The target backsheath field acceleration mechanism is one of the main mechanisms of laser-driven proton acceleration (LDPA) and strongly depends on the comprehensive performance of the ultrashort ultra-intense lasers used as the driving sources. The successful use of the SG-II Peta-watt (SG-II PW) laser facility for LDPA and its applications in radiographic diagnoses have been manifested by the good performance of the SG-II PW facility. Recently, the SG-II PW laser facility has undergone extensive maintenance and a comprehensive technical upgrade in terms of the seed source, laser contrast and terminal focus. LDPA experiments were performed using the maintained SG-II PW laser beam, and the highest cutoff energy of the proton beam was obviously increased. Accordingly, a double-film target structure was used, and the maximum cutoff energy of the proton beam was up to 70 MeV. These results demonstrate that the comprehensive performance of the SG-II PW laser facility was improved significantly.

The great demographic pressure brings tremendous volume of beef demand. The key to solve this problem is the growth and development of Chinese cattle. In order to find molecular markers conducive to the growth and development of Chinese cattle, sequencing was used to determine the position of copy number variations (CNVs), bioinformatics analysis was used to predict the function of ZNF146 gene, real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used for CNV genotyping and one-way analysis of variance was used for association analysis. The results showed that there exists CNV in Chr 18: 47225201-47229600 (5.0.1 version) of ZNF146 gene through the early sequencing results in the laboratory and predicted ZNF146 gene was expressed in liver, skeletal muscle and breast cells, and was amplified or overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, which promoted the development of tumour through bioinformatics. Therefore, it is predicted that ZNF146 gene affects the proliferation of muscle cells, and then affects the growth and development of cattle. Furthermore, CNV genotyping of ZNF146 gene was three types (deletion type, normal type and duplication type) by Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR). The association analysis results showed that ZNF146-CNV was significantly correlated with rump length of Qinchuan cattle, hucklebone width of Jiaxian red cattle and heart girth of Yunling cattle. From the above results, ZNF146-CNV had a significant effect on growth traits, which provided an important candidate molecular marker for growth and development of Chinese cattle.

Seasonal influenza virus epidemics have a major impact on healthcare systems. Data on population susceptibility to emerging influenza virus strains during the interepidemic period can guide planning for resource allocation of an upcoming influenza season. This study sought to assess the population susceptibility to representative emerging influenza virus strains collected during the interepidemic period. The microneutralisation antibody titers (MN titers) of a human serum panel against representative emerging influenza strains collected during the interepidemic period before the 2018/2019 winter influenza season (H1N1-inter and H3N2-inter) were compared with those against influenza strains representative of previous epidemics (H1N1-pre and H3N2-pre). A multifaceted approach, incorporating both genetic and antigenic data, was used in selecting these representative influenza virus strains for the MN assay. A significantly higher proportion of individuals had a ⩾four-fold reduction in MN titers between H1N1-inter and H1N1-pre than that between H3N2-inter and H3N2-pre (28.5% (127/445) vs. 4.9% (22/445), P < 0.001). The geometric mean titer (GMT) of H1N1-inter was significantly lower than that of H1N1-pre (381 (95% CI 339–428) vs. 713 (95% CI 641–792), P < 0.001), while there was no significant difference in the GMT between H3N2-inter and H3N2-pre. Since A(H1N1) predominated the 2018–2019 winter influenza epidemic, our results corroborated the epidemic subtype.

The COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) project is a large international collaborative effort to analyze individual-level phenotype data from twins in multiple cohorts from different environments. The main objective is to study factors that modify genetic and environmental variation of height, body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and size at birth, and additionally to address other research questions such as long-term consequences of birth size. The project started in 2013 and is open to all twin projects in the world having height and weight measures on twins with information on zygosity. Thus far, 54 twin projects from 24 countries have provided individual-level data. The CODATwins database includes 489,981 twin individuals (228,635 complete twin pairs). Since many twin cohorts have collected longitudinal data, there is a total of 1,049,785 height and weight observations. For many cohorts, we also have information on birth weight and length, own smoking behavior and own or parental education. We found that the heritability estimates of height and BMI systematically changed from infancy to old age. Remarkably, only minor differences in the heritability estimates were found across cultural–geographic regions, measurement time and birth cohort for height and BMI. In addition to genetic epidemiological studies, we looked at associations of height and BMI with education, birth weight and smoking status. Within-family analyses examined differences within same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins in birth size and later development. The CODATwins project demonstrates the feasibility and value of international collaboration to address gene-by-exposure interactions that require large sample sizes and address the effects of different exposures across time, geographical regions and socioeconomic status.

