Numerical simulations and theoretical analysis are conducted to investigate the Atwood-number dependence of perturbation evolution in a shocked heavy fluid layer. For layers without reverberating waves, a higher Atwood number of one interface significantly enhances its coupling effect on the perturbation growth at the opposite interface. A theoretical model incorporating the startup, linear and nonlinear stages is developed to predict the interface mixing width. Dimensionless formulae are derived, identifying eight distinct modulation regimes of multi-interface instability. When reverberating waves are present, the individual effects of the upstream ($A_1$) and downstream ($A_2$) Atwood numbers are examined. The model is further modified to account for additional reverberating waves required at higher $A_2$ values for accurate amplitude prediction. Both theory and simulations demonstrate that perturbation growth at one interface can be actively controlled by adjusting the Atwood number of the opposite interface. These findings provide insights for mitigating instabilities in applications such as inertial confinement fusion through appropriate material selection.

System components usually attain marginal lifetimes with stochastic dependence in the context of load-sharing reliability structures. This study deals with the load-sharing parallel systems of two components. We prove that two marginal lifetimes are positively quadrant dependent when component lifetimes have continuous probability distributions, and such a stochastic dependence is upgraded to the total positive of order 2 in the setting of component lifetimes having an exponential distribution. In addition, we discuss how these findings shed light on related results for the load-sharing Ross model, the conditional residual lifetime, and the conditional inactivity time.

With population aging, the establishment of universal long-term care insurance (LTCI) has emerged as a critical policy issue. This paper examines the effects of China’s LTCI pilots on the physical accessibility of home and community-based services (HCBS) and specific services for older adults. Using three-wave panel data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), we analyze the rollout of LTCI pilots across different cities from 2014 to 2021, employing a time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) approach. Our findings indicate that LTCI significantly improves access to HCBS for older adults, particularly in personal daily care. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that LTCI has a stronger positive effect on the accessibility of HCBS for older adults with physical impairment, lower financial transfers from children, or living alone or with a spouse only, and the positive effect is more salient in regions with higher reimbursement for HCBS and more generous coverage. This study provides compelling evidence regarding the pivotal role of institutional design of LTCI in shaping older adults’ care-seeking behavior and system-level resource allocation. It offers nuanced insights into the evaluation of differentiated pilot programs across cities, which can inform the development of a uniform national LTCI policy and carry implications for other developing countries.

Constant-force mechanisms (CFMs) are attractive for mechanical energy storage owing to their distinctive force–displacement characteristics, particularly under conditions with limited external load capacity and restricted space. However, conventional CFMs often suffer from short constant-force strokes and inefficient space utilization, which hinder their broader application. To address these limitations, this study exploits the buckling of compliant beams and increases the structural degrees of freedom by adopting a less constrained configuration, which extends the constant-force stroke and space utilization while reducing the required external load, thus improving energy storage efficiency for the same stored elastic energy. A novel catapult was developed through NSGA-II multi-objective optimization, achieving a high energy-to-cost ratio and an extended constant-force stroke. This work presents an effective design approach for motion mechanisms that demand high energy-storage efficiency and high-power output.

This study tested the effects of soil amendment with orange peel powder (Citrus sinensis L.) on Brassica rapa growth, the performance of the aphid Myzus persicae Sulzer, and the foraging behaviour of its parasitoid Aphidius gifuensis Ashmead. Three peel: soil ratios (1:10, 1:15, 1:20 w/w) were compared with an unamended control. The 1:10 amendment significantly reduced seed germination, plant height, leaf size, and fresh weight, while the 1:20 amendment also decreased fresh weight. Aphid nymphal development was significantly delayed in the 1:10 and 1:15 treatments, and adult weight gain was reduced in the 1:15 treatment. Aphid population growth and parasitoid foraging time were unaffected across treatments. The results indicate that orange peel amendments can delay aphid development but also suppress plant growth at higher concentrations, highlighting the need for optimized application rates. This study supports further exploration of orange peel as a sustainable soil amendment in integrated pest management.

