Acute Inflammatory Pain Induces Sex-different Brain Alpha Activity in Anesthetized Rats Through Optically Pumped Magnetometer Magnetoencephalography

Objective Magnetoencephalography(MEG),a non-invasive neuroimaging technique,meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity.Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices(SQUID),MEG based on optically pump magnetometer(OPM)has the advantages of higher sensitivity,better spatial resolution and lower cost.However,most of the current studies are clinical studies,and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology.Pain,a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon,induces intricate alterations in brain activity,exhibiting notable sex differences.Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG,specific properties remain elusive,and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking.The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain(induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant(CFA))on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique,to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception,and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling.Methods This study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats.Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA(100μl,50%in saline)in the left hind paw,with control groups receiving saline.Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection.For MEG recording,anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield,undergoing two 15-minute sessions:a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase.Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms,generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range.Results MEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared,before and after saline/CFA injections.Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre-and post-saline/CFA injections.Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states.Remarkably,female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states.Furthermore,despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment,female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection.Conclusion These results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts.Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection,highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state.Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals.In addition,the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.

Beyond statistical significance:Embracing minimal clinically important difference for better patient care

The minimal clinically important difference(MCID)represents a pivotal metric in bridging the gap between statistical significance and clinical relevance,addressing the direct impact of medical interventions from the patient's perspective.This comprehensive review analyzes the evolution,applications,and challenges of MCID across medical specialties,emphasizing its necessity in ensuring that clinical outcomes not only demonstrate statistical significance but also offer genuine clinical utility that aligns with patient expectations and needs.We discuss the evolution of MCID since its inception in the 1980s,its current applications across various medical specialties,and the methodologies used in its calculation,highlighting both anchor-based and distribution-based approaches.Furthermore,the paper delves into the challenges associated with the application of MCID,such as methodological variability and the interpretation difficulties that arise in clinical settings.Recommendations for the future include standardizing MCID calculation methods,enhancing patient involvement in setting MCID thresholds,and extending research to incorporate diverse global perspectives.These steps are critical to refining the role of MCID in patient-centered healthcare,addressing existing gaps in methodology and interpretation,and ensuring that medical interventions lead to significant,patient-perceived improvements.

Variations in quantifying patient reported outcome measures to estimate treatment effect

In the practice of healthcare,patient-reported outcomes(PROs)and PRO measures(PROMs)are used as an attempt to observe the changes in complex clinical situations.They guide us in making decisions based on the evidence regarding patient care by recording the change in outcomes for a particular treatment to a given condition and finally to understand whether a patient will benefit from a particular treatment and to quantify the treatment effect.For any PROM to be usable in health care,we need it to be reliable,encapsulating the points of interest with the potential to detect any real change.Using structured outcome measures routinely in clinical practice helps the physician to understand the functional limitation of a patient that would otherwise not be clear in an office interview,and this allows the physician and patient to have a meaningful conver-sation as well as a customized plan for each patient.Having mentioned the rationale and the benefits of PROMs,understanding the quantification process is crucial before embarking on management decisions.A better interpretation of change needs to identify the treatment effect based on clinical relevance for a given condition.There are a multiple set of measurement indices to serve this effect and most of them are used interchangeably without clear demarcation on their differences.This article details the various quantification metrics used to evaluate the treatment effect using PROMs,their limitations and the scope of usage and implementation in clinical practice.

High expression of stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase in colorectal cancer oncogenic functions and its potential as a therapeutic target

