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Major public health emergencies have intensified, prompting some regions to implement stringent measures aimed at minimizing population movement, as seen in the response to incidents like the SARS outbreak in 2013 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.1 Amidst the emphasis on public health crisis management, ensuring a stable supply of daily essentials like vegetables, meat, eggs, milk, and grains is imperative to maintain a sense of stability and order in daily life.2 The key challenge lies in the scientific and rational distribution of emergency supplies to ensure a consistent supply of various daily essentials within the public health event control area, which is an essential pragmatic concern.
High-sensitivity observations of PSR J1919+1745 were conducted using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) at a central frequency of 1250 MHz, enabling a detailed investigation of its single-pulse behaviour. Our research indicates that this pulsar is a normal pulsar, exhibiting null behaviour, subpulse drifting, and occasional bright pulses. Moreover, we observed that the null events tend to be of short duration, with an estimated overall null fraction of approximately 29.5 ± 1.1%. Through Sliding Fluctuation Spectrum analysis, the modulation period of subpulse drifting is determined to be P3 =(6.1 ± 0.7)P1 (where P1denotes the pulsar rotation period), and a non-drifting behaviour is also observed besides this. Analysis using the Harmonic-Resolved Fourier Spectrum indicates that a combination of amplitude modulation and phase modulation causes the subpulse drifting behaviour of this pulsar. Furthermore, the value P2, derived from phase modulation, is approximately 360°/21 = 17.1°. polarisation analysis shows a moderate degree of linear polarization (37.22 ± 0.59%), an S-shaped swing in the polarisation position angle, and an approximate 90° orthogonal polarisation jump. The radiation characteristics of PSR J1919+1745 will expand the sample of pulsars with pulse null and subpulse drifting, thus contributing to future systematic studies on the physical origins of pulse null and subpulse drifting phenomena.
Previous studies revealed structural differences in cerebellar regions between monolinguals and bilinguals. However, the effect of bilingual experiences on cerebellar functional neuroplasticity remains unclear. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we compared cerebellar functional connectivity (FC) between monolinguals and bilinguals, and then examined how age of second language acquisition (AoA-L2), immersion of L2 (Immersion-L2), proficiency level of L2 (PL-L2) and usage of L2 (Usage-L2) influence cerebellar FC in bilinguals. We found monolinguals exhibited increased FC between lobules VI, VIIIa and superior temporal gyrus. Increased AoA-L2 was related to decreased cerebello-cortical FC involving lobules VI, CrusI and precentral gyrus. Increased Immersion-L2 was associated with decreased cerebello-orbitofrontal FC. Higher PL-L2 corresponded to stronger cerebellar FC with posterior cingulate gyrus. Bilinguals who used L2 more frequently at home exhibited decreased cerebellar FC, while increased social Usage-L2 was associated with increased FC. These findings highlight bilingualism’s impact on cerebellar functional neuroplasticity, shaped by different bilingual experiences.
Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a powerful tool to process huge volumes of data generated in scientific research and extract enlightening insights to drive further explorations. The recent trend of human-in-loop AI has promoted the paradigm shift in scientific research by enabling the interactive collaboration between AI models and human experts. Inspired by these advancements, this chapter explores the transformative role of AI in accelerating scientific discovery across various disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and life sciences. It provides a comprehensive overview of how AI is reshaping the scientific research – enabling more efficient data analysis, enhancing predictive modeling, and automating experimental processes. Through the examination of case studies and recent developments, this chapter underscores AI’s potential to revolutionize scientific discovery, providing insights into current applications and future directions. It also addresses the ethical challenges associated with AI in science. Through this comprehensive analysis, the chapter aims to provide a nuanced understanding of how AI is facilitating scientific discovery and its potential to accelerate innovations while maintaining rigorous ethical standards.
Little is known regarding the shared genetic architecture underlying the phenotypic associations between depression and preterm birth (PTB). We aim to investigate the genetic overlap and causality of depression with PTB.
