Natural infection by Trichinella sp. has been reported in humans and more than 150 species of animals, especially carnivorous and omnivorous mammals. Although the presence of Trichinella sp. infection in wild boars (Sus scrofa) has been documented worldwide, limited information is known about Trichinella circulation in farmed wild boars in China. This study intends to investigate the prevalence of Trichinella sp. in farmed wild boars in China. Seven hundred and sixty-one (761) muscle samples from farmed wild boars were collected in Jilin Province of China from 2017 to 2020. The diaphragm muscles were examined by artificial digestion method. The overall prevalence of Trichinella in farmed wild boars was 0.53% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51–0.55]. The average parasite loading was 0.076 ± 0.025 larvae per gram (lpg), and the highest burden was 0.21 lpg in a wild boar from Fusong city. Trichinella spiralis was the only species identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. The 5S rDNA inter-genic spacer region of Trichinella was amplified and sequenced. The results showed that the obtained sequence (GenBank accession number: OQ725583) shared 100% identity with the T. spiralis HLJ isolate (GenBank accession number: MH289505). Since the consumption of farmed wild boars is expected to increase in the future, these findings highlight the significance of developing exclusive guidelines for the processing of slaughtered farmed wild boar meat in China.

We consider linear-fractional branching processes (one-type and two-type) with immigration in varying environments. For $n\ge0$, let $Z_n$ count the number of individuals of the nth generation, which excludes the immigrant who enters the system at time n. We call n a regeneration time if $Z_n=0$. For both the one-type and two-type cases, we give criteria for the finiteness or infiniteness of the number of regeneration times. We then construct some concrete examples to exhibit the strange phenomena caused by the so-called varying environments. For example, it may happen that the process is extinct, but there are only finitely many regeneration times. We also study the asymptotics of the number of regeneration times of the model in the example.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of low-carbohydrate diet, balanced dietary guidance and pharmacotherapy on weight loss among individuals with overweight or obesity over a period of 3 months. The study involves 339 individuals with overweight or obesity and received weight loss treatment at the Department of Clinical Nutrition at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, School of Medicine, between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2023. The primary outcome is the percentage weight loss. Among the studied patients, the majority chose low-carbohydrate diet as their primary treatment (168 (49·56 %)), followed by balanced dietary guidance (139 (41·00 %)) and pharmacotherapy (32 (9·44 %)). The total percentage weight loss for patients who were followed up for 1 month, 2 months and 3 months was 4·98 (3·04, 6·29) %, 7·93 (5·42, 7·93) % and 10·71 (7·74, 13·83) %, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified low-carbohydrate diet as an independent factor associated with percentage weight loss of ≥ 3 % and ≥ 5 % at 1 month (OR = 0·461, P < 0·05; OR = 0·349, P < 0·001). The results showed that a low-carbohydrate diet was an effective weight loss strategy in the short term. However, its long-term effects were comparable to those observed with balanced dietary guidance and pharmacotherapy.

This work deals with the linear surface waves generated by a vessel advancing at a constant forward speed. These waves, known as ship waves, appear stationary to an observer on the vessel. Rather than exploring the well-studied stationary ship waves, this work delves into the physical properties of ship waves measured at Earth-fixed locations. While it might have been expected that analysing these waves in an Earth-fixed coordinate system would be a straightforward transformation from existing analytical theories in a moving coordinate system, the reality proves to be quite different. The properties of waves measured at fixed locations due to a passing ship turn out to be complex and non-trivial. They exhibit unique characteristics, being notably unsteady and short crested, despite appearing stationary to an observer on the generating vessel. The analytical expressions for the physical properties of these unsteady waves are made available in this work, including the amplitude, frequency, wavenumber, direction of propagation, phase velocity and group velocity. Based on these newly derived expressions and two-point measurements, an inverse method has been presented for determining the advancing speed and the course of motion of the moving ship responsible for the wave generation. The results from this study can be used in a wide range of applications, such as interpreting data from point measurements and assessing the roles of ship waves in transporting ocean particles.

The innovation value of open government data (OGD) drives firms to the participation in OGD-driven innovation. However, to fully excavate the innovation value of OGD for firms, it is essential to explore the factors and mechanisms that affect OGD-driven innovation capacity. On the basis of the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework, a theoretical model affecting OGD-driven innovation capacity is proposed for analysis by partial least squares structural equation modeling with 236 sample data from China. The results indicate that top leaders’ support positively impacts on OGD-driven innovation capacity in firms. And we also prove that technical competence, organizational arrangement, and innovation support partially mediate the relationship between top leaders’ support and OGD-driven innovation capacity on the basis of the TOE framework. Consequently, the findings provide new research perspectives and practical guidance for promoting OGD-driven innovation capacity in firms.