BACKGROUND The stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase(SCD)gene influences colorectal cancer(CRC)pathogenesis,with its expression linked to tumor cell survival and resistance,necessitating further investigation into its role in CRC.AIM To explore the clinical and pathological significance of SCD expression in CRC tissues and to evaluate the affinity between nitidine chloride(NC)and SCD as a target.METHODS Multi-center high-throughput data related to CRC were integrated to calculate the standardized mean difference of SCD mRNA expression levels.Immunohistochemical staining results,Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats knockout screening results of cell growth,and single-cell sequencing were employed to verify the significance of SCD expression in CRC.The clinical and pathological significance of SCD was assessed using pooled receiver operating characteristic curves,sensitivity,specificity,and likelihood ratios.The molecular mechanism of NC against CRC was clarified using the SwissTarget Prediction and functional enrichment,and molecular docking techniques were utilized to explore the targeting affinity between NC and SCD.RESULTS Data from 18 platforms,including 2482 CRC samples and 1334 non-cancerous colorectal tissue controls.SCD expression was significantly upregulated in CRC,with a standardized mean difference of 2.05[95%confidence interval(CI):1.69-2.41].The area under the pooled receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.95(95%CI:0.92-0.96),with a sensitivity of 0.86(95%CI:0.81-0.90)and a specificity of 0.90(95%CI:0.87-0.93).Positive and negative likelihood ratios were 9.02(95%CI:6.49-12.51)and 0.15(95%CI:0.10-0.22),respectively.High SCD protein expression was noted in 208 CRC patients,significantly associated with vascular invasion(P<0.001).At the singlecell level,SCD was significantly overexpressed in CRC cells(P<0.001).A total of 33 CRC cell lines depended on SCD for growth.The potential mechanism of NC against CRC might involve modulation of the cell cycle,positioning SCD as a potential target for NC.CONCLUSION SCD promotes CRC cell growth and thus acts as an oncogenic factor,making it a potential therapeutic target for NC in CRC treatment.

Perceived Social Support and Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety among Chinese Adolescents:A Moderated Chain Mediation Model

Background:Although previous studies indicate that perceived social support might be associated with adolescent psychological problems,the specific mechanism has not been thoroughly discussed.Based on theoretical and empirical research on problematic Internet use(PIU)and sleep quality,this study explored whether they play a mediating role between perceived social support and symptoms of depression and anxiety among adolescents.Furthermore,we investigated whether these relationships varied by place of residence.Methods:A sample of 2115 Chinese adolescents was included,and analyzed data related to perceived social support,PIU,sleep quality,symptoms of depression and anxiety,and sociodemographic variables.Correlation analysis,mediation,and moderation analysis were mainly used.Results:Perceived social support was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms(r=−0.22,p<0.001)and anxiety symptoms(r=−0.20,p<0.001)among adolescents.PIU and sleep quality played a chain mediating role in the relationship between perceived social support and symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents.Additionally,the place of residence moderated the relationships between perceived social support and PIU and symptoms of depression and anxiety.Perceived social support was a significant negative predictor of PIU and symptoms of depression and anxiety among adolescents in urban areas but not in rural areas.Conclusion:The findings suggest that low levels of perceived social support may lead to more PIU and poorer sleep quality,which may further increase the risk of symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents,especially in urban areas.

Forecasting step-like landslide displacement through diverse monitoring frequencies

The precision of landslide displacement prediction is crucial for effective landslide prevention and mitigation strategies.However,the role of surface monitoring frequency in influencing prediction accuracy has been largely neglected.This study examined the effect of varying monitoring frequencies on the accuracy of displacement predictions by using the Baijiabao landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area(TGRA)as a case study.We collected surface automatic monitoring data at different intervals,ranging from daily to monthly.The Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition(EEMD)algorithm was utilized to dissect the accumulated displacements into periodic and trend components at each monitoring frequency.Polynomial fitting was applied to forecast the trend component while the periodic component was predicted with two state-of-the-art neural network models:Long Short-Term Memory(LSTM)and Gated Recurrent Unit(GRU).The predictions from these models were integrated to derive cumulative displacement forecasts,enabling a comparative analysis of prediction accuracy across different monitoring frequencies.The results demonstrate that the proposed models achieve high accuracy in landslide displacement forecasting,with optimal performance observed at moderate monitoring intervals.Intriguingly,the daily mean average error(MAE)decreases sharply with increasing monitoring frequency,reaching a plateau.These findings were corroborated by a parallel analysis of the Bazimen landslide,suggesting that moderate monitoring intervals of approximately 7 to 15 days are most conducive to achieving enhanced prediction accuracy compared to both daily and monthly intervals.

