African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious animal disease caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV). It is listed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) as an animal disease subject to statutory reporting. ASFV, a large, enveloped double-stranded DNA virus with high genomic complexity, exhibits a case fatality rate of up to 100%, posing a significant threat to the global pig industry and food safety. To date, the absence of a safe commercial ASFV vaccine primarily stems from challenges in identifying immunogenic viral antigens, insufficient characterization of ASFV pathogenesis, and limited understanding of the virus’s immune evasion mechanisms. Here, we review the pathogenic characteristics (morphological structure, clinical symptoms, and epidemiological characteristics), molecular biological characteristics, and infection mechanism of ASFV, as well as the immune response mechanism, vaccine research, and the latest information on ASFV in other areas. This review will be in favour of understanding the current state of knowledge of ASF and developing effective vaccines to control this disease.

Design Science is the discipline that studies the creation of artifacts – products, services, and systems and their embedding in our physical, virtual, psychological, economic, and social environments. This editorial is a collective effort of the Design Science Journal’s editorial board members, past and present. The journal’s inaugural 2015 editorial, “Design Science: Why, What and How,” reflected the thoughts and vision of that first editorial board for the new journal and the discipline it represented. The present contribution offers the reflections of editors who served the journal in the past 10 years. The individual contributions were not primed and are presented here unedited for conformity or consistency. Differently from the 2015 editorial, there is no effort to synthesize the individual contributions, leaving the task to our readers, who can draw their own conclusions about the Design Science Journal and community accomplishments to date, and the challenges ahead.

The featured article introduces a much-needed theoretical framework for developing a dual-process model of life history calibration. This model accounts for the counterbalancing effects of individual energetic stresses and extrinsic mortality threats of the environment. This framework also reinstates resource availability – a key determinant of energetic conditions – into life history research, resolving its previous exclusion due to similar countervailing influences relative to extrinsic mortality threats.

High-redshift protoclusters are crucial for understanding the formation of galaxy clusters and the evolution of galaxies in dense environments. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with its unprecedented near-infrared sensitivity, enables the first exploration of protoclusters beyond $ z \gt 10 $. Among JWST surveys, COSMOS-Web Data Release 0.5 offers the largest area ($\sim 0.27$ deg$^2$), making it an optimal field for protocluster searches. In this study, we searched for protoclusters at $ z \sim 9-10 $ using 366 F115W dropout galaxies. We evaluated the reliability of our photometric redshift by validation tests with the JADES DR3 spectroscopic sample, obtaining the likelihood of falsely identifying interlopers as $\sim25\%$. Overdensities ($\delta$) are computed by weighting galaxy positions with their photometric redshift probability density functions, using a 2.5 cMpc aperture and a redshift slice of $\pm 0.5$. We selected the most promising core galaxies of protocluster candidate galaxies with an overdensity greater than the 95th percentile of the distribution of 366 F115W dropout galaxies. The member galaxies are then linked within an angular separation of 7.5 cMpc to the core galaxies, finding seven protocluster candidates. These seven protocluster candidates have inferred halo masses of $ M_{\text{halo}} \sim 10^{11}\,{\rm M}_{\odot} $. The detection of such overdensities at these redshifts provides a critical test for current cosmological simulations. However, confirming these candidates and distinguishing them from low-redshift dusty star-forming galaxies or Balmer-break galaxies will require follow-up near-infrared spectroscopic observations.

Previous studies highlighted the health benefits of coffee and tea, but they only focused on the comparisons between different consumptions. Consequently, the association estimate lacked a clear interpretation, as the substitution of beverages and distribution of doses were not explicitly prescribed. We focused on the ‘relative association’ to ascertain the optimal consumption strategy (including total intake and optimal allocation strategy) for coffee, tea and plain water associated with decreased mortality. Self-reported coffee, tea and plain water intake were used from the UK Biobank. Within a compositional data analysis framework, a multivariate Cox model was used to assess the relative associations after adjusting for a range of potential confounders. The lower mortality risk was observed with at least approximately 7–8 drinks/d of total consumption. When the total intake > 4 drinks/d, substituting plain water with coffee or tea was linked to reduced mortality; nevertheless, the benefit was not seen for ≤ 4 drinks/d. Besides, a balanced consumption of coffee and tea (roughly a ratio of 2:3) associated with the lowest hazard ratios of 0·55 (95 % CI 0·47, 0·64) for all-cause mortality, 0·59 (95 % CI 0·48, 0·72) for cancer mortality, 0·69 (95 % CI 0·49, 0·99) for CVD mortality, 0·28 (95 % CI 0·15, 0·52) for respiratory disease mortality and 0·35 (95 % CI 0·15, 0·82) for digestive disease mortality than other combinations. These results highlight the importance of the rational combination of coffee, tea and plain water, with particular emphasis on ensuring adequate total intake, offering more comprehensive and explicit guidance for individuals.

