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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.
Previous research has mainly explored the relationship between bilingual language control and domain-general cognitive control through behavioral correlations, often revealing epiphenomenal links rather than causality. This study utilizes transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate the causal roles of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and left middle temporal gyrus (LMTG) in 33 unbalanced Chinese-English bilinguals. Continuous theta burst stimulation was applied in separate sessions to decrease cortical excitability, with vertex stimulation as a control. LIFG stimulation significantly increased switching costs in nonverbal switching tasks, highlighting its role in domain-general cognitive control. LMTG stimulation did not affect switching or mixing costs in language or nonverbal switching tasks, suggesting no causal involvement, but it reduced reaction times (RTs) during language switching tasks, underscoring its specialization in language processing. These findings highlight distinctions between the neural mechanisms of bilingual language control and domain-general cognitive control, particularly in the LIFG.
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.
Quantales can be regarded as a combination of complete lattices and semigroups. Unital quantales constitute a significant subclass within quantale theory, which play a crucial role in the theoretical framework of quantale research. It is well known that every complete lattice can support a quantale. However, the question of whether every complete lattice can support a unital quantale has not been considered before. In this article, we first give some counter-examples to indicate that the answer to the above question is negative, and then investigate the complete lattices of supporting unital quantales.
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are synthetic chemicals commonly used in various industries for their water-, grease-, and stain-repellent properties. These compounds are highly persistent in the environment and can be absorbed by farm animals, subsequently contaminating animal-derived products. This contamination poses a significant health risk to humans who consume these products. Previous studies have identified cow's milk as one of the primary animal products contaminated with PFCs. However, it remains unclear which specific PFCs increase in concentrations over time. In this study, we analysed data on the concentrations of 24 PFCs in cow's milk sourced from a milk processing plant in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China, over a three-year period, as provided by the National Agriculture Science Data Centre. Our analysis revealed that perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) were the dominant PFCs that tended to accumulate in cow's milk over time. Consequently, consumers and milk producers should monitor the levels of PFPeA and PFBA in cow's milk to mitigate potential health risks associated with these pollutants.
Colostrum (CM) and transition milk (TM) are crucial for neonatal development but knowledge about the changes in their composition in dairy goats is still limited. The aim of this study was to characterise the immunological, lipid and microbial changes from CM to TM in Guanzhong dairy goats, an indigenous, highly productive Chinese breed. Milk samples were collected from eight primiparous goats at day 0 (CM) and day 7 (TM) postpartum. Immunoglobulin concentrations (IgG, IgA, IgM) were measured by ELISA, long-chain saturated fatty acids (FA) were analysed by gas chromatography, and bacterial communities were profiled by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Microbial functions were inferred using PICRUSt2 (Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States) software based on KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) orthologs. Immunoglobulin concentrations declined significantly from CM to TM, reflecting a transition from immunoprotection to food supply. The TM had increased concentrations of long-chain saturated FA, particularly palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) and higher concentrations of branched-chain FA, suggesting an adaptation to the growing energy demands of the newborn. Although overall microbial diversity was stable, taxonomic shifts were observed. CM was enriched in Emticicia, which may be involved in oligosaccharide degradation, while TM had higher abundance of Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus and Salinicoccus, genera associated with SCFA production and intestinal development. Functional predictions indicated enrichment of cold shock and haem biosynthetic pathways in CM and enhanced carbohydrate degradation pathways in TM. Correlation analyses revealed relationships between specific FA and bacterial genera, suggesting interactions between host, microbes and nutrients that may influence milk functionality. This integrative analysis of milk components during early lactation provides new insights into the compositional and functional dynamics of goat milk.
The emergence, on the Loess Plateau of Central China, of settlements enclosed by circular ditches has engendered lively debate about the function of these (often extensive) ditch systems. Here, the authors report on a suite of new dates and sedimentological analyses from the late Yangshao (5300–4800 BP) triple-ditch system at the Shuanghuaishu site, Henan Province. Exploitation of natural topographic variations, and evidence for ditch maintenance and varied water flows, suggests a key function in hydrological management, while temporal overlap in the use of these three ditches reveals the large scale of this endeavour to adapt to the pressures of the natural environment.
The evolution of the mixing layer in rotation-driven Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) turbulence is investigated theoretically and numerically. It is found that the evolution of the turbulent mixing layer in rotation-driven RT turbulence is self-similar, but the width of the mixing layer does not follow the classical quadratic growth observed in planar RT turbulence induced by constant external acceleration. Based on the approach used in cylindrical RT turbulence without rotation (Zhao et al. 2021, Phys. Rev. E, vol. 104, 055104), a theoretical model is established to predict the growth of mixing widths in rotation-driven RT turbulence, and the model’s excellent agreement with direct numerical simulations (DNS) serves to validate its reliability. The model proposes a rescaled time that allows for the unification of the evolutions of the mixing layers in rotation-driven RT turbulence with various Atwood numbers and rotation numbers. It is further identified that the growth law described by the model of rotation-driven RT turbulence can be recovered to quadratic growth when the effects of geometrical curvature, radial inhomogeneity of the centrifugal force, and Coriolis force become negligible. Moreover, based on the DNS results, we find that turbulent mixing layers in rotation-driven RT turbulence cover a wide range of length scales. The strong rotation at the same Atwood number enhances the generation of fine-scale structures but is not conducive to overall fluid mixing within the mixing layer.
