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The thermodynamic properties of boron nitride under extreme pressures and temperatures are of great interest and importance for materials science and inertial confinement fusion physics, but they are poorly understood owing to the challenges of performing experiments and realizing ab initio calculations. Here, we report the first shock Hugoniot data on hexagonal boron nitride at pressures of 5–16 Mbar, using hohlraum-driven shock waves at the SGIII-p laser facility in China. Our density functional theory molecular dynamics calculations closely match experimental data, validating the equations of state for modeling the shock response of boron nitride and filling a crucial gap in the knowledge of boron nitride properties in the region of multi-Mbar pressures and eV temperatures. The results presented here provide fundamental insights into boron nitride under the extreme conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion, hydrogen–boron fusion, and high-energy-density physics.

We present measurements of the 2p-3d transition opacity of a hot molybdenum–scandium sample with nearly half-vacant molybdenum M-shell configurations. A plastic-tamped molybdenum–scandium foil sample is radiatively heated to high temperature in a compact D-shaped gold Hohlraum driven by ∼30 kJ laser energy at the SG-100 kJ laser facility. X rays transmitted through the molybdenum and scandium plasmas are diffracted by crystals and finally recorded by image plates. The electron temperatures in the sample in particular spatial and temporal zones are determined by the K-shell absorption of the scandium plasma. A combination of the IRAD3D view factor code and the MULTI hydrodynamic code is used to simulate the spatial distribution and temporal behavior of the sample temperature and density. The inferred temperature in the molybdenum plasma reaches a average of 138 ± 11 eV. A detailed configuration-accounting calculation of the n = 2–3 transition absorption of the molybdenum plasma is compared with experimental measurements and quite good agreement is found. The present measurements provide an opportunity to test opacity models for complicated M-shell configurations.

In order to evaluate the tracking capability of optoelectric tracking for an orbital target, the limit magnitude detection performance calculation model and its calculation method are studied. Combining the optical signal characteristics of the tracked orbital target, the background, and the CCD noise, the framework of the limit magnitude calculation model of the system for dynamic target detection is constructed. The relationships between the limit magnitude and the signal-to-noise ratio threshold of the optical signal characteristics, the exposure time of the CCD camera, and the dark current of the CCD imaging are studied and analyzed while considering the sunlight illumination condition, so that the calculation function and its change curve are given. The limit magnitude detection capability of the system is verified by the simulated experiment and the synchronized tracking test, and the detection distance maximum error of the model calculation is 3.6 m. The results show that under certain illumination conditions, when the exposure time of the CCD camera is longer and the SNR threshold is lower, the limit magnitude detection performance of the system is better, and the tracking performance of the system is more stable.

A self-consistent and precise method to determine the time-dependent radiative albedo, i.e., the ratio of the reemission flux to the incident flux, for an indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion Hohlraum wall material is proposed. A specially designed symmetrical triple-cavity gold Hohlraum is used to create approximately constant and near-equilibrium uniform radiation with a peak temperature of 160 eV. The incident flux at the secondary cavity waist is obtained from flux balance analysis and from the shock velocity of a standard sample. The results agree well owing to the symmetrical radiation in the secondary cavity. A self-consistent and precise time-dependent radiative albedo is deduced from the reliable reemission flux and the incident flux, and the result from the shock velocity is found to have a smaller uncertainty than that from the multi-angle flux balance analysis, and also to agree well with the result of a simulation using the HYADES opacity.

An Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Si–Zr–Er alloy was fabricated by laser powder bed fusion technology. A unique cellular structure consisting of α-Al, Mg2Si, and Al2CuMg phases was observed in both as-printed (AP) and direct aging (DA) alloys. Direct aging treatment at 150 °C × 4 h can improve the yield strength and hardness of the alloy, and precipitation strengthening and fine grain strengthening are dominant mechanisms. The strength of the regression re-aging (RRA) heat treated alloy decreased, while the elongation was obviously improved, and the grain boundary was continuous without precipitates free zones. DA could not significantly hinder the fatigue crack growth rate of the as-printed alloy, but the improvement of plasticity, elimination of residual stress, and the effect of precipitates in RRA alloy extend the life of the fatigue crack growth stage, thereby improving the overall fatigue life of the alloy from 1.17 × 105 cycles to 3.93 × 106 cycles.