A new species of Moniliformis, M. tupaia n. sp. is described using integrated morphological methods (light and scanning electron microscopy) and molecular techniques (sequencing and analysing the nuclear 18S, ITS, 28S regions and mitochondrial cox1 and cox2 genes), based on specimens collected from the intestine of the northern tree shrew Tupaia belangeri chinensis Anderson (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) in China. Phylogenetic analyses show that M. tupaia n. sp. is a sister to M. moniliformis in the genus Moniliformis, and also challenge the systematic status of Nephridiacanthus major. Moniliformis tupaia n. sp. represents the third Moniliformis species reported from China.

Spermatogenesis is a developmental process driven by interactions between germ cells and Sertoli cells. This process depends on appropriate gene expression, which might be regulated by transcription factors. This study focused on Rreb1, a zinc finger transcription factor, and explored its function and molecular mechanisms in spermatogenesis in a mouse model. Our results showed that RREB1 was predominantly expressed in the Sertoli cells of the testis. The decreased expression of RREB1 following injection of siRNA caused impaired Sertoli cell development, which was characterized using a defective blood–testis barrier structure and decreased expression of Sertoli cell functional maturity markers; its essential trigger might be SMAD3 destabilization. The decreased expression of RREB1 in mature Sertoli cells influenced the cell structure and function, which resulted in abnormal spermatogenesis, manifested as oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, and we believe RREB1 plays this role by regulating the transcription of Fshr and Wt1. RREB1 has been reported to activate Fshr transcription, and we demonstrated that the knockdown of Rreb1 caused a reduction in follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) in the testis, which could be the cause of the increased sperm malformation. Furthermore, we confirmed that RREB1 directly activates Wt1 promoter activity, and RREB1 downregulation induced the decreased expression of Wt1 and its downstream polarity-associated genes Par6b and E-cadherin, which caused increased germ-cell death and reduced sperm number and motility. In conclusion, RREB1 is a key transcription factor essential for Sertoli cell development and function and is required for normal spermatogenesis.

We design a scheme for laser-inertial odometry and mapping with bundle adjustment (BA-LIOM), which can greatly mitigate the problem of undesired ground warping due to sparsity of laser scans and significantly reduce odometry drift. Specifically, an Inertial measurement unit (IMU)-assisted adaptive voxel map initialization algorithm is proposed and elaborately integrated with the existing framework LIO-SAM, allowing for accurate registration in the beginning of the localization and mapping process. In addition, to accommodate to fast-moving and structure-less scenarios, we design a tightly coupled odometry, which jointly optimizes both the IMU preintegration constraints and scan matching with adaptive voxel maps. The voxels (edge and plane, respectively) are updated with BA optimization. And then the accurate mapping result is obtained by performing local BA. The proposed BA-LIOM is thoroughly assessed using datasets collected from multiple platforms over a variety of environments. Experimental results show the superiority of BA-LIOM over the state-of-the-art methods in robustness and precision, especially for large-scale scenarios. BA-LIOM improves the accuracy of localization by $61\%$ and $73\%$ on the buildings and lawn datasets, respectively, and has a $29\%$ accuracy improvement over LIO-SAM on the KITTI datasets. A supplementary video can be accessed at https://youtu.be/5l4ZFhTc2sw.

The production and industrial use of asbestos cement and other asbestos-containing materials have been restricted in most countries because of the potential detrimental effects on human health and the environment. Chrysotile is the most common form of asbestos and investigations into how to recycle this serpentine phyllosilicate mineral have attracted extensive attention. Chrysotile asbestos tailings can be transformed thermally, at high temperature, by in situ carbothermal reduction (CR). The CR method aims to maximize use of the chrysotile available and uses high temperatures and carbon to change the mineral form and structure of the chrysotile asbestos tailings. When chrysotile asbestos is employed as the raw material and coke (carbon) powder is used as the reducing agent for CR transformation, stable, high-temperature composites consisting of forsterite, stishovite, and silicon carbide are formed. Forsterite (Mg2SiO4) was the most abundant crystalline phase formed in samples heat treated below 1500ºC. At 1600ºC, forsterite was exhausted through decomposition and β-SiC formed by reduction of stishovite. A larger proportion of β-SiC was generated as the carbon content was increased. This research revealed that both temperature and carbon addition play key roles in the transformation of chrysotile asbestos tailings.

