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Recently, acoustic vortices with orbital angular momentum (OAM) have attracted great attention and interest owing to their extensive applications. Based on the generalized Snell's law (GSL), acoustic vortex beams can be observed by constructing different types of acoustic metasurfaces immersed into cylindrical waveguides. However, owing to the restrictions of the phase gradient of metasurface structures and the critical order of propagating vortex beams, there exist great challenges in realizing complex modulation of vortex beams and designing advanced multifunctional sound devices. Here, we theoretically study and experimentally demonstrate the extended GSL in designing a mode converter of vortex beams based on phase-gradient acoustic metagratings (AMs). We demonstrate that the extended GSL can not only accurately predict the transmitted or reflected orders of vortex beams created by a series of AMs with arbitrary phase gradient ξ, but also effectively overcome the limitations of both the phase gradient and the critical order. More importantly, we design a type of mode converter of vortex beams and realize the mode conversion of output vortex beams by simply modulating the orders of input vortex beams. To present it, we experimentally demonstrate the switch between the output vortex beams with the orders of −2 and 2 through the same phase-gradient AM by using the input vortex beams with the orders of 1 and −1, respectively, which can be separately predicted by the GSL and the extended GSL. Our work paves a way for the complex modulation of acoustic vortex beams and the design of multifunctional OAM-based sound devices with practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of emotion understanding in young Chinese preschoolers was examined. The overall developmental trend, as measured by the Test of Emotion Comprehension (TEC), proved similar to that found among preschoolers in Western Europe. However, Chinese children performed better at understanding the distinction between real and apparent emotion and worse at understanding the connection between reminders and emotion. Children's theory of mind and verbal ability were significant predictors of their ability to understand emotion.

The Opalinida comprise ciliated protists that live as intestinal endoparasites in poikilothermic vertebrates. They are classified as one group of colourless Stramenopiles, the Opalinata, along with Proteromonadida (Proteromonas and Karotomorpha). The validity of certain opalinid genera is questionable, and their genetic relationships remain unclear. In this study, we conducted complete ribosomal DNA gene sequencing of nine opalinid species (belonging to Opalina , Protoopalina , Zelleriella , and Cepedea) from China. We compared the primary sequences, secondary structures, and characteristics of short tandem repeats within the expansion segments of the sequences. Additionally, a TimeTree analysis was performed to estimate divergence times. Our findings suggest that opalinids diverged from proteromonads ~250–220 Mya, with Protoopalina being the ancient genus. There is no genetic evidence supporting the differentiation of Cepedea and Bezzenbergeria as distinct genera, and they have been synonymized: Opalina (= Cepedea) and Protoopalina (= Bezzenbergeria); new combinations of species names are listed. Opalinid rDNA sequences exhibit greater length compared with other groups owing to A-T insertions within the expansion segments. These insertions consist of short tandem repeats and appear to be associated with speciation events that led to genus differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to China as a cultured fish from North America has been associated with increased mortality, primarily caused by monogeneans. These pathogenic monogeneans parasitize the gills of the largemouth bass, prompting an investigation into the monogenetic species composition and infection status on the cultured bass to assess the invasive risk in Hubei Province. Co-introduced parasite species were identified as Onchocleidus dispar and Clavunculus bursatus based on morphological characteristics. In the fishery in Daye, Hubei, O. dispar and C. bursatus were found with the prevalence rates of 12.90% and 1.08%, and mean abundance of 0.14 and 0.02, respectively. At the Xinzhou fishery, M. salmoides exhibited infection with O. dispar, showing prevalence and mean abundance rates of 22.22% and 2.14, respectively. Following the largemouth bass introduction to China, there has been a noticeable decrease in the species richness of monogeneans compared to their native range. O. dispar has become established on farmed largemouth bass in Wuhan, situated in the middle floodplain of the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liver fluke disease caused by Clonorchis sinensis is one of the most serious food-borne parasitic diseases in China. Many freshwater fish and shrimps can be infected with C. sinensis metacercariae as the second intermediate hosts in endemic regions. Owing to the lack of infected humans and the good administration of pet dogs and cats in cities of non-endemic regions, few fish are expected to be infected with C. sinensis metacercariae in urban lakes. To determine the infection of C. sinensis metacercariae in freshwater fish and shrimps in urban lakes, a total of 18 fish species and one shrimp species were investigated in the East Lake of Wuhan City. Metacercariae were isolated by artificial digestive juice and identified using morphology and rDNA-ITS2 sequences. Five species of fish, Pseudorasbora parva, Ctenogobius giurinus, Squalidus argentatus, Hemiculter leuciclus, and Rhodeus spp., were infected with C. sinensis metacercariae. The overall prevalence of C. sinensis was 32.5%. The highest prevalence was found in P. parva with 57.9%, while S. argentatus exhibited the highest mean abundance (13.9). Apart from the C. sinensis metacercariae, four species of other trematode metacercariae were also identified across twelve fish species in total. Owing to the consumption of undercooked fish and feeding cats with small fish caught by anglers, there is a potential risk that the small fish infected with C. sinensis metacercariae may act as an infection source to spread liver fluke. Given the complete life cycle of C. sinensis, stray cats and rats were inferred to act as the important final hosts of C. sinensis in urban lakes in non-endemic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the common complications during pregnancy. Numerous studies have shown that GDM is associated with a series of adverse effects on both mothers and offspring. Due to the particularity of pregnancy, medical nutrition treatment is considered to be the first choice for the treatment of GDM. This contribution reviews the research progress of medical nutrition treatment in GDM, summarizes the international recommendations on the intake of various nutrients and the influence of nutrients on the prevalence of GDM, and the improvement effect of nutritional intervention on it, in order to provide references for research in related fields of GDM and the targeted development of enteral nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]