Visual exploration is a task in which a camera-equipped robot seeks to efficiently visit all navigable areas of an environment within the shortest possible time. Most existing visual exploration methods rely on a static camera fixed to the robot’s body to control its own movements. However, coupling the orientation of camera with robot’s body limits the extra degrees of freedom to obtain more visual information. In this work, we adjust the camera orientation during robot motion by using a novel camera view planning (CVP) policy to improve the exploration efficiency. Specifically, we reformulate the CVP problem as a reinforcement learning problem. However, two new challenges need to be addressed: 1) determining how to learn an effective CVP policy in complex indoor environments and 2) figuring out how to synchronize it with the robot motion. To solve the above issues, we create a reward function considering factors such as exploration area, observed semantic objects, and the motion conflicts between the camera and the robot’s body. Moreover, to better coordinate the policies of the camera and the robot’s body, the CVP policy takes the body actions and the egocentric 2D spatial maps with exploration, occupancy, and trajectory information into account to make motion decisions. Experimental results show that after using the proposed CVP policy, the exploration area is expanded by 21.72% and 25.6% on average in the small-scale indoor scene with few structured obstacles and large-scale indoor scene with cluttered obstacles, respectively.

Yiyang Dahegu rice (YyDHG) is an important agricultural specialty of Yiyang County, Jiangxi Province, and it is also a significant component of the local cultural and economic development. In this experiment, 89 samples of Dahegu rice (DHG) were collected from Jiangxi Province, including 52 samples of YyDHG and 37 samples of DHG from other regions within Jiangxi Province (oDHG). Comprehensive analysis was conducted using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, field phenotypic observation, population structure analysis and quality analysis. The results of variety identification indicated that the 89 samples actually comprised 52 distinct varieties, including 19 varieties of YyDHG. Population analysis has revealed rich genetic diversity among DHG varieties within Jiangxi Province, yet no significant subpopulation differentiation was observed between YyDHG and oDHG. Quality experiments demonstrated that YyDHG exhibits significant differences in appearance quality from oDHG, but no notable differences in milling quality or cooked taste and flavour. This suggests that the competitiveness of YyDHG in the market may not entirely depend on its unique quality characteristics, but rather more on its cultural value and brand effect. This experiment conducted a comprehensive analysis of the variety characteristics, genetic diversity and quality traits of YyDHG. Not only does it provide a scientific basis for the breeding and germplasm resource conservation of YyDHG, but it also holds positive implications for promoting the development of its industry.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health concern in China. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study 2021, we analyzed trends in age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), prevalence rate (ASPR), mortality rate (ASMR), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for TB from 1990 to 2021. Over this period, HIV-negative TB showed a marked decline in ASIR (AAPC = −2.34%, 95% CI: −2.39, −2.28) and ASMR (AAPC = −0.56%, 95% CI: −0.62, −0.59). Specifically, drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) showed reductions in both ASIR and ASMR, while multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) showed slight decreases. Conversely, extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) exhibited upward trends in both ASIR and ASMR. TB co-infected with HIV (HIV-DS-TB, HIV-MDR-TB, HIV-XDR-TB) showed increasing trends in recent years. The analysis also found an inverse correlation between ASIRs and ASMRs for HIV-negative TB and the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI). Projections from 2022 to 2035 suggest continued increases in ASIR and ASMR for XDR-TB, HIV-DS-TB, HIV-MDR-TB, and HIV-XDR-TB. The rising burden of XDR-TB and HIV-TB co-infections presents ongoing challenges for TB control in China. Targeted prevention and control strategies are urgently needed to mitigate this burden and further reduce TB-related morbidity and mortality.