The investigation of iron under high pressure and temperatures is crucial to understand the Earth’s core structure and composition and the generation of magnetic fields. Here, we present new in situ XRD measurements for iron in an off-Hugoniot state by laser-driven ramp compression at pressure of 200–238 GPa. The lattice parameters for the hexagonal (hcp)-Fe phase and the c/a ratios were obtained to compare them with previous static and dynamical data, which provides the direct confirmation of such parameters via the different compression paths and strain rates. This work indicates that laser ramp compression can be utilized to provide crystal structure information and direct key information on the crystal structure of Fe at the ultrahigh pressure–temperature conditions relevant for planetology.

Osteoporosis is a systemic disease characterized by an imbalance in bone homeostasis, where osteoblasts fail to fully compensate for the bone resorption induced by osteoclasts. Corylifol A, a flavonoid extracted from Fructus psoraleae, has been identified as a potential treatment for this condition. Predictions from network pharmacology and molecular docking studies suggest that Corylifol A exhibits strong binding affinity with NFATc1, Nrf2, PI3K, and AKT1. Empirical evidence from in vivo experiments indicates that Corylifol A significantly mitigates systemic bone loss induced by ovariectomy by suppressing both the generation and activation of osteoclasts. In vitro studies further showed that Corylifol A inhibited the activation of PI3K-AKT and MAPK pathways and calcium channels induced by RANKL in a time gradient manner, and specifically inhibited the phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, GSK3 β, ERK, CaMKII, CaMKIV, and Calmodulin. It also diminishes ROS production through Nrf2 activation, leading to a decrease in the expression of key regulators such as NFATcl, C-Fos, Acp5, Mmp9, and CTSK that are involved in osteoclastogenesis. Notably, our RNA-seq analysis suggests that Corylifol A primarily impacts mitochondrial energy metabolism by suppressing oxidative phosphorylation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that Corylifol A is a novel inhibitor of osteoclastogenesis, offering potential therapeutic applications for diseases associated with excessive bone resorption.

Background: As commonly used harvest residue management practices in subtropical plantations, stem only harvesting (SOH) and whole tree harvesting (WTH) are expected to affect soil organic carbon (SOC) content. However, knowledge on how SOC and its fractions (POC: particulate organic carbon; MAOC: mineral-associated organic carbon) respond to different harvest residue managements is limited. Methods: In this study, a randomized block experiment containing SOH and WTH was conducted in a Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantation. The effect of harvest residue management on SOC and its fractions in topsoil (0–10 ​cm) and subsoil (20–40 ​cm) was determined. Plant inputs (harvest residue retaining mass and fine root biomass) and microbial and mineral properties were also measured. Results: The responses of SOC and its fractions to different harvest residue managements varied with soil depth. Specifically, SOH enhanced the content of SOC and POC in topsoil with increases of 15.9% and 29.8%, respectively, compared with WTH. However, SOH had no significant effects on MAOC in topsoil and SOC and its fractions in subsoil. These results indicated that the increase in POC induced by the retention of harvest residue was the primary contributor to SOC accumulation, especially in topsoil. The harvest residue managements affected SOC and its fractions through different pathways in topsoil and subsoil. The plant inputs (the increase in fine root biomass induced by SOH) exerted a principal role in the SOC accumulation in topsoil, whereas mineral and microbial properties played a more important role in regulating SOC dynamics than plants inputs in subsoil. Conclusion: The retention of harvest residues can promote SOC accumulation by increasing POC, and is thus suggested as an effective technology to enhance the soil carbon sink for mitigating climate change in plantation management.

Abstract Recent studies have identified G protein‐coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) as a promising target for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, and GPR40 agonists have several superior effects over other hypoglycemic drugs, including cardiovascular protection and suppression of glucagon levels. In this study, we constructed an up‐to‐date GPR40 ligand dataset for training models and performed a systematic optimization of the ensemble model, resulting in a powerful ensemble model (ROC AUC: 0.9496) for distinguishing GPR40 agonists and non‐agonists. The ensemble model is divided into three layers, and the optimization process is carried out in each layer. We believe that these results will prove helpful for both the development of GPR40 agonists and ensemble models. All the data and models are available on GitHub. (https://github.com/Jiamin‐Yang/ensemble_model)

The first laser–plasma interaction experiment using lasers of eight beams grouped into one octad has been conducted on the Shenguang Octopus facility. Although each beam intensity is below its individual threshold for stimulated Brillouin backscattering (SBS), collective behaviors are excited to enhance the octad SBS. In particular, when two-color/cone lasers with wavelength separation 0.3 nm are used, the backward SBS reflectivities show novel behavior in which beams of longer wavelength achieve higher SBS gain. This property of SBS can be attributed to the rotation of the wave vectors of common ion acoustic waves due to the competition of detunings between geometrical angle and wavelength separation. This mechanism is confirmed using massively parallel supercomputer simulations with the three-dimensional laser–plasma interaction code LAP3D.

