Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that imposes a significant burden on society. The eggs are the primary pathogenic factor in schistosomiasis, and their accumulation in liver could lead to the formation of granulomas and liver fibrosis. However, the metabolic changes in liver resulting from schistosomiasis remain poorly understood. We established a mouse model of schistosomiasis japonica, where the eggs accumulate in the liver and form egg granulomas. We used mass spectrometry imaging to analyze the differences in metabolites among various liver regions, including the liver tissue from normal mice, the liver area outside the granulomas in schistosomiasis mice, and the granuloma region in schistosomiasis mice. There were significant differences in metabolites between different liver regions, which enriched in metabolic pathways such as the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, purine metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, and bile secretion. In normal liver tissue, higher concentrations of oleic acid (FA (18:1)), eicosapentaenoic acid (FA (20:5)), and L-glutamine were observed. In liver regions outside the granulomas, D-glucose and pyruvic acid were elevated compared to those in normal mice. Taurine increased in the liver of schistosomiasis. Meanwhile, there were elevated uric acid and spermidine in the egg granulomas. We employed mass spectrometry imaging technology to investigate metabolic reprogramming in liver of Schistosoma japonicum-infected mice. We explored the spatial distribution of differential metabolites in liver of schistosomiasis including unsaturated fatty acids, taurine, glutamine, spermidine, and uric acid. Our research provides valuable insights for further elucidating metabolic reprogramming in schistosomiasis.

During the existence of Proto-Tethys Ocean (550–430 Ma), microcontinents in northern East Gondwana merged with the northern margin of India-Australia, completing the assembly of Gondwana. Ongoing controversy surrounds the disappearance of the Proto-Tethys Ocean, the dynamic mechanisms of suturing and the palaeogeographic relationships among microcontinents in northern East Gondwana, contributing to the uncertainty about the tectonic evolution of the region. This paper concerns the lower Silurian Zusailing Formation in the Hainan Island and focuses on the affinity between Hainan Island and various microcontinents in northern East Gondwana during the early Silurian. We use detrital zircon geochronology to reconstruct the closure process of the Proto-Tethys Ocean and show that the detrital zircon U–Pb age groups of the lower Silurian Zusailing Formation are 2800–2200, 2100–1350, 1250–950, 600–480 and 480–430 Ma, with a significant age peak of ca. 449 Ma. Furthermore, the analysis of detrital zircon geochemistry and europium anomalies shows that the Hainan Island crust continued to thicken during 600–434 Ma. Comparing the age spectrum of early Palaeozoic detrital zircons from Hainan Island and various microcontinents in northern East Gondwana, as well as the affinity among them during the Silurian, we conclude that the closure of the eastern Proto-Tethys Ocean evolved from unidirectional subduction (600–480 Ma) to bidirectional subduction (480–430 Ma).

To meet the demands of laser-ion acceleration at a high repetition rate, we have developed a comprehensive diagnostic system for real-time and in situ monitoring of liquid sheet targets (LSTs). The spatially resolved rapid characterizations of an LST’s thickness, flatness, tilt angle and position are fulfilled by different subsystems with high accuracy. With the help of the diagnostic system, we reveal the dependence of thickness distribution on collision parameters and report the 238-nm liquid sheet generated by the collision of two liquid jets. Control methods for the flatness and tilt angle of LSTs have also been provided, which are essential for applications of laser-driven ion acceleration and others.

Post-acceleration of protons in helical coil targets driven by intense, ultrashort laser pulses can enhance ion energy by utilizing the transient current from the targets’ self-discharge. The acceleration length of protons can exceed a few millimeters, and the acceleration gradient is of the order of GeV/m. How to ensure the synchronization between the accelerating electric field and the protons is a crucial problem for efficient post-acceleration. In this paper, we study how the electric field mismatch induced by current dispersion affects the synchronous acceleration of protons. We propose a scheme using a two-stage helical coil to control the current dispersion. With optimized parameters, the energy gain of protons is increased by four times. Proton energy is expected to reach 45 MeV using a hundreds-of-terawatts laser, or more than 100 MeV using a petawatt laser, by controlling the current dispersion.

Path planning is a key research issue in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications. In practical applications, multi-objective path planning is usually required for multi-UAVs, so this paper proposes the improved balanced artificial bee colony (IB-ABC) algorithm to optimize multi-objective path planning. The algorithm adopts the ABC algorithm that emphasizes the global search capability, which is based on iterative feedback information. It uses single-element points, multi-element points, and iteration constraints to optimize the strategies of employed bees, follower bees, and scout bees, respectively. In terms of time and priority, simulation experiments prove that the IB-ABC algorithm can balance local and global search capabilities, accelerate the speed of convergence, and realize multi-UAV path planning in complex mountain environments.