Landfill leachate is one of the most difficult effluents with which to deal from an environmental perspective because of its concentration and complex composition, including refractory and toxic components such as heavy metals or xenobiotic organic compounds. The objective of the present study was to use organically modified bentonite (OMB) to dispose of landfill leachate >10 y old. The OMB was synthesized using a new method, which removed four steps (filtering, washing, drying, and grinding) from the traditional process. After treatment using OMB, the chemical oxygen demand concentration (COD concentration, an index of the organic pollutants in the landfill leachate, was determined using the potassium dichromate method) of the landfill leachate sample decreased from 2400 to 245 mg/L in 5 h, i.e. the organic pollutants reduction efficiency was as high as 90%. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results indicated that most of the organic compounds were removed during the process. The modified and unmodified bentonite contained in the OMB deal with the hydrophobic and hydrophilic organic pollutants, respectively, resulting in significant degradation of the leachate. The study results have provided a new cost-effective method for treatment of landfill leachate.

Sorption and transformation of 1-naphthol by a K-smectite (K-SWy-2) were studied using batch sorption isotherms, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sorbents included three preparations of the reference smectite clay (SWy-2): (1) whole clay containing naturally occurring carbonate impurities, (2) SWy-2 with the removal of carbonate impurities, and (3) the carbonate-free SWy-2 fraction amended with calcite. For the whole clay and carbonate-free clay amended with calcite, >80% of added 1-naphthol disappeared from aqueous solution within 24 h, corresponding to a sorbed concentration of ≥2 mg/g of clay. In contrast, only 35% of the added 1-naphthol disappeared from solution in the carbonate-free clay after 24 h of exposure. For the clays from the three preparations in this study, <1% of sorbed 1-naphthol could be recovered by methanol extraction from the clays. The XRD data suggested that 1-naphthol was intercalated in the smectite, but was not conclusive because the 1-naphthol sorption range (1.5–2.8 mg/g of clay) in this study had relatively minor effects on the XRD patterns. The FTIR spectra of sorbed 1-naphthol-clay complexes demonstrated structural Fe3+ reduction. The spectra also showed evidence of the transformation of 1-naphthol. It suggests that reduction of structural Fe3+ may be coupled to oxidation/polymerization of 1-naphthol. Further transformation of oxidized 1-naphthol, such as by oxidative coupling reactions, is implicated by formation of a dark gray color on the clay and the inability to extract sorbed 1-naphthol.

Functional montmorillonite can be dispersed in polymer coatings and organic species and polymers can be intercalated into the interlayer space or grafted onto the surface of the functional montmorillonite. The addition of functional montmorillonite into polymer-based coatings can significantly improve anti-corrosion, refractory, super-hydrophobicity, antibacterial activity, and absorption of solar radiation by the resulting montmorillonite/polymer coatings. Montmorillonite can be functionalized for this purpose by ion exchange, intercalation, exfoliation, or combinations of these treatments. The rigid montmorillonite layers interspersed within the polymer matrix inhibit the penetration of corrosive substances, minimize the impact of high-temperature airflow, and thereby lead to strong resistance of the coating to corrosion and fire. The combination of polymers and dispersed montmorillonite nanolayers, which are modified by metal ions, metal oxides, and hydrophobic organic species, allows the resulting  composite coating to have quite a rough surface and a much smaller surface free energy so that the montmorillonite/polymer coating possesses superhydrophobicity. The interlayer space of functional montmorillonite can also host or encapsulate antibacterial substances, phase-change materials, and solar energy-absorbing materials. Moreover, it can act as a template to make these guest species exist in a more stable and ordered state. Literature surveys suggest that future work on the functional montmorillonite/polymer coatings should be targeted at the manufacture of functional montmorillonite nanolayers by finding more suitable modifiers and tuning the dispersion and funtionalities of montmorillonite in the coatings.

Organo-montmorillonite (OMnt) has wide applications in paints, clay-polymer nanocomposites, biomaterials, etc. In most cases, the dispersibility and swellability of OMnt dictate the performance of OMnt in the target products. Previous studies have revealed that the properties can be improved when multiple organic species are co-introduced into the interlayer space of montmorillonite (Mnt). In the present study, single surfactant erucylamide (EA), dual-surfactants cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and octadecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (OTAC), and ternary-surfactants EA, CTAB, and OTAC were co-introduced into Mnt by solution intercalation. The resulting OMnts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetry-differential thermogravimetry (TG-DTG), water contact-angle tests, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), laser particle-size analysis, and swelling indices. Mnt co-modified by ternary CTAB, OTAC, and EA led to a large d001 value (4.20 nm), surface hydrophobicity with a contact angle of 95.6°, swellability (50 mL/g) with small average particle sizes (2.1−2.8 μm) in xylene, and >99% of the OMnt particles were kept as <5 μm in deionized water. The formation of EA-modified-Mnt was proposed according to hydrophobic affinity, hydrogen bonding, and van der Waals forces. The nanoplatelets of the CTA+, OTA+, and EA co-modified OMnts in xylene were assembled into a house-of-cards structure by face-to-edge and edge-to-edge associations. The electrostatic attractions, electrostatic and steric repulsions, and hydrophobic interactions were responsible for the good dispersibility of OMnt in xylene. The ternary surfactant co-modified OMnt with high dispersion and swellability will make OMnt better suited for real-world applications.