Methods
Leveraging summary statistics from the largest genome-wide association studies for broad depression (Ntotal = 807,533), major depression (Ntotal = 173,005), bipolar disorder (Ntotal = 414,466), and PTB (Ntotal = 226,330), we conducted a large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis to assess global and local genetic correlations, identify pleiotropic loci, and infer potential causal relationships
Results
Positive genetic correlations were observed between PTB and broad depression (rg = 0.242), major depression (rg = 0.236), and bipolar disorder (rg = 0.133) using the linkage disequilibrium score regression, which were further verified by the genetic covariance analyzer. Local genetic correlation was identified at chromosome 11q22.3 (harbors NCAM1-TTC12-ANKK1-DRD2) for PTB with depression. Cross-trait meta-analysis identified two loci shared between PTB and broad depression, two loci shared with major depression, and five loci shared with bipolar disorder, among which three were novel (rs7813444, rs3132948 and rs9273363). Mendelian randomization demonstrated a significantly increased risk of PTB for genetic liability to broad depression (odds ratio [OR]=1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11-1.52) and major depression (OR=1.27; 95%CI: 1.08-1.49), and the estimates remained significant across the sensitivity analyses.
Conclusions
Our findings demonstrate an intrinsic link underlying depression and PTB and shed novel light on the biological mechanisms, highlighting an important role of early screening and effective intervention of depression in PTB prevention, and may provide novel treatment strategies for both diseases.
Site-specific weed management (SSWM) provides precise weed control and reduces the use of herbicides, which not only reduces the risk of environmental damage but also improves agricultural productivity. Accurate and efficient weed detection is the foundation for SSWM. However, complex field environments and small-target weeds in fields pose challenges for their detection. To address the above limitations, we developed WeedDETR, a real-time end-to-end detection model specifically designed to enhance the detection of small-target weeds in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. WeedDETR incorporates RepCBNet, a backbone network optimized through structural re-parameterization, to improve fine-grained feature extraction and accelerate inference. In addition, the designed feature complement fusion module (FCFM) was used for multi-scale feature fusion to alleviate the problem of small-target weed information being ignored in the deep network. During training, varifocal loss was used to focus on high-quality weed samples. We experimented on a new dataset, GZWeed, which contains weed imagery captured by a UAV. The experimental results demonstrated that WeedDETR achieves 73.9% and 91.8% AP0.5 (average precision at 0.5 intersection over union threshold) in the weed and Chinese cabbage [Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis (L.) Hanelt] categories, respectively, while achieving an inference speed of 76.28 frames per second (FPS). In comparison to YOLOv5-L, YOLOv6-M, and YOLOv8-L, WeedDETR demonstrated superior accuracy and speed, exhibiting 3.5%, 6.3%, and 3.6% higher AP0.5 for weed categories, while FPS was 14.9%, 12.9%, and 1.4% higher, respectively. The innovative architectural design of WeedDETR significantly enhances the detection accuracy of small-target weeds, enabling efficient end-to-end weed detection. The proposed method establishes a solid technological foundation for UAV-based precision weeding systems in field conditions, advancing the development of deep learning–driven intelligent weed management.
Social determinants of health (SDHs) exert a significant influence on various health outcomes and disparities. This study aimed to explore the associations between combined SDHs and mortality, as well as adverse health outcomes among adults with depression.
Methods
The research included 48,897 participants with depression from the UK Biobank and 7,771 from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). By calculating combined SDH scores based on 14 SDHs in the UK Biobank and 9 in the US NHANES, participants were categorized into favourable, medium and unfavourable SDH groups through tertiles. Cox regression models were used to evaluate the impact of combined SDHs on mortality (all-cause, cardiovascular disease [CVD] and cancer) in both cohorts, as well as incidences of CVD, cancer and dementia in the UK Biobank.