Improving agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) is a promising way to achieve the sustainability of agricultural development. Although AEE evaluation and driving forces were widely explored, few studies have systematically examined how urbanization, the core driving force, affected AEE. To supplement the existing literature, the GB-US-SBM model was used to assess AEE in China during 2004–2020. Furtherly, it used the mediation effect model to investigate how urbanization influenced the AEE in different agriculture development regions by reducing agricultural labor and changing rural residents’ income. The results showed that: 1) During 2004–2020, China’s AEE revealed a stable improvement, with the mean score increasing from 0.138 to 0.744. Regarding spatial distribution, AEE exhibited a gradient decrease: optimized development region > moderate development region > protected development region. 2) Urbanization had a significantly positive effect on AEE, with the magnitude of the effect greatest in the protected development region, followed by the moderate development region and the optimized development region. 3) The mediator variables, agricultural labor and rural residents’ income, positively mediated the relationship between urbanization and AEE, and the former had a larger mediating effect. Notably, rural residents’ income did not mediate the effect of urbanization on AEE in the protected development region. According to the findings, to improve sustainable agriculture development and urbanization development in China, some policy suggestions were put forward from the aspects of transforming agricultural development mode, accelerating the urbanization process, enhancing vocational education for the middle-aged and young rural labor force, and expanding channels for increasing rural residents’ income.

Double shell capsule can provide a potential low-convergence to fusion ignition at relatively low temperature (∼3 keV). One of the main sources of degrading double shell implosion performance is the low-mode asymmetries. Recently, the experiments on the evolution of low-mode asymmetries introduced by x-ray P2 drive asymmetry during double shell implosions were carried out on the SG facility, where the outer shell and inner shell shapes were measured through the backlit radiography, and the fuel shape near stagnation was measured by core x-ray self-emission imaging. The time-dependent x-ray flux symmetry was controlled by varying the inner cone fraction, defined as the ratio of the inner cone power to the total laser power, while keeping the drive temperature histories same across experiments. Both the hohlraum radiation and the capsule implosions were analyzed using a two-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamics code. Comparing the experimental radiographs and self-emission images to the simulations, it is found that the simulated outer shell, inner shell and hot spot shapes are in qualitative agreement with experiments, especially, the symmetry swings of the hot spot shape near stagnation are observed from both experimental and simulation results. Further, the effect of x-ray drive asymmetries on double shell implosion performance is preliminarily investigated using numerical simulations. We find that the azimuthal variations in radial velocity caused by drive asymmetries can generate azimuthal mass flow of the inner shell, thus kinetic energy of the inner shell would be not converted into fuel internal energy with high efficiency, and the mass-averaged ion temperature of the fuel at stagnation would be reduced.

Experiments and simulations have been carried out to study the colliding process by two lasers irradiating a gold half-hohlraum. Via analyzing the evolutionary x-ray images, radiation fluxes and self-emission spectrum of tracers, influence on the x-ray conversion efficiency and the local plasma temperature $T_{e,i}$ from two gold-plasma plumes have been investigated deeply, which is similar as the configuration in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). Experimental results confirm a region with high electron and ion temperatures $T_{e,i}$ are induced, satisfying the strong collision condition of $\lambda_{i} \lt \Delta{L}$ , where λ _i and $\Delta{L}$ are respectively the ion mean-free path and the gradient length of T _e . It leads to almost $30\%$ increasing of M-band component compared to that from a single laser-irradiation case. Meanwhile ion temperature in this region increases more rapidly than electrons, reaching about $T_i\approx(16\pm4)$ keV ( $T_e\approx(2\pm 0.2)$ keV). Thus, our studies provide the experimental evidence of quantitative x-ray enhancement and a non-equilibrium evolution simultaneously due to the plasma collision for the first time. Besides, two-dimensional simulation results reveal that this process can not be precisely described by the traditional shock-heating model by dissipating the shock energy only to ions. But by distributing the viscous heating between both electrons and ions as theoretically discussed by Miller (2020 Comput. Fluids 210 104672), numerical results can match experiments better. This discovery will be of great importance to improve the precision of prediction for ICF.

