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.

SIGIRR, also known as the single immunoglobulin interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R)-related molecule, is a member of the IL-1 receptor superfamily and is believed to play a pivotal role in inflammation and anti-inflammatory regulation within the body. Studies have shown that SIGIRR expression is associated with autoimmunity, inflammatory disorders, graft rejection, viral infection, thrombosis and tumour progression. Due to its unique structure and function, SIGIRR is commonly referred to as an ‘orphan receptor’, with IL-37 being the only confirmed ligand molecule for SIGIRR to date. The primary mechanism through which SIGIRR exerts its anti-inflammatory regulatory effect involves the negative modulation of the Toll-like receptor-IL-1R (TLR-IL-1R) signalling pathway. TLR-IL-1R signalling plays critical roles in immune responses triggered by microbial invasion and alterations in the tumour immune microenvironment. This article provides an overview of research findings on SIGIRR as an orphan receptor and its regulatory role in maintaining a delicate balance between natural immune activation and uncontrolled inflammatory processes under pathological conditions.

Interrupted aortic arch is an uncommon cardiac anomaly characterised by a lack of continuity between the ascending and descending aorta. The presence of interrupted aortic arch in adults is extremely rare, and there is limited documentation of such cases in the literature. In this article, we present a unique case of interrupted aortic arch in an adult diagnosed through angiography. This case falls under the anatomical classification of type B interruption, although the blood supply to the left subclavian artery originates from the ascending aorta. Its haemodynamic characteristics are completely different from those of the classical type B interruption.

Scientists are becoming increasingly aware that disparities in opportunities for conducting and publishing research among scientists living under different socio-economic contexts have created pervasive biases and long-lasting impacts on our views of the natural world. These disparities are challenging the establishment of a global research agenda for a variety of disciplines, including seed ecology. Seed ecology has progressed enormously recently, but multiple barriers have hindered progress in the Global South where biodiversity and environmental complexity are highest. Here, we identify ten major challenges that seed ecologists from developing countries face in relation to planning, designing, conducting and publishing their research. We also propose several measures to overcome these challenges: (1) closing biodiversity knowledge shortfalls, (2) enhancing and creating long-term seed ecological networks, (3) supporting better infrastructure, (4) making fieldwork easier and safer, (5) unlocking funding opportunities, (6) promoting inclusive scientific meetings, (7) alleviating language barriers, (8) improving education, (9) shifting the notion of novelty and relevance and (10) supporting native seed markets. The authors recommend that the proposed solutions can be implemented by seed ecologists and the broader scientific community including funding agencies, research directors, journal editors and the academic publishing industry. Solutions can help mitigate multiple challenges simultaneously, thus offering a relatively inexpensive, fast and productive pathway for the development of seed ecology into a truly global research discipline that benefits scientists irrespective of their geographic location and background.

The adsorption and photolysis of the herbicide bensulfuron-methyl [2-(4, 6-dimethoxypyrimidm-2-carbamoylsulfamoyl)-o-toluic acid methyl ester] on homoionic Na+-, Ca2+- and Fe3+-montmorillonite and kaolinite clays were studied. The Freundlich adsorption coefficient, Kf, measured from isotherms on clays followed the order Na+ < Ca2+ < Fe3+. Montmorillonite showed a greater adsorptive capacity than kaolinite. Analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectra of bensulfuron-methyl adsorbed on clay suggested probable bonding interactions between bensulfuron-methyl and homoionic clays. The photolysis rate of herbicide adsorbed on homoionic clay surfaces was quite slow to its free state and decreased in the order Na+ > Ca2+ > Fe3+, indicating that adsorption may have prevented photolysis.

What factors contribute to the differences in foreign direct investment (FDI) levels in environments characterized as high risk? While research shows that armed conflict influences foreign investment decisions, it remains unclear how conflict dynamics, specifically the relative power capabilities of warring parties, affect FDI. This study explores the effects of rebel strength relative to government forces on FDI. We argue that there is a reduction in foreign investments in civil conflict countries as rebels gain a military advantage relative to the government. Stronger insurgents send a signal that the government is losing its strength in the conflict, creating uncertainty regarding conflict outcomes and posing economic and security risks for investors. To avoid facing economic and property losses due to increasing rebel strength, investors are incentivized to decrease their investment in the conflict state. Using data on insurgent troop size relative to government forces and FDI, our findings show that higher military capabilities of rebel forces relative to the government are associated with less FDI inflows in conflict-affected countries.

