The tobacco cutworm Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous pest with a highly selective and sensitive chemosensory system involved in complex physiological behaviors such as searching for food sources, feeding, courtship, and oviposition. However, effective management strategies for controlling the insect pest populations under threshold levels are lacking. Therefore, there is an urgent need to formulate eco-friendly pest control strategies based on the disruption of the insect chemosensory system. In this study, we identified 158 putative chemosensory genes based on transcriptomic and genomic data for S. litura, including 45 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs, nine were new), 23 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 60 odorant receptors (ORs, three were new), and 30 gustatory receptors (GRs, three were new), a number higher than those reported by previous transcriptome studies. Subsequently, we constructed phylogenetic trees based on these genes in moths and analyzed the dynamic expression of various genes in head capsules across larval instars using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Nine genes–SlitOBP8, SlitOBP9, SlitOBP25, SlitCSP1, SlitCSP7, SlitCSP18, SlitOR34, SlitGR240, and SlitGR242–were highly expressed in the heads of 3- to 5-day-old S. litura larvae. The genes differentially expressed in olfactory organs during larval development might play crucial roles in the chemosensory system of S. litura larvae. Our findings substantially expand the gene inventory for S. litura and present potential target genes for further studies on larval feeding in S. litura.

Visual tracking is an essential building block for target tracking and capture of the underwater vehicles. On the basis of remotely autonomous control architecture, this paper has proposed an improved kernelized correlation filter (KCF) tracker and a novel fuzzy controller. The model is trained to learn an online correlation filter from a plenty of positive and negative training samples. In order to overcome the influence from occlusion, the improved KCF tracker has been designed with an added self-discrimination mechanism based on system confidence uncertainty. The novel fuzzy logic tracking controller can automatically generate and optimize fuzzy rules. Through Q-learning algorithm, the fuzzy rules are acquired through the estimating value of each state action pairs. An S surface based fitness function has been designed for the improvement of learning based particle swarm optimization. Tank and channel experiments have been carried out to verify the proposed tracker and controller through pipe tracking and target grasp on the basis of designed open frame underwater vehicle.

Localization based on visual natural landmarks is one of the state-of-the-art localization methods for automated vehicles that is, however, limited in fast motion and low-texture environments, which can lead to failure. This paper proposes an approach to solve these limitations with an extended Kalman filter (EKF) based on a state estimation algorithm that fuses information from a low-cost MEMS Inertial Measurement Unit and a Time-of-Flight camera. We demonstrate our results in an indoor environment. We show that the proposed approach does not require any global reflective landmark for localization and is fast, accurate, and easy to use with mobile robots.

This study aimed to evaluate to what extent the different interval times between trophectoderm (TE) biopsy and vitrification influence the clinical outcomes in preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles. Patients who underwent frozen embryo transfer (FET) after PGT between 2015 and 2019 were recruited. In total, 297 cycles with single day 5 euploid blastocyst transfer were included. These cycles were divided into three groups according to the interval times: <1 h group, 1–2 h group, and ≥2 h group. Blastocyst survival, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and ongoing pregnancy rates were compared. The results showed that, in PGT-SR cycles, survival rate in the ≥2 h group (96.72%) was significantly lower than in the <1 h group (100%, P = 0.047). The clinical pregnancy rate in the ≥2 h group was 55.93%, significantly lower than in the <1 h group (74.26%, P = 0.017). The ongoing pregnancy rates in the 1–2 h group and the ≥2 h group were 48.28% and 47.46%, respectively, significantly lower than that in the <1 h group (67.33%, P < 0.05). The miscarriage rate in the 1–2 h group was 18.42%, significantly higher than that in the <1 h group (5.33%, P = 0.027). In PGT-A cycles, the clinical pregnancy and ongoing pregnancy rates in the <1 h group were 67.44% and 53.49%, respectively, higher than that in the 1–2 h group (52.94%, 47.06%, P > 0.05) and the ≥2 h group (52.63%, 36.84%, P > 0.05). In conclusion, vitrification of blastocysts beyond 1 h after biopsy significantly influences embryo survival and clinical outcomes and is therefore not recommended.