With the aims of overcoming the limitations of the existing basic flow model derived from an axisymmetric generating body and extending the aerodynamic design method of the airframe/inlet integrated waverider vehicle, this study develops an upgraded basic flow model derived from an axisymmetric shock wave. It then upgrades the design method for airframe/inlet integration of an air-breathing hypersonic waverider vehicle, which is termed the ‘full-waverider vehicle’ in this study. In this paper, first, the design principle and method for the upgraded full-waverider vehicle derived from an axisymmetric basic shock wave are described in detail. Second, an upgraded basic flow model that accounts for both internal and external flows is derived from an axisymmetric basic shock wave by use of both the streamline tracing method and the method of characteristics (MOC). Third, the upgraded full-waverider vehicle is developed from the upgraded basic flow model by the streamline tracing method. Fourth, the design theories and methodologies of both the upgraded basic flow model and the upgraded full-waverider vehicle are validated by a numerical computation method. Finally, the aerodynamic performances and viscous effects of both the upgraded basic flow model and the upgraded full-waverider vehicle are analysed by numerical computation. The obtained results show that the upgraded basic flow model and aerodynamic design method are effective for the design of the airframe/inlet integration of an air-breathing hypersonic waverider vehicle.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the population regarding severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in endemic areas of Lu'an in China were assessed before and after an intervention programme. The pre-intervention phase was conducted using a sample of 425 participants from the 12 selected villages with the highest rates of endemic SFTS infection. A predesigned interview questionnaire was used to assess KAP. Subsequently, an intervention programme was designed and applied in the selected villages. KAP was re-assessed for each population in the selected villages using the same interview questionnaire. Following 2 months of the programme, 339 participants had completed the re-assessed survey. The impact of the intervention programme was evaluated using suitable statistical methods. A significant increase in the KAP and total KAP scores was noted following the intervention programme, whereas the proportion of correct knowledge, the positive attitudes and the effective practices toward SFTS of respondents increased significantly. The intervention programme was effective in improving KAP level of SFTS in populations that were resident in endemic areas.

Upgraded heating and current drive (H/CD) systems have been equipped on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). With the upgraded H/CD systems, the operation space of EAST is extended, and the ability to achieve higher performance is improved. In this paper, a 0.5 dimension transport code named Minute Embedded Tokamak Integrated Simulator (METIS) is applied to predict the EAST operation space and to assess the current drive capability of the 4.6 GHz lower hybrid current drive system. Predictive simulation of several EAST scenarios, including steady-state high confinement mode (H-mode), advanced regime, high normalized beta and high electron temperature, are also performed with the available H/CD systems. The simulation results provide a guidance for forthcoming advanced EAST experiments.