The effects of a wavy wall on the stability of a hypersonic boundary layer on a flared cone are investigated by detailed experimental measurements and direct numerical simulations. The non-contact optical measurement method of focused laser differential interferometry is used to measure the disturbance development within the wavy region. The measurement results show that the second mode for the wavy wall is suppressed significantly compared with the smooth wall, and that multiple disturbances at low frequencies appear within the wavy region. Numerical corroboration against experimental measurements reveals good quantitative agreement. It is found that the disturbances at $f=360$ kHz on the wavy wall are suppressed appreciably, which are very significant on the smooth wall. And the disturbances at $f=140$ kHz and $f=260$ kHz develop within the wavy region, and increase considerably. Also, the disturbances achieve a significant increase over the first half of a wavy trough and become more stable over the second half of a wavy trough. The physical mechanism is found to be due to the change in wall geometry and is attributed to the spatially modulated mean flow. The disturbance growth rate is closely related to the level of the mean-flow distortion.

We report experimental measurements of kinematic and dynamic particle concentration kernels conditioned by the separation distances of solid inertialess particles in isotropic turbulence by three-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry with particle diameters smaller than the Kolmogorov length scale. Particle radial relative velocity statistics are measured from the dissipation to the integral length-scale range. The radial scaling of particle and fluid relative velocity variance $\langle w_r(r)^{2} \rangle \sim r^{2/3}$ in the inertial subrange, consistent with Kolmogorov's theory, is reported, while a new scaling is found for small distances due to finite-size effects between particles. The measured concentration kernels at small separation distances therefore deviate from those in the theory of Saffman & Turner (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 1, 1956, pp. 16–30) at small inter-particle distances due to hydrodynamic interactions. A real kernel taking into account the history of the particle tracks and excluding multiple events is also calculated, while the normalised particle concentration kernels are found to be essentially insensitive to the flow Reynolds number.

Let $\{R_{k}\}_{k=1}^{\infty }$ be a sequence of expanding integer matrices in $M_{n}(\mathbb {Z})$, and let $\{D_{k}\}_{k=1}^{\infty }$ be a sequence of finite digit sets with integer vectors in ${\mathbb Z}^{n}$. In this paper, we prove that under certain conditions in terms of $(R_{k},D_{k})$ for $k\ge 1$, the Moran measure

$$ \begin{align*} \mu_{\{R_{k}\},\{D_{k}\}}:=\delta_{R_{1}^{-1}D_{1}}\ast\delta_{R_{1}^{-1}R_{2}^{-1}D_{2}}\ast\cdots \end{align*} $$

$(R,D)$

Laser–plasma accelerators (LPAs) have great potential to realize a compact X-ray free-electron laser (FEL), which is limited by the beam properties currently. Two-color high-intensity X-ray FEL provides a powerful tool for probing ultrafast dynamic systems. In this paper, we present a simple and feasible method to generate a two-color X-ray FEL pulse based on an LPA beam. In this scheme, time-dependent mismatch along the bunch is generated and manipulated by the designed lattice system, enabling FEL lasing at different wavelength within two undulator sections. The time separation between the two pulses can be precisely adjusted by varying the time-delay chicane. Numerical simulations show that two-color soft X-ray FELs with gigawatt-level peak power and femtosecond duration can be generated, which confirm the validity and feasibility of the scheme.