Eating duration and shift work can both influence metabolic regulation, but their joint associations with diabetes are unknown. We aimed to examine the independent and joint associations of eating duration and shift work with diabetes in a cross-sectional study using a nationally representative sample of US workers. We included 14852 eligible participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2010 and 2017–2020. Eating duration was calculated based on first and last eating occasions from 24-h dietary recalls. Long eating duration (LED: ≥ 13 h) v. short eating duration (SED: < 13 h) was defined based on the median. Workers were classified as engaging in shift work (SW, n 5140) v. non-shift work (NSW, n 8945) based on self-report. Logistic regressions were used to examine the associations of LED and SW with diabetes, independently and jointly with stratification by age. LED was associated with higher odds of diabetes among workers aged < 45 years (OR, 1·51; 95 % CI, 1·05–2·19) but not among workers aged ≥ 45 years (OR, 0·98; 95 % CI, 0·79–1·20). SW was associated with higher odds of diabetes among both younger (OR, 1·28; 95 % CI, 0·88–1·85) and older workers (OR, 1·28; 95 % CI, 1·04–1·58). There was suggestive evidence that workers with both LED and SW had higher odds of diabetes compared with those with SED and NSW, but the association was stronger among younger (OR, 1·40; 95 % CI, 0·85–2·28) than older workers (OR, 1·28; 95 % CI, 0·99–1·66). LED and SW were independently associated with increased odds of diabetes with suggestive evidence on their joint associations, but associations varied by workers’ age.

Volunteer management practices have been shown to have positive effects on employees in terms of skill development, job success, organizational identity, and morale in the public, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. Despite considerable research on volunteering, questions remain about how management practices of volunteer programs may affect volunteer performance. Leveraging data comparing self-enrolled and corporate-recruited volunteer mentors into a large-scale online program for entrepreneurs, this study measures the impact of institutional support on volunteer intensity, persistence, and quality. It also presents a novel way to measure volunteer quality through sentiment analysis to measure the tone of online messages, an emerging statistical technique. Findings suggest that a high level of institutional support leads to higher quality mentor engagement, compared to self-enrolled volunteers, while a low level of support leads to mentor quality much lower than self-enrolled volunteers.

While compulsory volunteering activities have been included in education programs in many countries, it is still unknown how compulsory volunteers’ personal characteristics are related to their motivation and future volunteering behavior. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the relationships among two personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness), seven factors of volunteer motivation, and intention to continue volunteering in the context of compulsory volunteering. A total of 605 compulsory volunteers for sports events in Singapore provided responses to a survey. Findings showed that the two personality traits were predictors of six motivation factors, including expression of value, community involvement, interpersonal contacts, career orientation, personal growth, and love of sport. In addition, expression of value, community involvement, personal growth, and love of sports positively predicted continuance intention, while extrinsic rewards negatively predicted continuance intention. These findings extend to the existing literature and suggest the importance for volunteer organizations to tailor both the recruitment process and the volunteering experience to promote volunteer motivation and continuance intention.

This study systematically evaluates the effects of probiotic interventions on gut microbiota and clinical outcomes in diabetic patients to determine the optimal target population and conditions for effective use, with an emphasis on precision treatment. A comprehensive search was performed across PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), and Wanfang databases until April 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing probiotics as adjunctive therapy for diabetes were included. The control group received standard care, and the intervention group received probiotics alongside standard care. Data were managed with Endnote and Excel, and analyses were conducted using Revman 5.3 and Stata 16. Twelve RCTs involving 1,113 participants were included. Probiotics significantly increased fecal Lactobacillus (standardized mean difference (SMD) 1.42, P < 0.0001, I2 = 95%) and Bifidobacterium levels (SMD 1.27, P < 0.0001, I² = 90%) and reduced fasting plasma glucose (SMD -0.35, P = 0.004). Subgroup analysis showed that shorter intervention durations (≤3 months) improved FPG, HbA1c, and Bifidobacterium levels, while younger patients (≤60 years) experienced the most significant improvements in Bifidobacterium levels. In conclusion, probiotics improve gut microbiota and clinical outcomes in diabetic patients, with intervention duration and patient age as key factors influencing treatment effectiveness.