Neoseiulus barkeri (HUGHES) is the natural enemy of spider mites, whiteflies and thrips. Screening for chemically-resistant predatory mites is a practical way to balance the contradiction between the pesticide using and biological control. In this study, the number of eggs laid by fenpropathrin-susceptible and resistant strains of N. barkeri was compared. Additionally, we cloned three N. barkeri vitellogenin (Vg) genes and used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to quantify Vg expression in susceptible and resistant strains. The total number of eggs significantly increased in the fenpropathrin-resistant strain. The full-length cDNA cloning of three N. barkeri Vg genes (NbVg1, NbVg2 and NbVg3) revealed that the open reading frames of NbVg1, NbVg2 and NbVg3 were 5571, 5532 and 4728 bp, encoding 1856, 1843 and 1575 amino acids, respectively. The three N. barkeri Vg possessed the Vitellogenin-N domain (or lipoprotein N-terminal domain (LPD_N)), von Willebrand factor type D domain (VWD) and the domain with unknown function 1943 (DUF1943). The NbVg1 and NbVg2 expression levels were significantly higher in the resistant strain than in the susceptible strain, while the NbVg3 expression level was lower in the resistant strain. Thus, we speculate that the increased number of eggs laid by the fenpropathrin-resistant strain of N. barkeri may be a consequence of changes in Vg gene expression.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells (APCs) with the unique ability to induce both innate immune responses and a highly specific acquired immunity. DCs are crucial to induce immunity, and their maturation and functions are influenced by microbial and environmental stimuli. Chicken DCs are composed of several subtypes including bursal secretory dendritic cells (BSDCs), follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), and thymic dendritic cells (TDCs). DC maturation depends on the nature of the perturbation and permits unique and efficient immune responses for each pathogen. DCs differentially recognise the viruses, bacteria, parasite and fungi and specifically regulate the immune response. Dendritic cells (DCs) are ‘nature's adjuvants’ and, as such represent an essential component of any vaccination strategy. The understanding of DC regulatory mechanisms opens a new horizon for the development of new vaccines and their targeting with the vaccination for elicitation of better immunity levels. The following review summarises the current state of knowledge of DCs and their specific functions during host pathogens interaction.

The sealed tube Zn reduction method has been applied for small-mass samples ranging from 15 to 100 μg carbon preparation for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon (14C) measurements at the AMS-14C Preparation Lab in Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS). The volume of the sealed reactor tube is reduced to ~0.75 cm3 in order to increase the yield of graphite. Graphite targets are measured at the Keck Carbon Cycle AMS Facility at the University of California, Irvine (KCCAMS). The targets generate a maximum 12C+1 current of about 0.5 μA per 1 μg C. The modern-carbon background is estimated to be 0.25–0.60 μg C, and dead-carbon background to be ~0.3–0.9 μg C. Both modern-carbon background and dead-carbon background are size dependent, so the results can be corrected. The precision of the small-mass modern carbon standard samples is±15–25‰ for the size of ~15–20 μg C,±5–10‰ for ~20–50 μg C, and±3–10‰ for 50–100 μg C. Further reduction of dead-carbon and modern-carbon contamination is needed in preparation of small-mass samples at GIGCAS.

Aiming at a fusion reactor, two issues must be solved for the lower hybrid current drive (LHCD), namely good lower hybrid wave (LHW)–plasma coupling and effective current drive at high density. For this goal, efforts have been made to improve LHW–plasma coupling and current drive capability at high density in experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). LHW–plasma coupling is improved by means of local gas puffing and gas puffing from the electron side is taken as a routine way for EAST to operate with LHCD. Studies of high density experiments suggest that low recycling and high lower hybrid (LH) frequency are preferred for LHCD experiments at high density, consistent with previous results in other machines. With the combination of 2.45 GHz and 4.6 GHz LH waves, a repeatable high confinement mode plasma with maximum density up to $4.5\times 10^{19}~\text{m}^{-3}$ was obtained by LHCD in EAST. In addition, in the first stage of LHCD cyclic operation, an alternative candidate for more economical fusion reactors has been demonstrated in EAST and further work will be continued.

An outbreak of acute hepatitis recently occurred in a nursing home in Zhejiang Province, China. The objectives of this study were to confirm the outbreak and identify the aetiology, source and transmission patterns. All residents and staff in or near the nursing home during the period from 1 October 2014 to 21 May 2015 were investigated regarding hygiene and for epidemiological information including water and food (eating meat especially pork products). Serum and stool specimens were collected for detection of hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies using ELISA and RNA using RT–PCR. Samples that were RNA positive were genotyped. Of 185 senior residents and 24 staff in the nursing home, there were 37 laboratory-confirmed cases during the outbreak. Of these cases, 12 patients (three deaths) were symptomatic with jaundice, a common clinical symptom for hepatitis E infection. HEV strains were isolated from three cases and they formed a single cluster within genotype 4d. A case-control study was conducted to investigate potential risk factors for the outbreak and the results revealed that cases more often washed their dishes and rinsed their mouths using tap water than the controls (P < 0·05). Based on hygiene investigation and meteorological information, it is likely that HEV-infected sewage and faeces contaminated the water network on rainy days. Collectively, these results suggest that the outbreak of HEV genotype 4 infection was most likely caused by contaminated tap water rather than food.