Abstract In inertial confinement fusion, quantitative and high-spatial resolution ( $$< 10\,\upmu $$ < 10 μ m) measurements of the X-rays self-emitted by the hotspot are critical for studying the physical processes of the implosion stagnation stage. Herein, the 8 ± 0.39-keV monochromatic X-ray distribution from the entire hotspot is quantitatively observed in 5- $$\upmu $$ μ m spatial resolution using a Kirkpatrick–Baez microscope, with impacts from the responses of the diagnosis system removed, for the first time, in implosion experiments at the 100 kJ laser facility in China. Two-dimensional calculations along with 2.5% P2 drive asymmetry and 0.3 ablator self-emission are congruent with the experimental results, especially for the photon number distribution, hotspot profile, and neutron yield. Theoretical calculations enabled a better understanding of the experimental results. Furthermore, the origins of the 17.81% contour profile of the deuterium-deuterium hotspot and the accurate Gaussian source approximation of the core emission area in the implosion capsule are clarified in detail. This work is significant for quantitatively exploring the physical conditions of the hotspot and updating the theoretical model of capsule implosion.

A practical experimental method is proposed to investigate thermal transport by characterizing the motion of plasma flows through a x-ray spectroscopic technique using tracers. By simultaneously measuring multiple parameters, namely, the mass-ablation rate, the temporal evolution of plasma flow velocities and trajectories and the temperature, it is possible to observe a variety of physical processes, such as shock wave compression, heating by thermal waves, and plasma thermal expansion, and to determine their relative importance in different phases during the irradiation of CH and Au targets. From a comparison with hydrodynamic simulations, we find significant differences in the motion of the plasma flows between CH and Au, which can be attributed to different sensitivities to the thermal transport process. There are also differences in the ablation and electron temperature histories of the two materials. These results confirm that velocities and trajectories of plasma motion can provide useful evidence in the investigation of thermal conduction, and the approach presented here deserves more attention in the context of inertial confinement fusion and high-energy-density physics.

In implosion experiments, bremsstrahlung radiation ratios of broad-energy-band x-ray emission intensities (sampled by Ross pair) and narrow-energy-band x-ray emission intensities (sampled by multilayer) are typically used to extract the hotspot electron temperature. The latter method could potentially be more accurate because it does not require any additional theoretical arithmetic. However, the boundary conditions of the energy band, drastic influence on the measured electron temperature resulting from response differences of recording devices in the energy band, evident impact from uncertainties of the detector aiming, and coordinate interrelations for the two narrow-energy-band x-ray images have not been explored. These problems should be overcome to obtain the accurate hotspot electron temperature using the narrow-energy-band x-ray emission intensities method. This study solves the problems indicated above by exploring a diagnosis technique to extract the accurate hotspot electron temperature. In particular, we determine that the effect of the response differences and uncertainties could be ignored when the width of the sampled narrow energy band is approximately ±0.5 keV in the linear spectrum response regions of the imaging plate, and the reflectivity of the multilayer is uniform and constant in that energy band and the viewing field of the detector (≥±110 µm). This study is the first to consider the linear spectrum response of the imaging plate in different energy regions, eliminating the effect of the response differences. Finally, the maximal emission intensities in the two recorded-energy-band x-ray images can be used for coordinate interrelation.

Experiments exploring the propagation of heat waves within cylindrical CH foams were performed on the Shenguang-III prototype laser facility in 2012. In this paper, the radiation fluxes out of CH foam cylinders at different angles are analyzed theoretically using the two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics code LARED-R. Owing to the difficulty in validating opacity and equation of state (EOS) data for high-Z plasmas, and to uncertainties in the measured radiation temperature Tr and the original foam density ρ0, multipliers are introduced to adjust the Au material parameters, Tr, and ρ0 in our simulations to better explain the measurements. The dependences of the peak radiation flux Fmax and the breakout time of the heat wave thalf (defined as the time corresponding to the radiation flux at half-maximum) on the radiation source, opacity, EOS, and ρ0 scaling factors (ηsrc, ηop, ηeos, and ηρ) are investigated via numerical simulations combined with fitting. Then, with the uncertainties in the measured Tr and ρ0 fixed at 3.6% and 3.1%, respectively, experimental data are exploited as fiducial values to determine the ranges of ηop and ηeos. It is found that the ranges of ηop and ηeos fixed by this experiment overlap partially with those found in our previous work [Meng et al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 092704 (2013)]. Based on the scaled opacity and EOS parameters, the values of Fmax and thalf obtained via simulations are in good agreement with the measurements, with maximum errors ∼9.5% and within 100 ps, respectively.