Results
In the fully adjusted models, compared to the favourable SDH group, the hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were 1.81 (95% CI: 1.60–2.04) in the unfavourable SDH group in the UK Biobank cohort; 1.61 (95% CI: 1.31–1.98) in the medium SDH group and 2.19 (95% CI: 1.78–2.68) in the unfavourable SDH group in the US NHANES cohort. Moreover, higher levels of unfavourable SDHs were associated with increased mortality risk from CVD and cancer. Regarding disease incidence, they were significantly linked to higher incidences of CVD and dementia but not cancer in the UK Biobank.
Conclusions
Combined unfavourable SDHs were associated with elevated risks of mortality and adverse health outcomes among adults with depression, which suggested that assessing the combined impact of SDHs could serve as a key strategy in preventing and managing depression, ultimately helping to reduce the burden of disease.
American silk moth, Antheraea polyphemus Cramer 1775 (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), native to North America, has potential significance in sericulture for food consumption and silk production. To date, the phylogenetic relationship and divergence time of A. polyphemus with its Asian relatives remain unknown. To end these issues, two mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of A. polyphemus from the USA and Canada respectively were determined. The mitogenomes of A. polyphemus from the USA and Canada were 15,346 and 15,345 bp in size, respectively, with only two transitions and five indels. The two mitogenomes both encoded typical mitochondrial 37 genes. No tandem repeat elements were identified in the A+T-rich region of A. polyphemus. The mitogenome-based phylogenetic analyses supported the placement of A. polyphemus within the genus Antheraea, and revealed the presence of two clades for eight Antheraea species used: one included A. polyphemus, A. assamensis Helfer, A. formosana Sonan and the other contained A. mylitta Drury, A. frithi Bouvier, A. yamamai Guérin-Méneville, A. proylei Jolly, and A. pernyi Guérin-Méneville. Mitogenome-based divergence time estimation further suggested that the dispersal of A. polyphemus from Asia into North America might have occurred during the Miocene Epoch (18.18 million years ago) across the Berling land bridge. This study reports the mitogenome of A. polyphemus that provides new insights into the phylogenetic relationship among Antheraea species and the origin of A. polyphemus.
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.
High-power 808 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) chips have unique characteristics for neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser pumping compared with conventional edge-emitting laser bars, including a chip surface with high reflectivity, near flat top distribution in the near field, larger emitting width and smaller divergence. A novel symmetrical pump cavity with an inter-reflective chamber was invented by introducing even-numbered pumping geometry and removing the conventional internal reflector. Several optical tuning measures were taken to improve the uniformity of the pumping distribution, including power and spectrum balancing in the cross-section and the long axis of the laser rod, a diffuse mechanism in the pump chamber by a frosted flow tube and optional eccentric pumping geometry. A series of VCSEL pumping experiments were conducted and optical tuning measures were evaluated through distribution profiles and efficiencies. A new design philosophy for the VCSEL side-pumped Nd:YAG laser cavity was finally developed.
This paper presents a low-profile miniaturized dual-band antenna utilizing the quarter-mode substrate integrated waveguide (QMSIW) structure. The two modes of TE110 and TE220 of a single QMSIW structure are employed, enabling a dual-band operation. The frequency ratio between the two bands can be tuned by loading a capacitive structure, which is comprised of a capacitive-loaded patch and a short circuit post, inside the QMSIW structure. By introducing parasitic QMSIW structures through magnetic coupling, a dual-band antenna with enhanced bandwidths is achieved. The antenna has dimensions of smaller than 400 mm2 (0.048λL2) with a uniform height of 1.4 mm (0.016λL). Measurement results indicate that the −6 dB impedance bandwidths of the antennas can cover the 5G N78 (3.3–3.6 GHz) and N79 (4.8–5 GHz) bands, and the average efficiencies is better than −2.5 dB. To the authors’ knowledge, the proposed designs offer dual-wideband operation while having the smallest planar dimension compared to the previously reported antennas. Furthermore, an extended electric coupling dual-band antenna configuration is also described and measured, which achieves similar bandwidth extension as the proposed antenna.
We sought to assess the degree to which environmental risk factors affect CHD prevalence using a case–control study.