Spatial Patterns and Controlling Factors of Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen in the Three River Headwaters Region,China

The alpine ecosystem has great potential for carbon sequestration.Soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)are highly sensitive to climate change,and their dynamics are crucial to revealing the effect of climate change on the structure,function,and services of the ecosystem.However,the spatial distribution and controlling factors of SOC and TN across various soil layers and vegetation types within this unique ecosystem remain inadequately understood.In this study,256 soil samples in 89 sites were collected from the Three River Headwaters Region(TRHR)in China to investigate SOC and TN and to explore the primary factors affecting their distribution,including soil,vegetation,climate,and geography factors.The results show that SOC and TN contents in 0-20,20-40,40-60,and 60-80 cm soil layers are 24.40,18.03,14.04,12.40 g/kg and 2.46,1.90,1.51,1.17 g/kg,respectively;with higher concentrations observed in the southeastern region compared to the northwest of the TRHR.One-way analysis of variance reveals that SOC and TN levels are elevated in the alpine meadow and the alpine shrub relative to the alpine steppe in the 0-60 cm soil layers.The structural equation model explores that soil water content is the main controlling factor affecting the variation of SOC and TN.Moreover,the geography,climate,and vegetation factors notably indirectly affect SOC and TN through soil factors.Therefore,it can effectively improve soil water and nutrient conditions through vegetation restoration,soil improvement,and grazing management,and the change of SOC and TN can be fully understood by establishing monitoring networks to better protect soil carbon and nitrogen.

Mapping and measuring urban-rural inequalities in accessibility to social infrastructures

Equal access to social infrastructures is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development,but has long been a great challenge worldwide.Previous studies have primarily focused on the accessibility to social infras-tructures in urban areas across various scales,with less attention to rural areas,where inequality can be more severe.Particularly,few have investigated the disparities of accessibility to social infrastructures between urban and rural areas.Here,using the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration,China,as an example,we investigated the inequality of accessibility in both urban and rural areas,and further compared the urban-rural difference.Accessibility was measured by travel time of residents to infrastructures.We selected four types of social infrastructures including supermarkets,bus stops,primary schools,and health care,which were funda-mentally important to both urban and rural residents.We found large disparities in accessibility between urban and rural areas,ranging from 20 min to 2 h.Rural residents had to spend one to two more hours to bus stops than urban residents,and 20 min more to the other three types of infrastructures.Furthermore,accessibility to multiple infrastructures showed greater urban-rural differences.Rural residents in more than half of the towns had no access to any infrastructure within 15 min,while more than 60%of the urban residents could access to all infrastructures within 15 min.Our results revealed quantitative accessibility gap between urban and rural areas and underscored the necessity of social infrastructures planning to address such disparities.

Design,test,and verification of in-situ condition preserved coring and analysis system in lunar-based simulation environment

The lunar surface and its deep layers contain abundant resources and valuable information resources,the exploration and exploitation of which are important for the sustainable development of the human economy and society.Technological exploration and research in the field of deep space science,especially lunar-based exploration,is a scientific strategy that has been pursued in China and worldwide.Drilling and sampling are key to accurate exploration of the desirable characteristics of deep lunar resources.In this study,an in-situ condition preserved coring(ICP-Coring)and analysis system,which can be used to test drilling tools and develop effective sampling strategies,was designed.The key features of the system include:(1)capability to replicate the extreme temperature fluctuations of the lunar environment(-185 to 200℃)with intelligent temperature control;(2)ability to maintain a vacuum environment at a scale of 10^(-3) Pa,both under unloaded conditions within Ф580 mm×1000 mm test chamber,and under loaded conditions using Ф400 mm×800 mm lunar rock simulant;(3)application of axial pressures up to 4 MPa and confining pressures up to 3.5 MPa;(4)sample rotation at any angle with a maximum sampling length of 800 mm;and(5)multiple modes of rotary-percussive drilling,controlled by penetration speed and weight on bit(WOB).Experimental studies on the drilling characteristics in the lunar rock simulant-loaded state under different drill bit-percussive-vacuum environment configurations were conducted.The results show that the outgassing rate of the lunar soil simulant is greater than that of the lunar rock simulant and that a low-temperature environment contributes to a reduced vacuum of the lunar-based simulated environment.The rotary-percussive drilling method effectively shortens the sampling time.With increasing sampling depth,the temperature rise of the drilling tools tends to rapidly increase,followed by slow growth or steady fluctuations.The temperature rise energy accumulation of the drill bits under vacuum is more significant than that under atmospheric pressure,approximately 1.47 times higher.The real-time monitored drilling pressure,penetration speed and rotary torque during drilling serve as parameters for discriminating the drilling status.The results of this research can provide a scientific basis for returning samples from lunar rock in extreme lunar-based environments.