The 4.2 ka event is widely presumed to be a globally widespread aridity event and has been linked to several episodes of societal changes across the globe. Whether this climate event impacted the cultural development in south-central China remains uncertain due to a lack of regional paleorainfall records. We present here stalagmite stable carbon isotope and trace element–based reconstruction of hydroclimatic conditions from south-central China. Our data reveal a sub–millennial scale (~5.6 to 4.3 ka) drying trend in the region followed by a gradual transition to wetter conditions during the 4.2 ka event (4.3–3.9 ka). Together with the existing archaeological evidence, our data suggest that the drier climate before 4.3 ka may have promoted the Shijiahe culture, while the pluvial conditions during the 4.2 ka event may have adversely affected its settlements in low-lying areas. While military conflicts with the Wangwan III culture may have accelerated the collapse of Shijiahe culture, we suggest that the joint effects of climate and the region's topography also played important causal roles in its demise.

An aircraft wing is the carrier of imaging payload (interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) or array SAR) of a high-resolution aerial remote sensing system, and high-precision estimation of wing deformation is the key. There are two main traditional modelling methods for wing deformation, namely stochastic theory modelling and material mechanics modelling only dealing with single disturbance, of which the model parameters are derived from empirical values. Aiming at the complex multi-source disturbance of an aircraft wing, this paper separately probes the influence of external disturbance (air disturbance) and internal disturbance (engine vibration) based on the real-time observation of sensors and classifies the wing deformation on the basis of auto-regressive (AR) modelling for parameter identification. With the authentic flight data of a certain types of aircraft, the experimental analysis shows that the wing deformation under the influence of engine vibration is the 14th-order AR model, and the wing deformation under the influence of turbulence is the fifth-order AR model. Meanwhile, this paper also provides an experimental verification idea for the wing deflection modelling built on the second- or third-order Markov model.

The leakage of hazardous chemicals and toxic volatile substances in the atmosphere may cause serious consequences such as explosion and poisoning. To identify the unknown leakage locations and gas compositions, a mobile robot system to trace the leak source in the outdoor was investigated. First, two bionic searching algorithms, Zigzag and Silkworm algorithms, were tested with outdoor experiments for locating the leak source. The results showed that the locating errors of these two algorithms were within 0.5 m in 10 by 20 m search space, but the failing ratio of Zigzag and Silkworm algorithm was still high (about 40–50%). Therefore, an improved tracing algorithm combining the Silkworm and Zigzag algorithm, called as zigzag–Silkworm algorithm, was proposed. Compared with Silkworm and Zigzag algorithms, zigzag–Silkworm algorithm had a higher success ratio of 80% in outdoor source tracing tests, and the searching efficiency was enhanced, the efficiency parameter L: L0 has improved from 2.58 for Silkworm and 2.66 for Zigzag to 2.17 for zigzag–Silkworm. Then, in order to identify the composition of the leaked gases during the source tracing, an artificial olfaction system (AOS) based on the gas sensor array and support vector machine was set on the mobile robot. The test results in the source tracing experiments with ammonia and ethanol emissions indicated that the recognition accuracy of emission gases reached to 99% with AOS equipped on the robot. Therefore, the mobile robot system equipped with the zigzag–Silkworm algorithm and the AOS is feasible to trace the leakage source and identify the emission composition in the outdoor leakage event with good performance in efficiency and accuracy although some underlying problems still need to be addressed in future work.

Primary liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed at late stages with poor prognosis; thus, identification of modifiable risk factors for primary prevention of liver cancer is urgently needed. The well-established risk factors of liver cancer include chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV), heavy alcohol consumption, metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, and aflatoxin exposure. However, a large proportion of cancer cases worldwide cannot be explained by current known risk factors. Dietary factors have been suspected as important, but dietary aetiology of liver cancer remains poorly understood. In this review, we summarised and evaluated the observational studies of diet including single nutrients, food and food groups, as well as dietary patterns with the risk of developing liver cancer. Although there are large knowledge gaps between diet and liver cancer risk, current epidemiological evidence supports an important role of diet in liver cancer development. For example, exposure to aflatoxin, heavy alcohol drinking and possibly dairy product (not including yogurt) intake increase, while intake of coffee, fish and tea, light-to-moderate alcohol drinking and several healthy dietary patterns (e.g. Alternative Healthy Eating Index) may decrease liver cancer risk. Future studies with large sample size and accurate diet measurement are warranted and need to consider issues such as the possible aetiological heterogeneity between liver cancer subtypes, the influence of chronic HBV or HCV infection, the high-risk populations (e.g. cirrhosis) and a potential interplay with host gut microbiota or genetic variations.

