It is now generally believed that elderly may have slightly higher dietary protein requirements than those of the young-middle-aged adults. We have previously conducted related studies by the indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) technique, but more research data are needed to revise the protein requirements of the elderly. The main objective was to reevaluate the dietary protein requirements of healthy Chinese adults (65-80y) without sarcopenia by using the IAAO technique. Nine healthy adult men and seven healthy adult women participated in the study, with protein intakes ranging from 0.1 to 1.8 g/(kg·d). Diets that delivered energy at a 1.5 resting energy expenditure (REE) were isocaloric. The amounts of phenylalanine and tyrosine needed to remain constant for each protein dosage. By applying a nonlinear mixed-effects model analysis on the F13CO2 data, which revealed a breakpoint in F13CO2 in response to graded protein intakes, the mean protein requirement was calculated. The mean estimated average requirement (EAR) for healthy elderly Chinese adults without sarcopenia was determined to be 0.94 g/(kg·d). The protein recommended nutrient intake (RNI) determined using various derivation approaches ranged from 1.13 to 1.36 g/(kg·d). The EAR for Chinese adults without sarcopenia aged 65-80 years in this study is 6.8% higher than the current recommended EAR [0.88 g/(kg·d)]. The RNI derived using various derivation approaches are all greater than the current RNI [0.98 g/(kg·d)]. This trial was registered with the Chinese clinical trial registry as ChiCTR2200061382.

The present study focuses on two-dimensional direct numerical simulations of shallow-water breaking waves, specifically those generated by a wave plate at constant water depths. The primary objective is to quantitatively analyse the dynamics, kinematics and energy dissipation associated with wave breaking. The numerical results exhibit good agreement with experimental data in terms of free-surface profiles during wave breaking. A parametric study was conducted to examine the influence of various wave properties and initial conditions on breaking characteristics. According to research on the Bond number ($Bo$, the ratio of gravitational to surface tension forces), an increased surface tension leads to the formation of more prominent parasitic capillaries at the forwards face of the wave profile and a thicker plunging jet, which causes a delayed breaking time and is tightly correlated with the main cavity size. A close relationship between wave statistics and the initial conditions of the wave plate is discovered, allowing for the classification of breaker types based on the ratio of wave height to water depth, $H/d$. Moreover, an analysis based on inertial scaling arguments reveals that the energy dissipation rate due to breaking can be linked to the local geometry of the breaking crest $H_b/d$, and exhibits a threshold behaviour, where the energy dissipation approaches zero at a critical value of $H_b/d$. An empirical scaling of the breaking parameter is proposed as $b = a(H_b/d - \chi _0)^n$, where $\chi _0 = 0.65$ represents the breaking threshold and $n = 1.5$ is a power law determined through the best fit to the numerical results.

Acanthocephalans of the order Polymorphida mainly parasitic in birds and mammals, are of veterinary, medical and economic importance. However, the evolutionary relationships of its 3 families (Centrorhynchidae, Polymorphidae and Plagiorhynchidae) remain under debate. Additionally, some species of Polymorphida (i.e. Bolbosoma spp. and Corynosoma spp.) are recognized as zoonotic parasites, associated with human acanthocephaliasis, but the mitochondrial genomes for representatives of Bolbosoma and Corynosoma have not been reported so far. In the present study, the complete mitochondrial genomes B. nipponicum and C. villosum (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) are reported for the first time, which are 14 296 and 14 241 bp in length, respectively, and both contain 36 genes [including 12 PCGs, 22 tRNA genes and 2 rRNA genes] and 2 non-coding regions (NCR1 and NCR2). The gene arrangement of some tRNAs in the mitogenomes of B. nipponicum and C. villosum differs from that found in all other acanthocephalans, except Polymorphus minutus. Phylogenetic results based on concatenated amino acid (AA) sequences of the 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs) strongly supported that the family Polymorphidae is a sister to the Centrorhynchidae rather than the Plagiorhynchidae, and also confirmed the sister relationship of the genera Bolbosoma and Corynosoma in the Polymorphidae based on the mitogenomic data for the first time. Our present findings further clarified the phylogenetic relationships of the 3 families Plagiorhynchidae, Centrorhynchidae and Polymorphidae, enriched the mitogenome data of the phylum Acanthocephala (especially the order Polymorphida), and provided the resource of genetic data for diagnosing these 2 pathogenic parasites of human acanthocephaliasis.