NaY zeolite was synthesized from kaolin/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) intercalation composites using an in situ crystallization technique. The effects of the intercalation ratios and the amounts of the kaolin/DMSO intercalation composite on the synthesis of an NaY zeolite molecular sieve were studied. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, N2 adsorption–desorption and scanning electron microscopy. In the in situ synthesis system, when the kaolin/DMSO intercalation composite was added, pure NaY zeolite was formed. By increasing the amount of kaolin/DMSO intercalation composite added, the crystallinity of the samples increased, and after reaching the maximum amount of kaolin/DMSO intercalation composite added, the crystallinity decreased with further increases of the amount of kaolin/DMSO intercalation composite added. To higher intercalation ratio, the crystallinity can be greatly improved at the lower addition content. At an intercalation ratio of 84%, the added amount of kaolin/DMSO intercalation composite was 2.5% and the crystallinity of the NaY zeolite molecular sieve reached a maximum value of 45%. At intercalation ratios of 55% and 22%, the amount of kaolin/DMSO intercalation composite added was 15% and the crystallinities of the NaY zeolite molecular sieves were 44% and 47%, respectively. The NaY zeolite has good thermal stability and a particle diameter of ~0.5 μm. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area and pore volume of the sample were 519 m2 g–1 and 0.355 cm3 g–1, respectively.

To unveil the adaptation of Litopenaeus vannamei to elevated ambient ammonia-N, crustacean hyperglycaemic hormone (CHH) was knocked down to investigate its function in glucose metabolism pathway under ammonia-N exposure. When CHH was silenced, haemolymph glucose increased significantly during 3–6 h, decreased significantly during 12–48 h and recovered to the control groups’ level at 72 h. After CHH knock-down, dopamine (DA) contents reduced significantly during 3–24 h, which recovered after 48 h. Besides, the expressions of guanylyl cyclase (GC) and DA1R in the hepatopancreas decreased significantly, while DA4R increased significantly. Correspondingly, the contents of cyclic AMP (cAMP), cyclic GMP (cGMP) and diacylglycerol (DAG) and the expressions of protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase G (PKG), AMP active protein kinase α (AMPKα) and AMPKγ were significantly down-regulated, while the levels of protein kinase C (PKC) and AMPKβ were significantly up-regulated. The expressions of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and GLUT2 decreased significantly, while GLUT1 increased significantly. Moreover, glycogen content, glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activities in hepatopancreas and muscle were significantly increased. Furthermore, the levels of key enzymes hexokinase, pyruvate kinase and phosphofructokinase in glycolysis (GLY), rate-limiting enzymes citrate synthase in tricarboxylic acid and critical enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, fructose diphosphate and glucose-6-phosphatase in gluconeogenesis (GNG) were significantly decreased in hepatopancreas. These results suggest that CHH affects DA and then they affect their receptors to transmit glucose metabolism signals into the hepatopancreas of L. vannamei under ammonia-N stress. CHH acts on the cGMP-PKG-AMPKα-CREB pathway through GC, and CHH affects DA to influence cAMP-PKA-AMPKγ-CREB and DAG-PKC-AMPKβ-CREB pathways, thereby regulating GLUT, inhibiting glycogen metabolism and promoting GLY and GNG. This study contributes to further understand glucose metabolism mechanism of crustacean in response to environmental stress.

A higher dietary intake or serum concentration of betaine has been associated with greater lean body mass in middle-aged and older adults. However, it remains unknown whether betaine intake is associated with age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass (SMM). We assessed the association between dietary betaine intake and relative changes in SMM after 3 years in middle-aged adults. A total of 1242 participants aged 41–60 years from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study 2011–2013 and 2014–2017 with body composition measurements by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were included. A face-to-face questionnaire was used to collect general baseline information. After adjustment for potential confounders, multiple linear regression found that energy-adjusted dietary betaine intake was significantly and positively associated with relative changes (i.e. percentage loss or increase) in SMM of legs, limbs and appendicular skeletal mass index (ASMI) over 3 years of follow-up (β 0·322 (se 0·157), 0·309 (se 0·142) and 0·303 (se 0·145), respectively; P < 0·05). The ANCOVA models revealed that participants in the highest betaine tertile had significantly less loss in SMM of limbs and ASMI and more increase in SMM of legs over 3 years of follow-up, compared with those in the bottom betaine tertile (all Ptrend < 0·05). In conclusion, our findings suggest that elevated higher dietary betaine intake may be associated with less loss of SMM of legs, limbs and ASMI in middle-aged adults.