Seismic performance evaluation of water supply pipes installed in a full-scale RC frame structure based on a shaking table test

As an important part of nonstructural components,the seismic response of indoor water supply pipes deserves much attention.This paper presents shaking table test research on water supply pipes installed in a full-scale reinforced concrete(RC)frame structure.Different material pipes and different methods for penetrating the reinforced concrete floors are combined to evaluate the difference in seismic performance.Floor response spectra and pipe acceleration amplification factors based on test data are discussed and compared with code provisions.A seismic fragility study of displacement demand is conducted based on numerical simulation.The acceleration response and displacement response of different combinations are compared.The results show that the combination of different pipe materials and different passing-through methods can cause obvious differences in the seismic response of indoor riser pipes.

Effects of thawing-induced softening on fracture behaviors of frozen rock

Due to the presence of ice and unfrozen water in pores of frozen rock,the rock fracture behaviors are susceptible to temperature.In this study,the potential thawing-induced softening effects on the fracture behaviors of frozen rock is evaluated by testing the tension fracture toughness(KIC)of frozen rock at different temperatures(i.e.-20℃,-15℃,-12℃,-10℃,-8℃,-6℃,-4℃,-2℃,and 0℃).Acoustic emission(AE)and digital image correlation(DIC)methods are utilized to analyze the microcrack propagation during fracturing.The melting of pore ice is measured using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)method.The results indicate that:(1)The KIC of frozen rock decreases moderately between-20℃ and-4℃,and rapidly between-4℃ and 0℃.(2)At-20℃ to-4℃,the fracturing process,deduced from the DIC results at the notch tip,exhibits three stages:elastic deformation,microcrack propagation and microcrack coalescence.However,at-4℃e0℃,only the latter two stages are observed.(3)At-4℃e0℃,the AE activities during fracturing are less than that at-20℃ to-4℃,while more small events are reported.(4)The NMR results demonstrate a reverse variation trend in pore ice content with increasing temperature,that is,a moderate decrease is followed by a sharp decrease and-4℃ is exactly the critical temperature.Next,we interpret the thawing-induced softening effect by linking the evolution in microscopic structure of frozen rock with its macroscopic fracture behaviors as follow:from-20℃ to-4℃,the thickening of the unfrozen water film diminishes the cementation strength between ice and rock skeleton,leading to the decrease in fracture parameters.From-4℃ to 0℃,the cementation effect of ice almost vanishes,and the filling effect of pore ice is reduced significantly,which facilitates microcrack propagation and thus the easier fracture of frozen rocks.

Three-Dimensional Sound Source Location Algorithm for Subsea Leakage Using Hydrophone

Leakages from subsea oil and gas equipment cause substantial economic losses and damage to marine ecosystem,so it is essential to locate the source of the leak.However,due to the complexity and variability of the marine environment,the signals collected by hydrophone contain a variety of noises,which makes it challenging to extract useful signals for localization.To solve this problem,a hydrophone denoising algorithm is proposed based on variational modal decomposition(VMD)with grey wolf optimization.First,the average envelope entropy is used as the fitness function of the grey wolf optimizer to find the optimal solution for the parameters K andα.Afterward,the VMD algorithm decomposes the original signal parameters to obtain the intrinsic mode functions(IMFs).Subsequently,the number of interrelationships between each IMF and the original signal was calculated,the threshold value was set,and the noise signal was removed to calculate the time difference using the valid signal obtained by reconstruction.Finally,the arrival time difference is used to locate the origin of the leak.The localization accuracy of the method in finding leaks is investigated experimentally by constructing a simulated leak test rig,and the effectiveness and feasibility of the method are verified.