Nutrition intervention is an effective way to improve flesh qualities of fish. The effect of feed supplementation with glutamate (Glu) on flesh quality of gibel carp (Carassius gibelio) was investigated. In trial 1, the fish (initial weight: 37.49 ± 0.08 g) were fed two practical diets with 0 and 2% Glu supplementation. In trial 2, the fish (37.26 ± 0.04 g) were fed two purified diets with 0 and 3% Glu supplementation. The results after feeding trials showed that dietary Glu supplementation increased the hardness and springiness of muscle, whether using practical or purified diets. Glu-supplemented diets increased the thickness and density of myofibres and collagen content between myofibres. Furthermore, Glu promoted muscle protein deposition by regulating the IGF-1-AKT-mTOR signalling pathway, and enhanced the myofibre hypertrophy by upregulating genes related to myofibre growth and development (mef2a, mef2d, myod, myf5, mlc, tpi and pax7α). The protein deposition and myofibre hypertrophy in turn improved the flesh texture. In addition, IMP content in flesh increased when supplementing Glu whether to practical or to purified diet. Metabolomics confirmed that Glu promoted the deposition of muscle-flavoured substances and purine metabolic pathway most functioned, echoed by the upregulation of key genes (ampd, ppat and adsl) in purine metabolism. The sensory test also clarified that dietary Glu improved the flesh quality by enhancing the muscle texture and flavour. Conclusively, dietary Glu supplementation can improve the flesh quality in this fish, which can further support evidence from other studies more generally that improve flesh quality of cultured fish.

We investigate the dynamics of circular self-propelled particles in channel flow, modelled as squirmers using a two-dimensional lattice Boltzmann method. The simulations explore a wide range of parameters, including channel Reynolds numbers ($\textit{Re}_c$), squirmer Reynolds numbers ($\textit{Re}_s$) and squirmer-type factors ($\beta$). For a single squirmer, four motion regimes are identified: oscillatory motion confined to one side of the channel, oscillatory crossing of the channel centreline, stabilisation at a lateral equilibrium position with the squirmer tilted and stable upstream swimming near the channel centreline. For two squirmers, interactions produce not only these four corresponding regimes but also three additional ones: continuous collisions with repeated position exchanges, progressive separation and drifting apart and, most notably, the formation of a stable wedge-like conformation (regime D). A key finding is the emergence of regime D, which predominantly occurs for weak pullers ($\beta = 1$) and at moderate to high $\textit{Re}_c$ values. Hydrodynamic interactions align the squirmers with streamline bifurcations near the channel centreline, enabling stability despite transient oscillations. Additionally, the channel blockage ratio critically affects the range of $\textit{Re}_s$ values over which this regime occurs, highlighting the influence of geometric confinement. This study extends the understanding of squirmer dynamics, revealing how hydrodynamic interactions drive collective behaviours. The findings also offer insights into the design of self-propelled particles for biomedical applications and contribute to the theoretical framework for active matter systems. Future work will investigate three-dimensional effects and the stability conditions for spherical squirmers forming stable wedge-like conformations, further generalising these results.

Carbon storage in saline aquifers is a prominent geological method for reducing CO2 emissions. However, salt precipitation within these aquifers can significantly impede CO2 injection efficiency. This study examines the mechanisms of salt precipitation during CO2 injection into fractured matrices using pore-scale numerical simulations informed by microfluidic experiments. The analysis of varying initial salt concentrations and injection rates revealed three distinct precipitation patterns, namely displacement, breakthrough and sealing, which were systematically mapped onto regime diagrams. These patterns arise from the interplay between dewetting and precipitation rates. An increase in reservoir porosity caused a shift in the precipitation pattern from sealing to displacement. By incorporating pore structure geometry parameters, the regime diagrams were adapted to account for varying reservoir porosities. In hydrophobic reservoirs, the precipitation pattern tended to favour displacement, as salt accumulation occurred more in larger pores than in pore throats, thereby reducing the risk of clogging. The numerical results demonstrated that increasing the gas injection rate or reducing the initial salt concentration significantly enhanced CO2 injection performance. Furthermore, identifying reservoirs with high hydrophobicity or large porosity is essential for optimising CO2 injection processes.