Panonychus citri is a significant pest of Rutaceae plants. Chitin deacetylase is a key gene in chitin metabolism and the insect molting process. In this study, The PcCDA1 and PcCDA2 genes of P. citri were cloned and identified. The expression of PcCDA1 was higher during the egg stage, while PcCDA2 exhibited the highest expression during the larval stage, with their expression levels showing a clear periodicity. Using RNAi technology to silence the expression of the PcCDA1 and PcCDA2 genes in the mite, the results indicated that only 20.85% successfully molted, while the deformity rates were 78.81% and 85.44%, respectively. HE staining and microscopic observation revealed that silencing PcCDA1 and PcCDA2 caused an increase in the epidermal thickness of P. citri by 1.87 μm and 5.706 μm, respectively. Additionally, silencing PcCDA also significantly reduced the relative mRNA expression levels of chitin synthesis genes (PcCHS1 and PcCHS2) and degradation genes (PcCHT1, PcCHT2, and PcCHT4). These results suggest that the PcCDA gene is crucial for normal molting and epidermal development, providing new scientific evidence for molecular target-based green pest control strategies.
Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit smaller regional brain volumes in commonly reported regions including the amygdala and hippocampus, regions associated with fear and memory processing. In the current study, we have conducted a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) meta-analysis using whole-brain statistical maps with neuroimaging data from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD working group.
Methods
T1-weighted structural neuroimaging scans from 36 cohorts (PTSD n = 1309; controls n = 2198) were processed using a standardized VBM pipeline (ENIGMA-VBM tool). We meta-analyzed the resulting statistical maps for voxel-wise differences in gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes between PTSD patients and controls, performed subgroup analyses considering the trauma exposure of the controls, and examined associations between regional brain volumes and clinical variables including PTSD (CAPS-4/5, PCL-5) and depression severity (BDI-II, PHQ-9).
Results
PTSD patients exhibited smaller GM volumes across the frontal and temporal lobes, and cerebellum, with the most significant effect in the left cerebellum (Hedges’ g = 0.22, pcorrected = .001), and smaller cerebellar WM volume (peak Hedges’ g = 0.14, pcorrected = .008). We observed similar regional differences when comparing patients to trauma-exposed controls, suggesting these structural abnormalities may be specific to PTSD. Regression analyses revealed PTSD severity was negatively associated with GM volumes within the cerebellum (pcorrected = .003), while depression severity was negatively associated with GM volumes within the cerebellum and superior frontal gyrus in patients (pcorrected = .001).
Conclusions
PTSD patients exhibited widespread, regional differences in brain volumes where greater regional deficits appeared to reflect more severe symptoms. Our findings add to the growing literature implicating the cerebellum in PTSD psychopathology.
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.
Visual word recognition is constrained by writing systems. The orthographic depth hypothesis (ODH) was proposed to account for phonological activation in various degrees depending on how transparent the grapheme–phoneme conversion rule is in a writing system. This current study extends the investigation of ODH in bilingualism to understand the cross-language cognitive processes in bi-script readers. In two cross-language masked priming experiments, we show asymmetrical cognate facilitation effects, which are typically reported as a result of shared phonology and/or orthography between languages, in addition to meaning equivalence. That is, with the same set of items, when the primes were Chinese and the targets English (Experiment 1), there was no cognate facilitation effect; however, when we switched the languages in prime–target pairs (Experiment 2), the cognate facilitation effects emerged. These results indicate that shared phonology across languages is not sufficient to induce cognate facilitation effects and that language-dependent processing mechanisms play a crucial role.
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.
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.
Mamyshev oscillators (MOs) demonstrate extraordinarily superior performance compared with fiber laser counterparts. However, the realization of a fully fiberized, monolithic laser system without pulse degradation remains a key challenge. Here we present a high-energy MO using large mode area Yb-doped fiber and fiber-integrable interferometric super-Gaussian spectral filters that directly generates a nearly diffraction-limited beam with approximately 9.84 W average power and 533 nJ pulse energy. By implementing pre-chirp management with anti-resonant hollow-core fiber (AR-HCF), the adverse effects of super-Gaussian filtering on pulse quality are effectively mitigated, enabling pulse compression to 1.23 times the transform limit. Furthermore, AR-HCF is employed to provide negative dispersion to compensate for the positive chirp of output pulses, resulting in approximately 37 fs de-chirped pulses with approximately 10 MW peak power. This approach represents a significant step toward the development of monolithic fiber lasers capable of generating and flexible delivery of sub-50-fs pulses with tens of megawatts peak power.
Myocardial bridge contributes to chest pain, often accompanied by non-specific complaints.
Aims
Our study aims to determine somatic symptom disorder (SSD) prevalence in patients with myocardial bridge, investigating associated clinical and psychological features.
Method
In this prospective cross-sectional study, we enrolled 1357 participants (337 with and 1020 without myocardial bridge) from Shanghai Renji Hospital. The Somatic Symptom Scale-China questionnaire was used to assess SSD. Depressive and anxiety disorders were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7).
Results
The prevalence of SSD in the myocardial bridge group was 63.2%, higher than the group without myocardial bridge (53.8%). Patients with myocardial bridge were at an increased risk of SSD (odds ratio 1.362, 95% CI 1.026–1.809; P = 0.033). There were no differences in the mean PHQ-9 scores (3.2 ± 3.4 v. 3.2 ± 4.1; P = 0.751) or GAD-7 scores (2.5 ± 3.0 v. 2.3 ± 3.7; P = 0.143) between the two groups. Among patients with myocardial bridge, gender was the only independent risk factor for SSD. Women were 3.119 times more likely to experience SSD compared with men (95% CI 1.537–6.329; P = 0.002).
Conclusions
Our findings emphasise the high prevalence and severity of SSD among patients with myocardial bridge. The screening for SSD should be of particular concern, especially among female patients.