In this paper, we numerically investigate the orbit dynamics of three-dimensional symmetric Janus drops in shear flow using an improved ternary-fluids phase field method, focusing on how drop deformation and initial orientation affect the orbit drift of two configurations of Janus drops: dumbbell-shaped and near-spherical. We find that the motion of dumbbell-shaped drops eventually evolves into tumbling, while near-spherical drops attain stable spinning. We attribute this bifurcation in orbit drift to contrasting deformation dynamics and shape-dependent hydrodynamics of the two configurations. Specifically, the drift bifurcation is closely related to the aspect ratio of Janus drops at equilibrium, giving rise to two distinct mechanisms: (1) coupling between outer interface deformation and the surrounding flow field; and (2) interplay between inner interface deformation and vortices enclosed within the drop. In addition, we observe that for the dumbbell-shaped Janus drops with different aspect ratios, their tumbling dynamics resembles ellipsoids in shear flow. Moreover, the trajectories of the dumbbell-shaped Janus drops during orbit drift collapse onto a universal curve, independent of their initial orientations, and significant deformation and inertia accelerate the orbit transition. To quantitatively evaluate the effect of drop deformation on the orbit drift of the dumbbell-shaped Janus drops, we propose an effective aspect ratio model based on the drop shapes at equilibrium and at the maximum elongation. By incorporating the effective aspect ratio into Jeffery’s theory for solid particles, we accurately predict the rotation period and angular velocity of Janus drops in the tumbling regime and during the orbit drift, especially for drops with linear deformation. Moreover, the orbit parameter $C$ is found to vary exponentially with time for drops with linear deformation, while the time variation of $C$ transits from one exponential function to another for drops with nonlinear deformation.

This paper investigates the flow past a flexible splitter plate attached to the rear of a fixed circular cylinder at low Reynolds number 150. A systematic exploration of the plate length ($L/D$), flexibility coefficient ($S^{*}$) and mass ratio ($m^{*}$) reveals new laws and phenomena. The large-amplitude vibration of the structure is attributed to a resonance phenomenon induced by fluid–structure interaction. The modal decomposition indicates that resonance arises from the coupling between the first and second structural modes, where the excitation of the second structural mode plays a critical role. Due to the combined effects of added mass and periodic stiffness variations, the two modes become synchronised, oscillating at the same frequency while maintaining fixed phase difference $\pi /2$. This further results in the resonant frequency being locked at half of the second natural frequency, which is approximately three times the first natural frequency. A reduction in plate length and an increase in mass ratio are both associated with a narrower resonant locking range, while a higher mass ratio also shifts this range towards lower frequencies. A symmetry-breaking bifurcation is observed for cases with $L/D\leqslant 3.5$, whereas for $L/D=4.0$, the flow remains in a steady state with a stationary splitter plate prior to the onset of resonance. For cases with a short flexible plate and a high mass ratio, the shortened resonance interval causes the plate to return to the symmetry-breaking stage after resonance, gradually approaching an equilibrium position determined by the flow field characteristics at high flexibility coefficients.

We develop and test a theoretical model to investigate the effects of faultlines within the top management team (TMT) on corporate financial fraud. We propose that TMT faultlines can generate mutual monitoring among factional subgroups in the executive suite, which reduces fraudulent behavior. We also examine the contingent roles of subgroup configuration and the TMT members’ tenure overlap in shaping the relationship between TMT faultlines and financial fraud. The mutual monitoring effect is likely to be stronger when the TMT has a balanced subgroup configuration and shorter TMT members’ tenure overlap. We test our argument in the context of publicly listed firms in China. This article extends the mutual monitoring perspective of corporate governance and has important research implications for the corporate financial fraud literature.

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.

Soybean aphids (Aphis glycines) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) pose a serious threat to global soybean production, necessitating sustainable control strategies. This study investigated silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) as an eco-friendly alternative, hypothesising they would suppress aphid populations while enhancing plant growth. Soybean plants were foliar-sprayed with SiNPs (0–1 mmol/L), and aphids were assessed across six assays: fecundity, survival, feeding preference, weight gain, olfactory response, and plant morphometrics. SiNPs significantly reduced aphid nymphal production and population growth at all concentrations but did not affect survival, weight gain, or host-seeking behaviour. Plant responses were mixed: leaf width increased at higher SiNPs doses, but plant height decreased, with no effects on leaf length, root/shoot biomass, or root length. These findings suggest that SiNPs could disrupt aphid reproduction without triggering behavioural avoidance. The absence of biomass reduction indicates potential for crop compatibility. This laboratory study reveals a novel, reproduction-targeted mode of action for SiNPs, highlighting its potential as a candidate for future development in sustainable IPM strategies. Further field-scale validation is required to confirm these effects under real-world conditions.