Torrefaction is an effective technology to overcome the defects of biomass which are adverse to its utilization as solid fuels. For assessing the torrefaction process, it is essential to characterize the properties of torrefied biomass. However, the preparation and characterization of torrefied biomass often consume a lot of time, costs, and manpower. Developing a reliable method to predict the fuel properties of torrefied biomass while avoiding various experiments and tests is of great value. In this study, a machine learning (ML) model of back propagation neural network (BPNN) hybridized with genetic algorithm (GA) optimization was developed to predict the important properties of torrefied biomass for the fuel purpose involving fuel ratio (FR), H/C and O/C ratios, high heating value (HHV) and the mass and energy yields (MY and EY) based on the proximate analysis results of raw biomass and torrefaction conditions. R2 and RMSE were examined to evaluate the prediction precision of the model. The results showed that the GA-BPNN model exhibited excellent accuracy in predicting all properties with the values of R2 higher than 0.91 and RMSE less than 1.1879. Notably, the GA-BPNN model is applicable to any type of biomass feedstock, whether it was dried or not before torrefaction. This study filled the gap of ML application in predicting the multiple fuel properties of torrefied biomass. The results could provide reference to torrefaction technology as well as the design of torrefaction facilities.

This study comprehensively investigated the utilization of torrefied pine sawdust (PS) as solid fuels, involving the characterization of torrefied PS properties, the investigation of combustion behaviors and kinetic mechanisms by non-isothermal experiments, and the evaluation of emissions during isothermal experiments. Results show that torrefaction significantly improved the quality of the solids. The upgradation of torrefied PS properties then further enhanced its combustion performance. For the kinetics mechanisms, degradation mechanisms and diffusion mechanisms were respectively determined for the volatile combustion and the char combustion by using both Coats–Redfern (CR) and Freeman–Carroll (FC) methods. Further, after torrefaction, the emission of NO for volatile combustion reduced while it increased for char combustion. An inverse relationship was found between the conversion of fuel-N to NO and the nitrogen content in the torrefied samples. This study provided comprehensive insights for considering torrefaction as a pretreatment technique for PS utilization as a solid fuel.

The x-ray emissivity of gadolinium (Gd) and gold (Au) has been studied using the FLYCHK code. The results show that the Gd M-band is lower than 2 keV and that Gd has a higher x-ray emissivity at low temperature. Thus, we proposed a Gd + Au + Gd sandwich design to improve the x-ray conversion efficiency (CE). Under a laser intensity of 1 × 1015 W/cm2, a 11%–17% enhancement of the CE and an optimized x-ray spectrum were achieved in one-dimensional simulation. The enhancement of the CE is mainly due to an enhancement of the soft x-ray flux (0 keV–2 keV). In addition, the high energy x-ray flux (2 keV–5 keV) is lower than that of Au. Particularly at an early stage, the laser ablates the Gd layer, and the temperature of the Au layer is insufficient for producing an M-band emission. Thus, the high energy x-ray flux is rather low. A sandwich design not only takes advantage of the higher x-ray emissivity of Gd under specific conditions in an efficient manner but also simplifies the target fabrication, which is important. In addition, Gd can also be used to optimize the future design of depleted uranium Hohlraum.

Enhancement of x-ray sources from laser-produced plasmas is significant in wide-ranging applications. Solid and foam TiO2 targets were both used to generate bright x-ray sources at the Shenguang-III prototype laser facility, with a total laser power of 3.2 TW. The new foam targets were with an ultra-low initial density of 8.1 mg/cm3 and a high Ti fraction of 33 sat. %. By absolute measurements, the multi-keV x rays of the 4 keV–7 keV band and 1.6 keV–4.4 keV band and the total x rays above 0.1 keV of the foam target have simultaneously shown conversion enhancements of 1.4, 3.1, and 2.3 times, respectively, compared with the solid target. A much larger emission volume and an average electron temperature of 3.2 keV by moving the foci of laser beams inner were obtained for the foam target, providing a good condition for multi-keV x-ray production.