A combination of shock tunnel experiments, numerical simulations and theoretical analyses is conducted on V-shaped blunt leading edges (VBLEs) with a wide range of geometric parameters at a free stream Mach number of 6. The interactions between the shock waves induced by the two straight branches and the crotch of the VBLEs set up intriguing wave structures with increases in $R/r$ (i.e. the crotch radius $R$ over the leading edge radius $r$) and $\beta$ (i.e. the half-span angle between the two straight branches), including regular reflection (RR), Mach reflection (MR) and regular reflection from the same family (sRR). These wave structures are observed in shock tunnel experiments and are reproduced by numerical simulations. Of great interest, transitions of shock interactions from RR to MR and from MR to sRR are identified with variation in $R/r$ or $\beta$. It is revealed that the specific geometric constraints of VBLEs, rather than the classic detachment and von Neumann criteria, govern the transitions of shock interactions. From theoretical analyses of the relative geometric positions of the shock structures near the crotch, transition criteria of the shock interactions on VBLEs are established. These theoretical transition criteria achieve good agreement with the numerical and experimental results for a wide range of $R/r$ and $\beta$ and thus show great potential for practical engineering applications, such as the selection of geometric parameters for the cowl lip of a hypersonic inlet.

As the growing number of cases is draining the limited court resources in China, how to scientifically measure the reasonable saturated workload of judges has become an urgent issue. This issue is the prerequisite of other important topics such as determination of judges’ quotas, measurement of the actual workload of a trial team, performance evaluation of judges, and resource allocation within courts. Data-driven measurement of the actual workload of China’s judges depends on various factors such as local economic development, public transportation, case-load in the past, and staffing of assistant positions. Therefore, traditional approaches that depend only on a single element, such as cause of action, do not work well. We proposed a modelling framework based on big-data and machine-learning technology to more accurately measure the actual workload of judges. This framework extracts the core elements of judicial cases, assigns target workload to the cases based on feedback from judges and analyzing case samples to create a standard training dataset, and trains machine-learning models using the data. A preliminary case-weight calculation model is built using the framework. Besides, the model is continuously evaluated and improved by comparing its output with the actual demand in a court through methods such as sampling, questionnaires, and expert evaluation.

A multicenter study of sharps injuries (SIs) and other blood or body fluid (OBBF) exposures was conducted among 33,156 healthcare workers (HCWs) from 175 hospitals in Anhui, China. In total, 12,178 HCWs (36.7%) had experienced at least 1 SI in the previous 12 months and 8,116 HCWs (24.5%) had experienced at least 1 OBBF exposure during the previous 12 months.

Nicotine 3,5-dihydroxybenzoate dihydrate is a nicotine salt and can be used as compositions in tobacco products. X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters, and space group for nicotine 3,5-dihydroxybenzoate, C10H15N2⋅C7H5O4⋅2H2O, are reported [a = 8.424(1) Å, b = 13.179(8) Å, c = 8.591(1) Å, α = 90°, β = 102.073(8)°, γ = 90°, unit-cell volume V = 932.765(3) Å3, Z = 2, ρcal = 1.256 g⋅cm−3, and space group P21] at room temperature. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P21 space group.