Methods:
A hospital-based study was conducted by collecting data from outpatients between January 2016 and January 2021, which included 31 CHD cases and 72 controls from eastern China. Risk ratios were estimated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models and mediating effect analysis.
Results:
Residential characteristics (usage of cement flooring, odds ratio = 17.04[1.954–148.574], P = 0.01; musty smell, odds ratio = 3.105[1.198–8.051], P = 0.02) and indoor total volatile organic compound levels of participants’ room (odds ratio = 31.846[8.187–123.872, P < 0.001), benzene level (odds ratio = 7.370[2.289–23.726], P = 0.001) increased the risk of CHDs in offspring. And folic acid plays a masking effect, which mitigates the affection of the total volatile organic compound (indirect effect = -0.072[−0.138,-0.033]) and formaldehyde (indirect effect = −0.109[-0.381,-0.006]) levels on the incidence of CHDs. While food intake including milk (odds ratio = 0.396[0.16–0.977], P = 0.044), sea fish (odds ratio = 0.273[0.086–0.867], P = 0.028), and wheat (odds ratio = 0.390[0.154–0.990], P = 0.048) were all protective factors for the occurrence of CHDs. Factors including women reproductive history (history of conception control, odds ratio = 2.648[1.062–6.603], P = 0.037; history of threatened abortion, odds ratio = 2.632[1.005–6.894], P = 0.049; history of dysmenorrhoea (odds ratio = 2.720[1.075–6.878], P = 0.035); sleep status (napping habit during daytime, odds ratio = 0.856[0.355–2.063], P = 0.047; poor sleep quality, odds ratio = 3.180[1.037–9.754], P = 0.043); and work status (working time > 40h weekly, odds ratio = 2.882[1.172–7.086], P = 0.021) also influenced the CHDs incidence to differing degrees.
Conclusion:
Diet habits, nutrients intake, psychological status of pregnant women, and residential air quality were associated with fetal CHDs. Indoor total volatile organic compound content was significantly correlated with CHDs risk, and folic acid may serve as a masking factor that reduce the harmful effects of air pollutants.
We presented an attosecond-precision timing detector based on linear optics. The minimum measurement floor is 1×10–10 fs2/Hz with only 1 mW input optical power. With this novel technique, the residual dispersion of a 5.2 km fiber link is characterized and precisely compensated. Finally, a comprehensive feedback model has been developed to analyze the noise coupling in a long-distance link stabilization system. The simulation results demonstrate an out-of-loop jitter of merely 359 as, integrated at [1 Hz, 1 MHz], at 1 mW input power per photodetector of our timing detector. Remarkably, the system is capable of maintaining sub-femtosecond precision even at optical power levels as low as 240 nW (for a 5.2 km link length), or link lengths as long as 20 km (with 1 μW optical power), respectively.
Although it is well established that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with fetal overgrowth in singleton pregnancies, little is known about its role in twins. We aimed to explore the relationship between GDM and the longitudinal fetal growth in twin pregnancies. This was a retrospective matched cohort study of GDM and non-GDM twin pregnancies delivered ≥36 weeks without other complications. All the women performed ≥3 ultrasounds after 22 weeks. Linear mixed models (LMMs) were used to explore the relationships between longitudinal fetal growth trajectories and GDM. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) and generalized estimating equation (GEE) were applied to identify the latent growth patterns and investigate their relationships with GDM. In total, 215 GDM and 645 non-GDM twins were included, the majority of the patients did not require medication therapy (n = 202, GDMA1). LMM revealed that, compared with non-GDM, GDM was associated with an average increase in fetal weight of 4.36 g (95% CI [1.25, 7.48]) per week. GBTM and GEE further revealed that GDM increased the odds of fetal weight trajectory to nearly 40% of the total fetal weight trajectory, classified into the high-speed group (aOR = 1.39, 95% CI [1.03, 1.88]), associating with a 49.44 g (95% CI [11.41, 87.48]) increase in birth weight. Subgroup analysis revealed that all these differences were only significant among the GDMA1 pregnancies (p < .05). GDM (GDMA1) is significantly associated with an increase in fetal weight during gestation in twin pregnancies. However, this acceleration is mild, and its significance requires further exploration.