Dynamic mechanical characteristics of deep Jinping marble in complex stress environments

To reveal the dynamic mechanical characteristics of deep rocks,a series of impact tests under triaxial static stress states corresponding to depths of 300-2400 m were conducted.The results showed that both the strain rates and the stress environments in depth significantly affect the mechanical characteristics of rocks.The sensitivity of strain rate to the dynamic strength and deformation modulus shows a negative correlation with depth,indicating that producing penetrative cracks in deep environments is more difficult when damage occurs.The dynamic strength shows a tendency to decrease and then increase slightly,but decreases sharply finally.Transmissivity demonstrates a similar trend as that of strength,whereas reflectivity indicates the opposite trend.Furthermore,two critical depths with high dynamically induced hazard possibilities based on the China Jinping Underground Laboratory(CJPL)were proposed for deep engineering.The first critical depth is 600-900 m,beyond which the sensitivity of rock dynamic characteristics to the strain rate and restraint of circumferential stress decrease,causing instability of surrounding rocks under axial stress condition.The second one lies at 1500-1800 m,where the wave impedance and dynamic strength of deep surrounding rocks drop sharply,and the dissipation energy presents a negative value.It suggests that the dynamic instability of deep surrounding rocks can be divided into dynamic load dominant and dynamic load induced types,depending on the second critical depth.

Age-specific differences in the association between prediabetes and cardiovascular diseases in China:A national cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease(CVD)is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide,the global burden of which is rising.It is still unclear the extent to which prediabetes contributes to the risk of CVD in various age brackets among adults.To develop a focused screening plan and treatment for Chinese adults with prediabetes,it is crucial to identify variations in the connection between prediabetes and the risk of CVD based on age.AIM To examine the clinical features of prediabetes and identify risk factors for CVD in different age groups in China.METHODS The cross-sectional study involved a total of 46239 participants from June 2007 through May 2008.A thorough evaluation was conducted.Individuals with prediabetes were categorized into two groups based on age.Chinese atherosclerotic CVD risk prediction model was employed to evaluate the risk of developing CVD over 10 years.Random forest was established in both age groups.SHapley Additive exPlanation method prioritized the importance of features from the perspective of assessment contribution.RESULTS In total,6948 people were diagnosed with prediabetes in this study.In prediabetes,prevalences of CVD were 5(0.29%)in the younger group and 148(2.85%)in the older group.Overall,11.11%of the younger group and 29.59% of the older group were intermediate/high-risk of CVD for prediabetes without CVD based on the Prediction for ASCVD Risk in China equation in ten years.In the younger age group,the 10-year risk of CVD was found to be more closely linked to family history of CVD rather than lifestyle,whereas in the older age group,resident status was more closely linked.CONCLUSION The susceptibility to CVD is age-specific in newly diagnosed prediabetes.It is necessary to develop targeted approaches for the prevention and management of CVD in adults across various age brackets.

Response of vegetation variation to climate change and human activities in the Shiyang River Basin of China during 2001-2022