High fiber intake is associated with reduced mortality risk in both general and chronic kidney disease populations. However, in dialysis patients such data is limited. Therefore, the association between dietary fiber intake (DFI) and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality was examined in this study. A total of 1044 maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients from eight outpatient dialysis centers in China were included in this study. Data on DFI was collected using 24-h dietary recalls for three days in a week and was normalized to actual dry weight. The study outcomes included all-cause and CVD mortality. Over a median of 46 months of follow-up, 354 deaths were recorded, of which 210 (59%) were due to CVD. On assessing DFI as tertiles, the CVD mortality risk was significantly lower in patients in tertile 2-3 (≥0.13g/kg/d; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51-0.97) compared to those in tertile 1 (<0.13g/kg/d). A similar, but non-significant trend was found for the association between DFI (tertile 2-3 vs. tertile 1; HR: 0.83; 95%CI: 0.64-1.07) and all-cause mortality. In summary, higher DFI was associated with lower CVD mortality risk among Chinese patients of MHD. This study emphasized the significance of dietary fiber intake in MHD patients, and provided information that is critical for the improvement of dietary guidelines for dialysis patients.

The high overall plant-based diet index (PDI) is considered to protect against type 2 diabetes in the general population. However, whether the PDI affects gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk among pregnant women is still unclear. We evaluated the association between PDI and GDM risk based on a Chinese large prospective cohort – the Tongji Maternal and Child Health Cohort. Dietary data were collected at 13–28 weeks of pregnancy by a validated semi-quantitative FFQ. The PDI was obtained by assigning plant food groups positive scores while assigning animal food groups reverse scores. GDM was diagnosed by a 75 g 2-h oral glucose tolerance test at 24–28 weeks of gestation. Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate OR of GDM, with associated 95 % CI, comparing women in different PDI quartiles. Among the total 2099 participants, 169 (8·1 %) were diagnosed with GDM. The PDI ranged from 21·0 to 52·0 with a median of 36·0 (interquartile range (IQR) 33·0–39·0). After adjusting for social-demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors etc., the participants with the highest quartile of PDI were associated with 57 % reduced odds of GDM compared with women in the lowest quartile of PDI (adjusted OR 0·43; 95 % CI 0·24, 0·77; P for trend = 0·005). An IQR increment in PDI was associated with 29 % decreased odds of GDM (adjusted OR 0·71; 95 % CI 0·56, 0·90). Findings suggest that adopting a plant-based diet during pregnancy could reduce GDM risk among Chinese women, which may be valuable for dietary counselling during pregnancy.

Barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.] is a problematic weed in rice (Oryza sativa L.) fields. Overapplication of herbicides causes environmental pollution and the emergence of resistant weeds, and integrated weed management methods can reduce dependence on herbicides. The growth of E. crus-galli and rice seedlings was shown to be significantly inhibited by high concentrations of fulvic acid (FA, C14H12O8) under flooding conditions (HF, 0.80 g L−1) (P < 0.05). In contrast, seedling growth was promoted by the application of very low concentrations of FA (LF, 0.02 g L−1). The activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and antioxidant enzymes, including total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), in E. crus-galli seedlings were enhanced by the LF treatment; while POD activity decreased and GST, T-SOD, and CAT activity was not significantly altered by the HF treatment. The metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses showed that FA regulated E. crus-galli seedling growth by affecting the synthesis of indole derivatives and flavonoid compounds. Compared with the blank control (CK, 0 g L−1), the levels of four indole derivatives were upregulated under the HF treatment, and the indole derivatives were slightly downregulated under the LF treatment. The flavonoids, including naringenin, naringenin chalcone, eriodictyol, kaempferol, and epigallocatechin, were downregulated under HF treatment, and the growth of E. crus-galli was reduced. In contrast, the metabolism and transcription of flavonoids were not significantly altered by the LF treatment. The addition of 0.80 g L−1 FA obviously inhibited the growth of newly sprouted E. crus-galli, whereas rice growth was significantly promoted 8 d after rice planting (P < 0.05). The application of FA, therefore, might be a potential integrated weed management method to control the damage caused by E. crus-galli in paddy fields.