Iodine intake and excretion vary widely; however, these variations remain a large source of geometric uncertainty. The present study aims to analyse variations in iodine intake and excretion and provide implications for sampling in studies of individuals or populations. Twenty-four healthy women volunteers were recruited for a 12-d sampling period during the 4-week experiment. The duplicate-portion technique was used to measure iodine intake, while 24-h urine was collected to estimate iodine excretion. The mean intra-individual variations in iodine intake, 24-h UIE (24-h urinary iodine excretion) and 24-h UIC (24-h urinary iodine concentration) were 63, 48 and 55 %, respectively, while the inter-individual variations for these parameters were 14, 24 and 32 %, respectively. For 95 % confidence, approximately 500 diet samples or 24-h urine samples should be taken from an individual to estimate their iodine intake or iodine status at a precision range of ±5%. Obtaining a precision range of ±5% in a population would require twenty-five diet samples or 150 24-h urine samples. The intra-individual variations in iodine intake and excretion were higher than the inter-individual variations, which indicates the need for more samples in a study on individual participants.

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.

The Luziyuan Pb–Zn skarn deposit, located in the Baoshan–Narong–Dongzhi block metallogenic belt in SW China, is hosted by marble and slate in the upper Cambrian Shahechang Formation. Three skarn zones have been identified from the surface (1495 m above sea level (asl)) to a depth of 1220 m asl: zone 1 consists of chlorite–actinolite–calcite–quartz, zone 2 of rhodonite–actinolite–fluorite–quartz–calcite, and zone 3 contains garnet–rhodonite–actinolite–fluorite–quartz–calcite. The deposit formed in four distinct mineralization stages: an early anhydrous skarn (garnet, rhodonite and bustamite) stage (Stage 1), a hydrous skarn (actinolite and chlorite) stage (Stage 2), an early quartz (coarse barren quartz veins) stage (Stage 3) and a late sulphide-forming (fine sulphide-bearing quartz veins) stage (Stage 4). The Stage 1 skarn-forming fluid temperature was at least 500 °C according to the geothermometer with rhodonite/bustamite trace elements measured by laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). A decrease in ore fluid temperatures with time is consistent with the decreases in the δ18Ofluid and δDfluid values from Stage 3 to 4. This trend suggests that the ore fluid was mainly derived from magmatic water and mixed with large amounts of meteoric water during mineralization. The δ34S values of Stage 4 chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena are similar to those of an Ordovician gypsum layer, and together with the high-salinity fluids in Stage 4 indicate the dissolution of evaporites in the Luziyuan region. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the Luziyuan deposit is a distal Pb–Zn skarn deposit that formed in response to multi-stage alteration associated with a combination of magmatic water and meteoric water.

Social networks facilitate the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in people who inject drugs (PWID). The aim of this study was to assess how certain network structural characteristics are related to HCV infections in PWID and to determine the most susceptible individuals for HCV transmission in a network of PWID. PWID (N = 80) from central China were recruited from a previous follow-up case-control study. Demographic and behavioural information was obtained from a computerized database for each group. HCV RNA was extracted from blood specimens. Sequences were used to construct a phylogenetic tree and to determine genetic distances. Socio-metric social links were established between participants. Network measures were calculated using UCINET. Three HCV genotypes were identified, covering five subtypes. The density of the social networks for the whole sample (N = 80), case group (n = 31) and control group (n = 49) was 0.038, 0.054 and 0.008, respectively. PWID infected with HCV were in frequent contact with others within their group. There were four pairs of nodes with genotypic distances of 0.000 that were identified and clustered in subtypes 6a and 1b; each subject pair was linked and found in one clique. Three of the five most active nodes were infected with HCV. These three nodes served as a bridge, contributing to the connection of other nodes. These findings identify susceptible individuals for HCV transmission in PWID based on their frequent contact with others in the network. These results provide data that could be used for modelling HCV transmission patterns and in public health policies.

A representation of the central extension of the unitary Lie algebra coordinated with a skew Laurent polynomial ring is constructed using vertex operators over an integral ${{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}}$ -lattice. The irreducible decomposition of the representation is explicitly computed and described. As a by-product, some fundamental representations of affine Kac–Moody Lie algebra of type $A_{n}^{\left( 2 \right)}$ are recovered by the new method.