We analyzed birth order differences in means and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins from infancy to old age. The data were derived from the international CODATwins database. The total number of height and BMI measures from 0.5 to 79.5 years of age was 397,466. As expected, first-born twins had greater birth weight than second-born twins. With respect to height, first-born twins were slightly taller than second-born twins in childhood. After adjusting the results for birth weight, the birth order differences decreased and were no longer statistically significant. First-born twins had greater BMI than the second-born twins over childhood and adolescence. After adjusting the results for birth weight, birth order was still associated with BMI until 12 years of age. No interaction effect between birth order and zygosity was found. Only limited evidence was found that birth order influenced variances of height or BMI. The results were similar among boys and girls and also in MZ and DZ twins. Overall, the differences in height and BMI between first- and second-born twins were modest even in early childhood, while adjustment for birth weight reduced the birth order differences but did not remove them for BMI.

A numerical study was conducted to analyse the performance of different turbulence models and different turbulence intensities and turbulence length scales specified for the boundary condition of the inflow to the internal compression flow field of a typical supersonic inlet. The effect of the back-pressure ratio on the properties of the flow field was also investigated. Computational results obtained by the commercial software FLUENT, which is used to solve the full two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, were validated through both graphical and quantitative comparisons with previously published experimental data. The two-equation models that were considered in this study are the RNG k-ε, realisable k-ε, standard k-ε, and SST k-ω turbulence models. The RNG k-ε model had the best performance among the four models and predicted good wall pressure distributions. The best agreement between the predicted results and experimental data was obtained when either the default values of the freestream turbulence intensity and length scale in the FLUENT solver were used, or the empirical formula was used to calculate the two parameters of the freestream turbulence properties. The shock wave pattern varied between the oblique mode and the fully developed normal mode with increasing back-pressure ratio, and the unstart phenomenon occurred when the back-pressure ratio was sufficiently high.

A trend toward greater body size in dizygotic (DZ) than in monozygotic (MZ) twins has been suggested by some but not all studies, and this difference may also vary by age. We analyzed zygosity differences in mean values and variances of height and body mass index (BMI) among male and female twins from infancy to old age. Data were derived from an international database of 54 twin cohorts participating in the COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins), and included 842,951 height and BMI measurements from twins aged 1 to 102 years. The results showed that DZ twins were consistently taller than MZ twins, with differences of up to 2.0 cm in childhood and adolescence and up to 0.9 cm in adulthood. Similarly, a greater mean BMI of up to 0.3 kg/m2 in childhood and adolescence and up to 0.2 kg/m2 in adulthood was observed in DZ twins, although the pattern was less consistent. DZ twins presented up to 1.7% greater height and 1.9% greater BMI than MZ twins; these percentage differences were largest in middle and late childhood and decreased with age in both sexes. The variance of height was similar in MZ and DZ twins at most ages. In contrast, the variance of BMI was significantly higher in DZ than in MZ twins, particularly in childhood. In conclusion, DZ twins were generally taller and had greater BMI than MZ twins, but the differences decreased with age in both sexes.

