In large-scale galaxy surveys, particularly deep ground-based photometric studies, galaxy blending was inevitable. Such blending posed a potential primary systematic uncertainty for upcoming surveys. Current deblenders predominantly depended on analytical modelling of galaxy profiles, facing limitations due to inflexible and imprecise models. We presented a novel approach, using a U-net structured transformer-based network for deblending astronomical images, which we term the CAT-deblender. It was trained using both RGB and the grz-band images, spanning two distinct data formats present in the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS) database, including galaxies with diverse morphologies in the training dataset. Our method necessitated only the approximate central coordinates of each target galaxy, sourced from galaxy detection, bypassing assumptions on neighbouring source counts. Post-deblending, our RGB images retained a high signal-to-noise peak, consistently showing superior structural similarity against ground truth. For multi-band images, the ellipticity of central galaxies and median reconstruction error for r-band consistently lie within $\pm$0.025 to $\pm$0.25, revealing minimal pixel residuals. In our comparison of deblending capabilities focused on flux recovery, our model showed a mere 1% error in magnitude recovery for quadruply blended galaxies, significantly outperforming SExtractor’s higher error rate of 4.8%. Furthermore, by cross-matching with the publicly accessible overlapping galaxy catalogs from the DECaLS database, we successfully deblended 433 overlapping galaxies. Moreover, we have demonstrated effective deblending of 63 733 blended galaxy images, randomly chosen from the DECaLS database.

In 2005, the Chinese government deployed a new financial instrument to accelerate technological catch-up: government guidance funds (GGFs). These are funds established by central and local governments partnering with private venture capital to invest in state-selected priority sectors. GGFs promise to significantly broaden capital access for high-tech ventures that normally struggle to secure funding. The aggregate numbers are impressive: by 2021, there were more than 1,800 GGFs, with an estimated target capital size of US$1.52 trillion. In practice, however, there are notable gaps between policy ambition and outcomes. Our analysis finds that realized capital fell significantly short of targets, particularly in non-coastal regions, and only 26 per cent of GGFs had met their target capital size by 2021. Several factors account for this policy implementation gap: the lack of quality private-sector partners and ventures, leadership turnover and the inherent difficulties in evaluating the performance of GGFs.

The inter-salt shale of the Qianjiang Formation in Jianghan Basin is a typical and important continental saline lake shale oil system in China. To achieve a better understanding of the formation of the inter-salt organic-rich shale, the mineral, major and trace elements and organic geochemical characteristics (total organic carbon (TOC) and biomarkers) of the Eq34-10 shale (high TOC) and the Eq40-5 shale (low TOC) were studied. The results suggest that (a) the organic matter in the inter-salt shale was predominantly derived from endogenous lower aquatic organisms, algae and bacteria; (b) there was a hot arid palaeoclimate and a low degree of chemical weathering conditions during the deposition of the inter-salt shale; (c) the inter-salt shale deposited in an extreme restriction hyper-saline lacustrine and reducing environment, and the salinity of the palaeolake decreases with the increase of the input of terrigenous clastic materials; and (d) the inter-salt shale deposited under an arid and semi-arid climate condition with an intermittent warm and humid climate. In summary, lake palaeoproductivity under the control of palaeoclimate change is the key and direct factor controlling the development of inter-salt organic-rich shale of Qianjiang Formation in Jianghan Basin.

Athetis lepigone Möschler (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) is a common maize pest in Europe and Asia. However, there is no long-term effective management strategy is available yet to suppress its population. Adults rely heavily on olfactory cues to locate their optimal host plants and oviposition sites. Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are believed to be responsible for recognizing and transporting different odorant molecules to interact with receptor membrane proteins. In this study, the ligand-binding specificities of two AlepPBPs (AlepPBP2 and AlepPBP3) for sex pheromone components and host plant (maize) volatiles were measured by fluorescence ligand-binding assay. The results demonstrated that AlepPBP2 had a high affinity with two pheromones [(Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate, Ki = 1.11 ± 0.1 μM, (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate, Ki = 1.32 ± 0.15 μM] and ten plant volatiles, including (-)-limonene, α-pinene, myrcene, linalool, benzaldehyde, nonanal, 2-hexanone, 3-hexanone, 2-heptanone and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one. In contrast, we found that none of these chemicals could bind to AlepPBP3. Our results clearly show no significant differences in the functional characterization of the binding properties between AlepPBP2 and AlepPBP3 to sex pheromones and host plant volatiles. Furthermore, molecular docking was employed for further detail on some crucial amino acid residues involved in the ligand-binding of AlepPBP2. These findings will provide valuable information about the potential protein binding sites necessary for protein-ligand interactions which appear as attractive targets for the development of novel technologies and management strategies for insect pests.