The influence of clay preparation procedure on sorption and hydrolysis of carbaryl (1-naphthyl, A-methyl carbamate) by the reference smectite SWy-2 was examined. For research purposes, reference clays are sometimes used without purification, or more commonly, the <2 μm size fraction is obtained by gravity sedimentation or low-speed centrifugation. We determined that these common methods did not remove all the inorganic carbonate impurities present in SWy-2, and that these impurities caused alkaline conditions in aqueous clay suspensions leading to the alkaline hydrolysis of carbaryl to 1-naphthol. The hydrolytic activity of homoionic K-SWy-2 disappeared once carbonates were eliminated. Two methods were evaluated for preparing K-SWy-2 devoid of inorganic carbonates. In Method A, inorganic carbonates were first removed by incremental additions of a 0.5 M sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0) until the clay suspension reached pH 6.8, followed by low-speed centrifugation to obtain the <2 μm size fraction; in Method B, the order of these steps was reversed. Carbaryl hydrolysis was used as a probe to determine the effectiveness of the two methods in terms of the removal of carbonate accessory minerals. Homoionic K-SWy-2 obtained by Methods A and B produced near neutral pH when suspended in water and hydrolysis of carbaryl in these suspensions was not evident. In this regard, both clay preparation methods were acceptable. However, there were procedural advantages with Method B, which is therefore recommended for the partial purification of reference clays, as detailed in this paper.

In order to establish a compact all-optical Thomson scattering source, experimental studies were conducted on the 45 TW Ti: sapphire laser facility. By including a steel wafer, mixed gas, and plasma mirror into a double-exit jet, several mechanisms, such as shock-assisted ionization injection, ionization injection, and driving laser reflection, were integrated into one source. So, the source of complexity was remarkably reduced. Electron bunches with central energy fluctuating from 90 to 160 MeV can be produced. Plasma mirrors were used to reflect the driving laser. The scattering of the reflected laser on the electron bunches led to the generation of X-ray photons. Through comparing the X-ray spots under different experimental conditions, it is confirmed that the X-ray photons are generated by Thomson scattering. For further application, the energy spectra and source size of the Thomson scattering source were measured. The unfolded spectrum contains a large amount of low-energy photons besides a peak near 67 keV. Through importing the electron energy spectrum into the Monte Carlo simulation code, the different contributions of the photons with small and large emitting angles can be used to explain the origin of the unfolded spectrum. The maximum photon energy extended to about 500 keV. The total photon production was 107/pulse. The FWHM source size was about 12 μm.

Nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) are components of munitions commonly found as soil contaminants at military training sites and elsewhere. These compounds pose possible threats to human health and ecological systems. Recent studies indicate that these compounds are strongly retained by smectite clays. The adsorption mechanisms are not fully reconciled, but it is known that the type of exchangeable cation strongly affects NAC affinity for smectites. This study examined the sorption of 1,3-dinitrobenzene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene and naphthalene from water by a smectite clay (SWy-2) saturated with ammonium, tetramethylammonium (TMA), trimethylphenylammonium (TMPA) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA). In all cases, we observed greater sorption of 2,4-dinitrotoluene compared with 1,3-dinitrobenzene. The sorption isotherms for 2,4-dinitrotoluene and 1,3-dinitrobenzene displayed a concave-downward curve for NH4-SWy-2 and TMA-SWy-2, whereas the isotherms for sorption of HDTMA-SWy-2 and TMPA-SWy-2 were essentially linear. The magnitude of sorption followed the order: NH4-SWy-2 > TMA-SWy-2 > TMPA-SWy-2 > HDTMA-SWy-2 for both compounds. The greater affinity of NACs for NH4- and TMA-SWy-2 is due in part to complex formation between the exchangeable cation and −NO2 groups. These clays also provide near optimal interlayer distances that approximate the molecular thickness of NACs hence promoting the simultaneous interaction of the planar aromatic rings with opposing siloxane surfaces and solute dehydration. Both processes are energetically favorable. In HDTMA-SWy-2, sorption of all solutes is via a partition-dominated process. Solute competition (diminished uptake of one solute in the presence of a second) was observed for TMA-SWy-2 but not HDTMA-SWy-2. This is consistent with an adsorptive mechanism for TMA-SWy-2 and a partitioning mechanism for HDTMA-SWy-2. This study demonstrates that the dominant molecular mechanism of NAC sorption by smectite changes fundamentally from complexation between −NO2 groups and the exchangeable cation (viz. NH4 and TMA) to partitioning for a systematic series of ammonium and quaternary ammonium cations in which the locus of positive charge (the central N atom) is progressively shielded by organic moieties of increasing size.