For over 100 years, the genetics of human anthropometric traits has attracted scientific interest. In particular, height and body mass index (BMI, calculated as kg/m2) have been under intensive genetic research. However, it is still largely unknown whether and how heritability estimates vary between human populations. Opportunities to address this question have increased recently because of the establishment of many new twin cohorts and the increasing accumulation of data in established twin cohorts. We started a new research project to analyze systematically (1) the variation of heritability estimates of height, BMI and their trajectories over the life course between birth cohorts, ethnicities and countries, and (2) to study the effects of birth-related factors, education and smoking on these anthropometric traits and whether these effects vary between twin cohorts. We identified 67 twin projects, including both monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, using various sources. We asked for individual level data on height and weight including repeated measurements, birth related traits, background variables, education and smoking. By the end of 2014, 48 projects participated. Together, we have 893,458 height and weight measures (52% females) from 434,723 twin individuals, including 201,192 complete twin pairs (40% monozygotic, 40% same-sex dizygotic and 20% opposite-sex dizygotic) representing 22 countries. This project demonstrates that large-scale international twin studies are feasible and can promote the use of existing data for novel research purposes.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) has been prevalent for some time in China and it was first identified in 2010. However, the seroprevalence of SFTSV in the general population in southeastern China and risk factors associated with the infection are currently unclear. Blood samples were collected from seven counties across Zhejiang province and tested for the presence of SFTSV-specific IgG antibodies by ELISA. A total of 1380 blood samples were collected of which 5·51% were seropositive for SFTSV with seroprevalence varying significantly between sites. Seroprevalence of SFTSV in people who were family members of the patient, lived in the same village as the patient, or lived in a different village than the patient varied significantly. There was significant difference in seroprevalence between participants who bred domestic animals and participants who did not. Domestic animals are probably potential reservoir hosts and contact with domestic animals may be a transmission route of SFTSV.

From October 2010 to November 2011, the urban atmospheric CO2 concentration in Guangzhou ranged from 550 to 460 ppm, with mean monthly concentration fluctuating between 530 and 470 ppm. A lower concentration was observed in summer and autumn, while a higher concentration occurred in spring and winter. The urban atmospheric CO2 δ13C value varied between −9.00 and −13.10%, with mean monthly value fluctuating between −9.60 and −11.80%. There was no significant relationship between the CO2 concentration and δ13C value, reflecting the influence from the fossil-fuel-derived CO2 on the urban atmospheric CO2. The urban atmospheric CO2 Δ14C value fluctuated dramatically from 29.1 ± 2.5% to −85.2 ± 3. 1%, with a mean annual value of −16.4 ± 3.0%. A similar seasonal variation of Δ14C value with the concentrations was observed: the higher Δ14C values mainly appeared in summer and autumn (July to September), with a mean value of about −5.2 ± 2.9%, while lower Δ14C values occurred in spring and winter (December to April), about −27.1 ± 3.2% average. Based on the atmospheric Δ14C values, the calculated fossil-fuel-derived CO2 concentrations range between 1 and 58 ppm, with the mean annual concentration around 24 ppm. Similarly, a lower fossil-fuel-derived CO2 concentration appeared in summer and autumn (July to September) with a mean value of ∼17 ppm, while the higher fossil-fuel-derived CO2 concentration occurred in spring and winter (December to April) with an average value of ∼29 ppm. A comparison of the CO2 concentrations before and after the Guangzhou Asian Games (in November 2010) and the Spring Festival of 2011 confirmed that human activities can greatly decrease the fossil-fuel-derived CO2 emissions to the urban atmosphere in Guangzhou.

Mangrove ecosystems are highly productive and play an important role in tropical and global coastal carbon (C) budgets. However, sedimentary organic carbon (SOC) storage and turnover in mangrove forests are still poorly understood. Based on C isotopic measurements of sediment cores of 2 mangrove stands in southern China, SOC density was 431.77 Mg ha−1 at site 1 (a Aegiceras corniculatum-dominated high tidal stand) and 243.65 Mg ha−1 in site 2 (a Bruguiera gymnorrhiza + Kandelia candel-dominated middle tidal stand). SOC δ13C values at both mangrove sites ranged from -29.4% to −26.0%. SOC δ13C was enriched with depth at 20–50 cm at site 1, which possibly resulted from preferential microbial decomposition. SOC δ13C at site 2 experienced frequent tidal flushing, and presented relatively stable values with depth. A bomb-14C-based SOC turnover model indicated that turnover times of SOC at 20–50 cm at site 1 were 4.44–26.04 yr. Modern C input from abundant roots might account for the very short SOC turnover times at these subsurface layers. As a result, our study suggested that tidal processes had a great influence on SOC storage and turnover in mangrove forests.