We prove a difference analogue of the celebrated Tumura–Hayman–Clunie theorem. Let f be a transcendental entire function, let c be a nonzero constant and let n be a positive integer. If f and $\Delta _c^n f$ omit zero in the whole complex plane, then either $f(z)=\exp (h_1(z)+C_1 z)$, where $h_1$ is an entire function of period c and $\exp (C_1 c)\neq 1$, or $f(z)=\exp (h_2(z)+C_2 z)$, where $h_2$ is an entire function of period $2c$ and $C_2$ satisfies

$$ \begin{align*} \bigg(\frac{1+\exp(C_2c)}{1-\exp(C_2 c)}\bigg)^{2n}=1. \end{align*} $$

For any positive integers $k_1,k_2$ and any set $A\subseteq \mathbb {N}$, let $R_{k_1,k_2}(A,n)$ be the number of solutions of the equation $n=k_1a_1+k_2a_2$ with $a_1,a_2\in A$. Let g be a fixed integer. We prove that if $k_1$ and $k_2$ are two integers with $2\le k_1<k_2$ and $(k_1,k_2)=1$, then there does not exist any set $A\subseteq \mathbb {N}$ such that $R_{k_1,k_2}(A,n)-R_{k_1,k_2}(\mathbb {N}\setminus A,n)=g$ for all sufficiently large integers n, and if $1=k_1<k_2$, then there exists a set A such that $R_{k_1,k_2}(A,n)-R_{k_1,k_2}(\mathbb {N}\setminus A,n)=1$ for all positive integers n.

Let $f(z)=\sum\limits_{j=0}^{\infty} a_j z^j$ be a transcendental entire function and let $f_\omega(z)=\sum\limits_{j=0}^{\infty}\chi_j(\omega) a_j z^j$ be a random entire function, where $\chi_j(\omega)$ are independent and identically distributed random variables defined on a probability space $(\Omega, \mathcal{F}, \mu)$. In this paper, we first define a family of random entire functions, which includes Gaussian, Rademacher and Steinhaus entire functions. We prove that, for almost all functions in the family and for any constant C > 1, there exist a constant $r_0=r_0(\omega)$ and a set $E\subset [e, \infty)$ of finite logarithmic measure such that, for $r \gt r_0$ and $r\notin E$,

\begin{equation*}|\log M(r, f)- N(r,0, f_\omega)|\le (C/A)^{\frac1{B}}\,\log^{\frac1{B}}\,\log M(r,f) +\log\,\log M(r, f), \qquad a.s.\end{equation*}

where $A, B$ are constants, $M(r, f)$ is the maximum modulus and $N(r, 0, f)$ is the integrated zero-counting function of f. As a by-product of our main results, we prove Nevanlinna’s second main theorem for random entire functions. Thus, the characteristic function of almost all functions in the family is bounded above by an integrated counting function, rather than by two integrated counting functions as in the classical Nevanlinna theory. For instance, we show that, for almost all Gaussian entire functions fω and for any ϵ > 0, there is r0 such that, for $r \gt r_0$,

\begin{equation*}T(r, f) \le N(r,0, f_\omega)+\left(\tfrac12+\epsilon\right) \log T(r, f).\end{equation*}

During the Neolithic and Bronze Age, goods and ideas moved between Central Asia and the Chinese Central Plain via north-western China. While the crops, animals and technologies exchanged are well documented, the local and social bases of these interactions are poorly known. Here, the authors use petrographic analysis of ceramic sherds from Gansu Province, China, to document the local production of pottery vessels and their circulation between sites. Individual vessel forms are associated with multiple paste recipes indicating the production of similar products by different communities of practice. It is argued the circulation of these vessels forged inter-community relationships. In aggregate, these local networks underpinned longer-distance exchange between Central and East Asia.

SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spreads among humans via social networks, with social mixing and network characteristics potentially facilitating transmission. However, limited data on topological structural features has hindered in-depth studies. Existing research is based on snapshot analyses, preventing temporal investigations of network changes. Comparing network characteristics over time offers additional insights into transmission dynamics. We examined confirmed COVID-19 patients from an eastern Chinese province, analyzing social mixing and network characteristics using transmission network topology before and after widespread interventions. Between the two time periods, the percentage of singleton networks increased from 38.9$ \% $ to 62.8$ \% $$ (p<0.001) $; the average shortest path length decreased from 1.53 to 1.14 $ (p<0.001) $; the average betweenness reduced from 0.65 to 0.11$ (p<0.001) $; the average cluster size dropped from 4.05 to 2.72 $ (p=0.004) $; and the out-degree had a slight but nonsignificant decline from 0.75 to 0.63 $ (p=0.099). $ Results show that nonpharmaceutical interventions effectively disrupted transmission networks, preventing further disease spread. Additionally, we found that the networks’ dynamic structure provided more information than solely examining infection curves after applying descriptive and agent-based modeling approaches. In summary, we investigated social mixing and network characteristics of COVID-19 patients during different pandemic stages, revealing transmission network heterogeneities.

We describe an outbreak of echovirus 18 infection involving 10 patients in our neonatal intensive care unit (an attack rate of 33%). The mean age at the onset of illness was 26.8 days. Eighty percent were preterm infants. All were discharged home without sequelae. There were no differences in gestation age, birth weight, delivery mode, use of antibiotics, and parenteral nutrition between the enterovirus (EV) group and non-EV group, but the rate of breastfeeding was significantly higher in the EV group. Separation care and reinforcement of hand-washing seemed to be effective in preventing further spread of the virus. Visiting policy, hygiene practice, and handling of expressed breastmilk should be reinforced.

Straightplasma channels are widely used to guide relativistic intense laser pulses over several Rayleigh lengths for laser wakefield acceleration. Recently, a curved plasma channel with gradually varied curvature was suggested to guide a fresh intense laser pulse and merge it into a straight channel for staged wakefield acceleration [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 154801 (2018)]. In this work, we report the generation of such a curved plasma channel from a discharged capillary. Both longitudinal and transverse density distributions of the plasma inside the channel were diagnosed by analyzing the discharging spectroscopy. Effects of the gas-filling mode, back pressure and discharging voltage on the plasma density distribution inside the specially designed capillary are studied. Experiments show that a longitudinally uniform and transversely parabolic plasma channel with a maximum channel depth of 47.5 μm and length of 3 cm can be produced, which is temporally stable enough for laser guiding. Using such a plasma channel, a laser pulse with duration of 30 fs has been successfully guided along the channel with the propagation direction bent by 10.4°.

Trematodes of the genus Ogmocotyle are intestinal flukes that can infect a variety of definitive hosts, resulting in significant economic losses worldwide. However, there are few studies on molecular data of these trematodes. In this study, the mitochondrial (mt) genome of Ogmocotyle ailuri isolated from red panda (Ailurus fulgens) was determined and compared with those from Pronocephalata to investigate the mt genome content, genetic distance, gene rearrangements and phylogeny. The complete mt genome of O. ailuri is a typical closed circular molecule of 14 642 base pairs, comprising 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 2 non-coding regions. All genes are transcribed in the same direction. In addition, 23 intergenic spacers and 2 locations with gene overlaps were determined. Sequence identities and sliding window analysis indicated that cox1 is the most conserved gene among 12 PCGs in O. ailuri mt genome. The sequenced mt genomes of the 48 Plagiorchiida trematodes showed 5 types of gene arrangement based on all mt genome genes, with the gene arrangement of O. ailuri being type I. Phylogenetic analysis using concatenated amino acid sequences of 12 PCGs revealed that O. ailuri was closer to Ogmocotyle sikae than to Notocotylus intestinalis. These data enhance the Ogmocotyle mt genome database and provide molecular resources for further studies of Pronocephalata taxonomy, population genetics and systematics.

Adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has been associated with sleep quality. However, its relationship with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the association between the DASH diet and SDB using data from a community-based survey among adults in Suzhou, Eastern China. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the Suzhou Food Consumption and Health Survey in 2018–2020. Dietary intake was measured by a validated FFQ. The association between the DASH diet and SDB was estimated by multivariable logistic regression analysis. In addition, subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed to reinforce our findings. A total of 3939 participants were included in the final analysis. Participants in the upper quintile of the DASH score consumed more fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, whole grains, and dairy products, and less Na, red/processed meats, and sweetened beverages. The OR for the highest compared with the lowest quintile of the DASH score was 0·68 (95 % CI 0·52, 0·88; Pfor trend = 0·004) for SDB after multivariable adjustment. Of the eight DASH components, vegetables, nuts and legumes, and dairy products were inversely associated with SDB. The associations were similar in subgroups by age, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol drinking, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. Adherence to the DASH diet was independently associated with decreased odds of self-reported SDB. Our novel results expand previous findings on diet and sleep and suggest the possibility of improving SDB by enhancing diet quality.

Objectives: Over the past 2 years, many infection prevention and control (IPC) resources have been diverted to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Its impact on the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms has not been adequately studied. We investigated the impact of the pandemic on the incidence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) in Singapore. Methods: We extracted data on unique CRE isolates (clinical and/or surveillance cultures) and patient days for 6 public hospitals in Singapore from the carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CaPES) study group database, and we calculated the monthly incidence of CRE (per 10,000 patient days). Interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis was conducted with the pre–COVID-19 period defined as before February 2020, and the COVID-19 period defined as after February 2020. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 15 software. Results: From January 2017 to March 2021, 6,770 CRE isolates and 9,126,704 patient days were documented. The trend in CRE monthly incidence increased significantly during the pre–COVID-19 period (0.060; 95% CI, 0.033–0.094; P < .001) but decreased during the COVID-19 period (−0.183; 95% CI, −0.390 to 0.023; P = .080) without stepwise change in the incidence (−1.496; 95% CI, −3.477 to 0.485; P = .135). The trend in monthly incidence rate of CRE clinical cultures increased significantly during the pre–COVID-19 period (0.046; 95% CI, 0.028–0.064; P < .001) and decreased significantly during COVID-19 period (−0.148; 95% CI, −0.249 to −0.048; P = .048) with no stepwise change in the incidence (−0.063; 95% CI, −0.803 to 0.677; P = .864). The trend in monthly incidence rate of CRE surveillance cultures decreased during the pre–COVID-19 period (−0.020; 95% CI, −0.062 to 0.022; P = .341) and the COVID-19 period (−0.067; 95% CI, −0.291to 0.158; P = .552) without stepwise change in the incidence (−1.327; 95% CI, −3.535 to 0.881; P = .233). Conclusions: The rate of CRE in clinical cultures decreased during COVID-19 but not the rate in surveillance cultures. Further studies are warranted to study the impact of COVID-19 on CREs.

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One of the most common harmful mites in edible fungi is Histiostoma feroniarum Dufour (Acaridida: Histiostomatidae), a fungivorous astigmatid mite that feeds on hyphae and fruiting bodies, thereby transmitting pathogens. This study examined the effects of seven constant temperatures and 10 types of mushrooms on the growth and development of H. feroniarum, as well as its host preference. Developmental time for the total immature stages was significantly affected by the type of mushroom species, ranging from 4.3 ± 0.4 days (reared on Pleurotus eryngii var. tuoliensis Mou at 28°C) to 17.1 ± 2.3 days (reared on Auricularia polytricha Sacc. at 19°C). The temperature was a major factor in the formation of facultative heteromorphic deutonymphs (hypopi). The mite entered the hypopus stage when the temperature dropped to 16°C or rose above 31°C. The growth and development of this mite were significantly influenced by the type of species and variety of mushrooms. Moreover, the fungivorous astigmatid mite preferred to feed on the ‘Wuxiang No. 1’ strain of Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler and the ‘Gaowenxiu’ strain of P. pulmonarius (Fr.) Quél., with a shorter development period compared with that of feeding on other strains. These results therefore quantify the effect of host type and temperature on fungivorous astigmatid mite growth and development rates, and provide a reference for applying mushroom cultivar resistance to biological pest control.