Older parents in China rely heavily on their adult children for instrumental assistance. In different multi-child families, multiple offspring may co-operate in providing instrumental support to older parents in distinct ways in terms of how much support they provide on average and how much differentiation exists between them when they provide such support within a family. We aimed to identify different within-family patterns in relation to multiple offspring's instrumental support to an older parent in Chinese multi-child families, and to investigate potential predictors for different within-family patterns. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (2016), we had a working sample of 5,790 older adults aged 60+ (mean = 68.54, standard deviation = 6.60). We employed latent profile analysis (LPA) to classify within-family patterns and multinomial logistic regression to investigate predictors. Our findings identified three within-family patterns: dissociated (59.10%), highly differentiated (29.60%) and united-filial (11.30%). Older parents in the highly differentiated families tended to be older, mothers, divorced/widowed and to have poorer physical health compared to their counterparts in the dissociated families. In contrast, the composition characteristics of multiple adult children played more important roles in determining the united-filial within-family pattern. The united-filial families were more likely to have fewer adult children, at least one adult daughter and at least one co-residing adult child.

In order to solve joint-angle drift problem of dual redundant manipulators at acceleration-level, an acceleration-level tri-criteria optimization motion planning (ALTC-OMP) scheme is proposed, which combines the minimum acceleration norm, repetitive motion planning, and infinity-norm acceleration minimization solutions via weighting factor. This scheme can resolve the joint-angle drift problem of dual redundant manipulators which will arise in single criteria or bi-criteria scheme. In addition, the proposed scheme considers joint-velocity joint-acceleration physical limits. The proposed scheme can not only guarantee joint-velocity and joint-acceleration within their physical limits, but also ensure that final joint-velocity and joint-acceleration are near to zero. This scheme is realized by dual redundant manipulators which consist of left and right manipulators. In order to ensure the coordinated operation of manipulators, two motion planning problems are reformulated as two general quadratic program (QP) problems and further unified into one standard QP problem, which is solved by a simplified linear-variational-inequalities-based primal-dual neural network at the acceleration-level. Computer-simulation results based on dual PUMA560 redundant manipulators further demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed ALTC-OMP scheme to resolve joint-angle drift problem arising in the dual redundant manipulators.

Large desiccation cracks were discovered in the intertidal zone of Zhoushan archipelago, East China Sea. Radiocarbon dating showed that desiccation cracks were formed around 31.2–30.4 cal ka BP. Palynological, mineralogical, and elemental geochemical analyses indicated that the cracks were formed as the result of an abrupt climate shift event. The climate changed from warm and humid, to cold and arid, and back to warm and humid again. This climate event is quite likely linked to Heinrich event 3 via the East Asian Monsoon. Desiccation cracks may provide a new proxy material for studying paleoclimate and paleoenvironment in the Quaternary.

Objectives: Long-term follow-up of the Caries Management System (CMS) protocol demonstrated that regular monitoring and noninvasive management of dental caries is effective in reducing the number of caries-related events over a 7-year period. This analysis complements the authors’ original economic evaluation of the CMS by re-evaluating the per-protocol cost-effectiveness of the CMS approach.

Methods: An individual patient-simulation Markov model was developed previously, based on 3-year randomized-controlled trial (RCT) data, to simulate the incidence and progression of dental caries, and resultant interventions, and to evaluate the lifetime cost-effectiveness of the CMS versus standard dental care from the Australian private dental practitioner perspective (in which the baseline age distribution was similar to that of the Australian population). The 4-year posttrial follow-up data are used to re-evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of the CMS in a more real-life setting.

Results: The reduction in caries risk was maintained among those practices within which the CMS protocols were adhered to. The per-protocol model appears to be reasonably accurate at predicting the risk of restorative events in the posttrial follow-up period. The per-protocol lifetime cost per restorative event avoided is AUD1,980 (USD1,409; 1 AUD = 0.71 USD).

Conclusions: The current analysis confirms that the CMS approach is both effective, when the protocols are adhered to appropriately, and cost-effective compared with standard care in the Australian private practice setting.

