished patients reported less frequencies of complaints in other domain such as anxiety/depression. In conclusion, the risk of malnutrition assessed by the RFH-NPT score is independently associated with low HRQoL. It is operational to improve HRQoL by identifying patients at high malnutrition risk and providing timely nutrition treatment.

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is one of the rate-determining enzymes in the hydrolysis of TAG, playing a crucial role in lipid metabolism. However, the role of HSL-mediated lipolysis in systemic nutrient homoeostasis has not been intensively understood. Therefore, we used CRISPR/Cas9 technique and Hsl inhibitor (HSL-IN-1) to establish hsla-deficient (hsla-/-) and Hsl-inhibited zebrafish models, respectively. As a result, the hsla-/- zebrafish showed retarded growth and reduced oxygen consumption rate, accompanied with higher mRNA expression of the genes related to inflammation and apoptosis in liver and muscle. Furthermore, hsla-/- and HSL-IN-1-treated zebrafish both exhibited severe fat deposition, whereas their expressions of the genes related to lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation were markedly reduced. The TLC results also showed that the dysfunction of Hsl changed the whole-body lipid profile, including increasing the content of TG and decreasing the proportion of phospholipids. In addition, the systemic metabolic pattern was remodelled in hsla-/- and HSL-IN-1-treated zebrafish. The dysfunction of Hsl lowered the glycogen content in liver and muscle and enhanced the utilisation of glucose plus the expressions of glucose transporter and glycolysis genes. Besides, the whole-body protein content had significantly decreased in the hsla-/- and HSL-IN-1-treated zebrafish, accompanied with the lower activation of the mTOR pathway and enhanced protein and amino acid catabolism. Taken together, Hsl plays an essential role in energy homoeostasis, and its dysfunction would cause the disturbance of lipid catabolism but enhanced breakdown of glycogen and protein for energy compensation.

In recent years, autonomous control based on contact inspections in unknown environments is a new hot and difficult point in robotics research. This paper presents a new control law for unmanned aerial manipulator (UAM) to perform contact inspection tasks on vertical surfaces. The selected circular image feature decouples the position and attitude of UAM, so an image-based impedance control is proposed to control the position and track the contact force. The developed controller uses geometric methods to control the attitude. In addition, the designed aerial manipulator decouples the roll and pitch of the UAV from the UAV, which improves the system’s stability. Experiments have been carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of this method.