Hypertension represents one of the most common pre-existing conditions and comorbidities in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. To explore whether hypertension serves as a risk factor for disease severity, a multi-centre, retrospective study was conducted in COVID-19 patients. A total of 498 consecutively hospitalised patients with lab-confirmed COVID-19 in China were enrolled in this cohort. Using logistic regression, we assessed the association between hypertension and the likelihood of severe illness with adjustment for confounders. We observed that more than 16% of the enrolled patients exhibited pre-existing hypertension on admission. More severe COVID-19 cases occurred in individuals with hypertension than those without hypertension (21% vs. 10%, P = 0.007). Hypertension associated with the increased risk of severe illness, which was not modified by other demographic factors, such as age, sex, hospital geological location and blood pressure levels on admission. More attention and treatment should be offered to patients with underlying hypertension, who usually are older, have more comorbidities and more susceptible to cardiac complications.

This paper characterizes the geometry of converging near-elliptic shock waves at a Mach number of 6. The converging shocks are produced by elliptic conical surfaces with shapes made up from adjacent straight generators, each deflected a constant angle from the free-stream direction. Combined shock tunnel experiments and numerical analyses are conducted to depict the evolution of the converging shock waves for several elliptic entry aspect ratios $AR$s (i.e. the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis). It is revealed that the deviation from axial symmetry is amplified as the shock front approaches the centreline, which results in different shock interaction types compared with the axisymmetric case. Three typical shock interaction types are classified depending on various ARs. For a small AR, faster shock strengthening in the major plane dominates, although a Mach reflection (type A) that resembles the axisymmetric flow field is formed. However, for a sufficiently large AR, the shock strengthening is eventually terminated by the intersection of the weaker shocks in the minor plane owing to their smaller off-centre distances, which results in a regular reflection (type B). Between these two interaction patterns, there is a critical AR for which both the shock fronts in the major and minor planes intersect at the centreline coincidentally, and this critical intersection (type C) exhibits an extreme case of a shock front converging to a singular point. This study indicates that deviation from axial symmetry affects the evolution of the shock structures in converging flow.

The unsteady lift of an oscillating airfoil encountering a sinusoidal streamwise gust is experimentally investigated. The sinusoidal streamwise gust is generated by a multiple-fan actively controlled wind tunnel. A two-dimensional airfoil with a NACA0015 profile oscillates in the wind tunnel with a pitch motion frequency of $f_v=1\ \textrm {Hz}$ while the sinusoidal streamwise gust has a different oscillating frequency of $f_{\beta }=1.7\ \textrm {Hz}$. The non-dimensional unsteady lift coefficients determined from surface pressure show the same trends as Greenberg's prediction. Through spectral analysis, the sum frequency $f_{sum}=f_{\beta }+f_v$ and the difference frequency $f_{diff}=|f_{\beta }-f_v|$, proposed by Greenberg, are firstly observed in the experiment. The experimental results are compared with Greenberg's theory in the case of a small amplitude of gust velocity variation $\sigma =0.2$. The results of all cases indicate that the experimental results agree generally well with Greenberg's prediction, while there is a small deviation.

In this paper, the generation of relativistic electron mirrors (REMs) and the reflection of an ultra-short laser off this mirrors are discussed, applying two-dimensional particle-in-cell (2D-PIC) simulations. REMs with ultra-high acceleration and expanding velocity can be produced from a solid nanofoil illuminated normally by an ultra-intense femtosecond laser pulse with a sharp rising edge. Chirped attosecond pulse can be produced through the reflection of a counter-propagating probe laser off the accelerating REM. In the electron moving frame, the plasma frequency of the REM keeps decreasing due to its rapidly expanding. The laser frequency, on the contrary, keeps increasing due to the acceleration of REM and the relativistic Doppler shift from the lab frame to the electron moving frame. Within an ultra-short time interval, the two frequencies will be equal in the electron moving frame, which leads the resonance between laser and REM. The reflected radiation near this interval and the corresponding spectra will be amplified due to the resonance. Through adjusting the arriving time of the probe laser, certain part of the reflected field could be selectively amplified or depressed, leading to the selectively adjusting of the corresponding spectra.