Multiferroic magnetoelectric nanostructures with coupled magnetization and electric polarization across their interfaces have stimulated intense research activities over the past decade. Such interface-based magnetoelectric coupling can be exploited to significantly improve the performance of many devices such as memories, tunable radio-frequency/microwave devices, and magnetic sensors. In this article, we introduce a number of current or developing technologies and discuss their limitations. We describe how the use of magnetoelectric nanostructures can overcome these limitations to optimize device performance. We also present challenges that need to be addressed in pursuing practical applications of magnetoelectric devices.

Emergent behavior can be achieved in composites by interfacing different materials at the nano- or mesoscales. Integrating different materials on a single platform or forming composite provides a new design paradigm to yield enhanced or novel functionalities that cannot be obtained in individual constituents. Nanocomposites, in particular, have been model systems for enhancing interface effects on physical properties because they provide reduced dimensionality or enlarged interfacial areas. To fabricate technologically relevant multifunctional materials, one needs to understand and control the interactions in different materials by manipulating interfaces at the nano- or mesoscales. This issue of MRS Bulletin focuses on nanocomposites, with an emphasis on approaches to the design and control of the functionalities of composite materials through controlled synthesis and advanced characterization in concert with simulation and modeling.

In this article, I argue that in emerging markets firms' market capabilities are positively related to the political strategies that they employ to reduce the risks of expropriation by public and private entities. I focus specifically on the moderating conditions, including institutional environments that have direct constraint on governmental power, supportive policies that promote private sector growth, and developed legal systems. My empirical analysis utilizes data on privately owned Chinese enterprises. The results show that firms' market capabilities – as indicated by their asset turnover ratios and R&D intensity – are positively related to their likelihood of participating in key policymaking political organizations but this relationship is weaker in provinces that have more effective constraints on governmental power, more supportive policies for private sector growth, and more developed legal systems.

Storeacolumnella hudsonensis is described as a new genus and species of encrusting, colonial organism that lived in an intertidal, rocky-shore environment. The fossil was discovered in the basal beds of the Upper Ordovician Port Nelson Formation at a coastal outcrop on Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba. Showing some possible characteristics of sponges and other possible characteristics of calcaerous green algae, this matlike organism is considered nonetheless to have uncertain taxonomic affinities. It consists of cylinder-shaped columns, each with an internal system of star-shaped filaments or spicules as viewed in transverse section. The cylinders stand vertical in longitudinal section and are densely packed together to form a mat. The hard substrate to which the mat is attached consists of a boulder eroded from the Precambrian Churchill Quartzite. Maximum colony size observed in a single example exhibits a diameter of not less than 80 mm and maximum thickness of 5.85 mm.

Paleomonsoon strength is difficult to reconstruct. The strength of the East Asian monsoon and precipitation over large areas correlate well on a decadal time scale. Thus, monsoon strength can be reconstructed through proxies of sediments originating from large areas. In the present study, we investigated the characteristics of a sediment core from the Northern Yellow Sea Mud. The results showed that sedimentary characteristics are mainly controlled by discharge changes of the Yellow River. The relationships between median grain size (MZ), magnetic susceptibility (MS) and the SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of sediments and spatially averaged precipitation around the Yellow River Drainage basin reveal that changes in MZ and MS are correlated with variation in precipitation. The agreement of temporal trends in MZ, MS and the monsoon strength index confirm that spatially averaged precipitation changes in the Yellow River Drainage basin on decadal time scale are driven by the monsoon strength. These characteristics of marine sediments from the Northern Yellow Sea Mud can thus be used as proxies for monsoon strength.

Understanding the habitat needs of White Eared-pheasant Crossoptilon crossoptilon and Blood Pheasant Ithaginis cruentus is important for their conservation. We carried out field surveys of the two pheasants around Zhujie Monastery, Daocheng County, Sichuan Province, China, using line transects. In total, 172 200 × 200 m grid squares were obtained, including 56 active and 116 inactive ones for White Eared-pheasant and 45 active and 127 inactive ones for Blood Pheasant. We analysed the occurrence of both species by logistic multiple regression. The most important variables in model 1 for White Eared-pheasant were distance to nearest permanent water, shrub cover, tree cover, tree height and herb cover. In model 2 for Blood Pheasant, distance to nearest permanent water, shrub cover, herb cover and herb height were most important. The occurrence of both pheasants was negatively related to distance to nearest permanent water and herb cover, and positively related to shrub cover. The occurrence of White Eared-pheasant was positively related to tree cover and tree height, and that of Blood Pheasant to herb height. Water, food and predation risk were the main ecological factors affecting the species' distribution. Based on the two predictive models, conservation management was proposed, to include management of selectively-logged areas and substituting other energy sources, such as electricity, for firewood.