Brown dwarfs are failed stars with very low mass (13–75 Jupiter mass) and an effective temperature lower than 2 500 K. Their mass range is between Jupiter and red dwarfs. Thus, they play a key role in understanding the gap in the mass function between stars and planets. However, due to their faint nature, previous searches are inevitably limited to the solar neighbourhood (20 pc). To improve our knowledge of the low mass part of the initial stellar mass function and the star formation history of the Milky Way, it is crucial to find more distant brown dwarfs. Using James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) COSMOS-Web data, this study seeks to enhance our comprehension of the physical characteristics of brown dwarfs situated at a distance of kpc scale. The exceptional sensitivity of the JWST enables the detection of brown dwarfs that are up to 100 times more distant than those discovered in the earlier all-sky infrared surveys. The large area coverage of the JWST COSMOS-Web survey allows us to find more distant brown dwarfs than earlier JWST studies with smaller area coverages. To capture prominent water absorption features around 2.7 ${\unicode{x03BC}}$m, we apply two colour criteria, $\text{F115W}-\text{F277W}+1\lt\text{F277W}-\text{F444W}$ and $\text{F277W}-\text{F444W}\gt\,0.9$. We then select point sources by CLASS_STAR, FLUX_RADIUS, and SPREAD_MODEL criteria. Faint sources are visually checked to exclude possibly extended sources. We conduct SED fitting and MCMC simulations to determine their physical properties and associated uncertainties. Our search reveals 25 T-dwarf candidates and 2 Y-dwarf candidates, more than any previous JWST brown dwarf searches. They are located from 0.3 to 4 kpc away from the Earth. The spatial number density of 900–1 050 K dwarf is $(2.0\pm0.9) \times10^{-6}\text{ pc}^{-3}$, 1 050–1 200 K dwarf is $(1.2\pm0.7) \times10^{-6}\text{ pc}^{-3}$, and 1 200–1 350 K dwarf is $(4.4\pm1.3) \times10^{-6}\text{ pc}^{-3}$. The cumulative number count of our brown dwarf candidates is consistent with the prediction from a standard double exponential model. Three of our brown dwarf candidates were detected by HST, with transverse velocities $12\pm5$, $12\pm4$, and $17\pm6$ km s$^{-1}$. Along with earlier studies, the JWST has opened a new window of brown dwarf research in the Milky Way thick disk and halo.

Cathepsin B (CTSB) is a cysteine protease that is widely found in eukaryotes and plays a role in insect growth, development, digestion, metamorphosis, and immunity. In the present study, we examined the role of CTSB in response to environmental stresses in Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Six MpCTSB genes, namely MpCTSB-N, MpCTSB-16D1, MpCTSB-3098, MpCTSB-10270, MpCTSB-mp2, and MpCTSB-16, were identified and cloned from M. persicae. The putative proteins encoded by these genes contained three conserved active site residues, i.e. Cys, His, and Asn. A phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the six MpCTSB proteins of M. persicae were highly homologous to other Hemipteran insects. Real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the MpCTSB genes were expressed at different stages of M. persicae and highly expressed in winged adults or first-instar nymphs. The expression of nearly all MpCTSB genes was significantly upregulated under different environmental stresses (38°C, 4°C, and ultraviolet-B). This study shows that MpCTSB plays an important role in the growth and development of M. persicae and its resistance to environmental stress.

Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is a significant pest of Capsicum annuum (Solanales: Solanaceae) and exhibits intraspecific differentiation within populations. To investigate the adaptability of Hap3 and Hap17 A. gossypii to various C. annuum varieties, including ‘Lvzhou101’ (LZ), ‘Lashen’ (LA), ‘Saierweilvtianjiao’ (SE), ‘Haimaihongri’ (HM), ‘Chaotianjiao’ (CT), and ‘Luosijiangjun’ (LS), we employed life tables to analyse growth and population parameters post-feeding and conducted petri dish host choice experiments to assess the host plant preference of A. gossypii. Survival rates of A. gossypii varied significantly across C. annuum varieties. Notably, Hap3 and Hap17 thrived on ‘LZ’ but failed to establish populations on ‘LA’. The net reproductive rate (R0), average generation time (T), and intrinsic rate of increase (rm) differed markedly between Hap3 and Hap17 across C. annuum varieties. Feeding on ‘LZ’ resulted in a significantly higher R0 value (26.49) for Hap3 relative to other varieties. The T (7.60 days) and rm (0.27) values for Hap3 on ‘SE’ were superior to those observed on other C. annuum varieties. These findings indicate that ‘SE’ is the optimal host for Hap3 growth, while ‘LZ’ best supports Hap17. Both haplotypes exhibited the lowest adaptability to ‘LA’. Therefore, the utilisation capacity of A. gossypii populations on C. annuum demonstrates differentiation, and the resistance levels among C. annuum varieties to A. gossypii vary. This differentiation can inform targeted management strategies for aphid infestations on pepper crops.

In this paper, on–off switching digitization of a W-band variable gain power amplifier (VGPA) with above 60 dB dynamic range is introduced for large-scale phased array. Digitization techniques of on–off switching modified stacking transistors with partition are proposed to optimize configuration of control sub-cells. By the proposed techniques, gain control of a radio frequency variable gain amplifier (VGA) could be highly customized for both coarse and fine switching requirements instead of using additional digital-to-analog converters to tune the overall amplifier bias. The designed VGA in 130 nm SiGe has achieved switchable gain range from −46.4 to 20.6 dB and power range from −25.0 to 15.7 dBm at W band. The chip size of the fabricated VGPA is about 0.31 mm × 0.1 mm.