Rhopalosiphum padi is an important grain pest, causing severe losses during crop production. As a systemic insecticide, flonicamid can control piercing-sucking pests efficiently. In our study, the lethal effects of flonicamid on the biological traits of R. padi were investigated via a life table approach. Flonicamid is highly efficiently toxic to R. padi, with an LC50 of 9.068 mg L−1. The adult longevity and fecundity of the R. padi F0 generation were markedly reduced under the LC25 and LC50 concentrations of flonicamid exposure. In addition, negative transgenerational effects on R. padi were observed under exposure to lethal concentrations of flonicamid, with noticeable decreases in the reproductive period, adult longevity, total longevity, and total fecundity of the F1 generation under the LC25 concentration of flonicamid. Furthermore, the third nymph stage (N3), preadult stage, duration of the adult pre-reproductive period, duration of the total pre-reproductive period, reproductive period, adult longevity, total longevity, and total fecundity of the F1 generation were significantly lower under treatment with the LC50 concentration of flonicamid. The life table parameters were subsequently analysed, revealing that the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) and the net reproductive rate (R0) were significantly lower but that the finite rate of increase (λ) and the mean generation time (T) were not significantly different under the LC25 and LC50 concentrations of flonicamid. These data are beneficial for grain aphid control and are critical for exploring the role of flonicamid in the integrated management of this key pest.
Developing large-eddy simulation (LES) wall models for separated flows is challenging. We propose to leverage the significance of separated flow data, for which existing theories are not applicable, and the existing knowledge of wall-bounded flows (such as the law of the wall) along with embedded learning to address this issue. The proposed so-called features-embedded-learning (FEL) wall model comprises two submodels: one for predicting the wall shear stress and another for calculating the eddy viscosity at the first off-wall grid nodes. We train the former using the wall-resolved LES (WRLES) data of the periodic hill flow and the law of the wall. For the latter, we propose a modified mixing length model, with the model coefficient trained using the ensemble Kalman method. The proposed FEL model is assessed using the separated flows with different flow configurations, grid resolutions and Reynolds numbers. Overall good a posteriori performance is observed for predicting the statistics of the recirculation bubble, wall stresses and turbulence characteristics. The statistics of the modelled subgrid-scale (SGS) stresses at the first off-wall grids are compared with those calculated using the WRLES data. The comparison shows that the amplitude and distribution of the SGS stresses and energy transfer obtained using the proposed model agree better with the reference data when compared with the conventional SGS model.
Despite growing awareness of the mental health damage caused by air pollution, the epidemiologic evidence on impact of air pollutants on major mental disorders (MDs) remains limited. We aim to explore the impact of various air pollutants on the risk of major MD.
Methods
This prospective study analyzed data from 170 369 participants without depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia at baseline. The concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter > 2.5 μm, and ≤ 10 μm (PM2.5–10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitric oxide (NO) were estimated using land-use regression models. The association between air pollutants and incident MD was investigated by Cox proportional hazard model.
Results
During a median follow-up of 10.6 years, 9 004 participants developed MD. Exposure to air pollution in the highest quartile significantly increased the risk of MD compared with the lowest quartile: PM2.5 (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09–1.23), NO2 (HR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.05–1.19), and NO (HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.03–1.17). Subgroup analysis showed that participants with lower income were more likely to experience MD when exposed to air pollution. We also observed joint effects of socioeconomic status or genetic risk with air pollution on the MD risk. For instance, the HR of individuals with the highest genetic risk and highest quartiles of PM2.5 was 1.63 (95% CI: 1.46–1.81) compared to those with the lowest genetic risk and lowest quartiles of PM2.5.
Conclusions
Our findings highlight the importance of air pollution control in alleviating the burden of MD.