Understanding the response of vegetation variation to climate change and human activities is critical for addressing future conflicts between humans and the environment,and maintaining ecosystem stability.Here,we aimed to identify the determining factors of vegetation variation and explore the sensitivity of vegetation to temperature(SVT)and the sensitivity of vegetation to precipitation(SVP)in the Shiyang River Basin(SYRB)of China during 2001-2022.The climate data from climatic research unit(CRU),vegetation index data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS),and land use data from Landsat images were used to analyze the spatial-temporal changes in vegetation indices,climate,and land use in the SYRB and its sub-basins(i.e.,upstream,midstream,and downstream basins)during 2001-2022.Linear regression analysis and correlation analysis were used to explore the SVT and SVP,revealing the driving factors of vegetation variation.Significant increasing trends(P<0.05)were detected for the enhanced vegetation index(EVI)and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)in the SYRB during 2001-2022,with most regions(84%)experiencing significant variation in vegetation,and land use change was determined as the dominant factor of vegetation variation.Non-significant decreasing trends were detected in the SVT and SVP of the SYRB during 2001-2022.There were spatial differences in vegetation variation,SVT,and SVP.Although NDVI and EVI exhibited increasing trends in the upstream,midstream,and downstream basins,the change slope in the downstream basin was lower than those in the upstream and midstream basins,the SVT in the upstream basin was higher than those in the midstream and downstream basins,and the SVP in the downstream basin was lower than those in the upstream and midstream basins.Temperature and precipitation changes controlled vegetation variation in the upstream and midstream basins while human activities(land use change)dominated vegetation variation in the downstream basin.We concluded that there is a spatial heterogeneity in the response of vegetation variation to climate change and human activities across different sub-basins of the SYRB.These findings can enhance our understanding of the relationship among vegetation variation,climate change,and human activities,and provide a reference for addressing future conflicts between humans and the environment in the arid inland river basins.

Alanine aminotransferase predicts incident steatotic liver disease of metabolic etiology: Long life to the old biomarker!

Alanine aminotransferase(ALT)serum levels increase because of hepatocellular damage.Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD),which identifies steatotic liver disease(SLD)associated with≥2 metabolic abnormalities,has prominent sexual differences.The Metabolic Syndrome defines a cluster comprising abdominal obesity,altered glucose metabolism,dyslipidemia,and hypertension.Male sex,body mass index,glucose,lipids,ferritin,hypertension,and age independently predict ALT levels among blood donors.Over the last few decades,the reference range of ALT levels has been animatedly debated owing to attempts to update sex-specific reference ranges.With this backset,Chen et al have recently published a study which has two main findings.First,>80%of indi-viduals with MAFLD had normal ALT levels.Second,there was a linear increa-sing trend in the association between cumulative excess high-normal ALT levels and the rate of incident MAFLD.This study has biologically credible findings.However,it inaccurately considered sex differences in the MAFLD arena.Therefore,future studies on SLD owing to metabolic dysfunction should adopt locally determined and prospectively validated reference ranges of ALT and carefully consider sex differences in liver enzymes and MAFLD pathobiology.

Study on the influence of side-blown airflow velocities on plasma and combustion wave generated from fused silica induced by combined pulse laser

This study examines the impact of variations in side-blowing airflow velocity on plasma generation,combustion wave propagation mechanisms,and surface damage in fused silica induced by a combined millisecond-nanosecond pulsed laser.The airflow rate and pulse delay are the main experimental variables.The evolution of plasma motion was recorded using ultrafast time-resolved optical shadowing.The experimental results demonstrate that the expansion velocities of the plasma and combustion wave are influenced differently by the sideblowing airflow at different airflow rates(0.2 Ma,0.4 Ma,and 0.6 Ma).As the flow rate of the sideblow air stream increases,the initial expansion velocities of the plasma and combustion wave gradually decrease,and the side-blow air stream increasingly suppresses the plasma.It is important to note that the target vapor is always formed and ionized into plasma during the combined pulse laser action.Therefore,the side-blown airflow alone cannot completely clear the plasma.Depending on the delay conditions,the pressure of the side-blowing airflow,the influence of inverse Bremsstrahlung radiation absorption and target surface absorption mechanisms can lead to a phenomenon known as the double combustion waves when using a nanosecond pulse laser.Both simulation and experimental results are consistent,indicating the potential for further exploration of fused silica targets in the laser field.

A novel variable-order fractional chaotic map and its dynamics

In recent years,fractional-order chaotic maps have been paid more attention in publications because of the memory effect.This paper presents a novel variable-order fractional sine map(VFSM)based on the discrete fractional calculus.Specially,the order is defined as an iterative function that incorporates the current state of the system.By analyzing phase diagrams,time sequences,bifurcations,Lyapunov exponents and fuzzy entropy complexity,the dynamics of the proposed map are investigated comparing with the constant-order fractional sine map.The results reveal that the variable order has a good effect on improving the chaotic performance,and it enlarges the range of available parameter values as well as reduces non-chaotic windows.Multiple coexisting attractors also enrich the dynamics of VFSM and prove its sensitivity to initial values.Moreover,the sequence generated by the proposed map passes the statistical test for pseudorandom number and shows strong robustness to parameter estimation,which proves the potential applications in the field of information security.

Resistance development,cross-resistance,and fitness costs associated with Aphis gossypii resistance towards sulfoxaflor and acetamiprid in different geographical regions

Aphis gossypii has become increasingly difficult to manage due to its strong insecticide resistance.In the laboratory,we established sulfoxaflor-resistant and acetamiprid-resistant strains in two A.gossypii populations with different basal insecticide resistance levels,and evaluated the effects of basal insecticide resistance on the resistance development and cross-resistance,as well as differences in fitness.Under the same selection pressure,Yarkant A.gossypii(with low basal insecticide resistance)evolved resistance to sulfoxaflor and acetamiprid more quickly than Jinghe A.gossypii(with high basal insecticide resistance),and the evolution of A.gossypii resistance to sulfoxaflor developed faster than acetamiprid in both Yarkant and Jinghe,Xingjiang,China.The sulfoxaflor-resistant strains selected from Yarkant and Jinghe developed significant cross-resistance to acetamiprid,imidacloprid,thiamethoxam and pymetrozine;while the acetamiprid-resistant strains developed significant cross-resistance to sulfoxaflor,imidacloprid,thiamethoxam,pymetrozine,and chlorpyrifos.The relative fitness of A.gossypii decreased as the resistance to sulfoxaflor and acetamiprid developed.The relative fitness levels of the sulfoxaflor-resistant strains(Yarkant-SulR and Jinghe-SulR)were lower than those of the acetamipridresistant strains(Yarkant-AceR and Jinghe-AceR).In addition,the relative fitness levels of sulfoxaflor-and acetamiprid-resistant strains were lower in Jinghe than in Yarkant.In summary,basal insecticide resistance of A.gossypii and insecticide type affected the evolution of resistance to insecticides in A.gossypii,as well as cross-resistance to other insecticides.The sulfoxaflor-and acetamiprid-resistant A.gossypii strains had obvious fitness costs.The results of this work will contribute to the insecticide resistance management and integrated management of A.gossypii.

Decline in tree-ring growth of Picea mongolica and its intra-annual eco-physiological responses to drought and CO_(2) enrichment in semi-arid China

Episodes of drought-induced decline in tree growth and mortality are becoming more frequent as a result of climate warming and enhanced water stress in semi-arid areas.However,the ecophysiological mechanisms under-lying the impact of drought on tree growth remains unre-solved.In this study,earlywood and latewood tree-ring growth,δ^(13)C,andδ^(18)O chronologies of Picea mongolica from 1900 to 2013 were developed to clarify the intra-and inter-annual tree-ring growth responses to increasingly fre-quent droughts.The results indicate that annual basal area increment residuals(BAI_(res)),which removed tree age and size effects,have significantly decreased since 1960.How-ever,the decreasing trend of earlywood BAI_(res) was higher than that of latewood.Climate response analysis suggests that the dominant parameters for earlywood and latewood proxies(BAI_(res),δ^(13)C andδ^(18)O)were drought-related climate variables(Palmer drought severity index,temperature,rela-tive humidity,and vapor pressure deficit).The most signifi-cant period of earlywood and latewood proxies’responses to climate variables were focused on June-July and July-August,respectively.BAI_(res),andδ^(13)C were significantly affected by temperature and moisture conditions,whereasδ^(18)O was slightly affected.Decreasing stomatal conduct-ance due to drought outweighed the influence of increasing CO_(2) on intrinsic water use efficiency(iWUE),and ultimately led to a decline in BAI_(res).Compared to latewood,the faster decreasing BAI_(res) and smaller increasing iWUE of early-wood suggested trees were more vulnerable to water stress in the early growing season.Our study provides insights into the inter-and intra-annual mechanisms of tree-ring growth in semi-arid regions under rising CO_(2) and climate change.