A 100 kJ-level laser facility has been designed to study inertial confinement fusion physics in China. This facility incorporates various diagnostic techniques, including optical, x-ray imaging, x-ray spectrum, and fusion product diagnostics, as well as general diagnostics assistance systems and central control and data acquisition systems. This paper describes recent developments in diagnostics at the facility.

Objective: To establish an animal model consistent with the occurrence and development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with which to assess the effects of a classical traditional Chinese medicine formula known as Dachaihu Decoction (DD) on NAFLD. Methods: Sixty rats were randomized into four groups: control, model, pioglitazone hydrochloride (PH) and DD in equal. NAFLD was produced via administration of a high-fat high-sugar diet for 16 weeks in all but the control group. From the 13th week, a solution of PH or DD prepared with water was delivered via intragastric administration to the PH and DD groups; the remaining two groups received an equivalent volume of distilled water. Twelve hours from the last administration, we selected eight rats from each group in random. After anesthetization, the abdominal aorta blood and liver tissues were collected. The morphological changes were observed and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FBG), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-кB) were tested. Results: Compared with the control group, the levels of serum ALT, AST, TC, TG, LDL-C and FBG, and TGF-β1, TNF-α, TLR4, NF-кB in the model group all showed significant increases (P

The physical properties of basic minerals such as magnesium silicates, oxides, and silica at extreme conditions, up to 1000 s of GPa, are crucial to understand the behaviors of magma oceans and melting in Super-Earths discovered to data. Their sound velocity at the conditions relevant to the Super-Earth’s mantle is a key parameter for melting process in determining the physical and chemical evolution of planetary interiors. In this article, we used laser indirectly driven shock compression for quartz to document the sound velocity of quartz at pressures of 270 GPa to 870 GPa during lateral unloadings in a high-power laser facility in China. These measurements demonstrate and improve the technique proposed by Li et al. [PRL 120, 215703 (2018)] to determine the sound velocity. The results compare favorably to the SESAME EoS table and previous data. The Grüneisen parameter at extreme conditions was also calculated from sound velocity data. The data presented in our experiment also provide new information on sound velocity to support the dissociation and metallization for liquid quartz at extreme conditions.

Objective: To explore biological mechanisms underlying the traditional Chinese medicine theory of “lung governing the regulation of water passage” by observing effects of mechanical ventilation on urine volume and related bioactive substances. Methods: A total of 16 male rabbits were randomly divided into control and lung expansion model groups (n = 8 per group), which were examined during the following four respiratory intervention stages (10 minutes each): (1) free breathing without any respiratory intervention; (2) lung expansion induced by mechanical ventilator; (3) free breathing without ventilator intervention; (4) cutting of bilateral sympathetic, vagus, and depressor nerves with mechanical ventilation. Data for breathing rate, blood pressure, and urine drops were recorded with a Medlab data acquisition system. Levels of nitric oxide (NO), antidiuretic hormone (ADH), endothelin 1 (ET-1), angiotensin II (AngII), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) were detected in lung tissue, kidney tissue, and serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Protein expression of aquaporins 1 and 2 (AQP1 and AQP2) was detected in kidney tissue by immunohistochemistry, while Aqp1 mRNA and Aqp2 mRNA levels in kidney tissue were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Histopathological changes in lung and kidney tissues were examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Results: Compared with the control group, number of urine drops during the second and fourth stages is significantly decreased in the model group (P

Abstract To monitor the temperature distribution of a cell and its changes under varied conditions is currently a technical challenge. A variety of non-contact methods used for measuring cellular temperature have been developed, where changes of local temperature at cell-level and sub-cell-level are indirectly calculated through the changes in intensity, band-shape, bandwidth, lifetime or polarization anisotropy of the fluorescence spectra recorded from the nano-sized fluorescent materials pre-injected into the target cell. Unfortunately, the optical properties of the fluorescent nano-materials may be affected by complicated intracellular environment, leading to unexpected measurement errors and controversial arguments. Here, we attempted to offer an alternative approach for measuring the absolute increments of local temperature in micro-Testing Zones induced by live cells. In this method, built-in high-performance micro-thermocouple arrays and double-stabilized system with a stability of 10 mK were applied. Increments of local temperature close to adherent human hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells were continuously recorded for days without stimulus, showing frequent fluctuations within 60 mK and a maximum increment by 285 mK. This method may open a door for real-time recording of the absolute local temperature increments of individual cells, therefore offering valuable information for cell biology and clinical therapy in the field of cancer research.

Objective: To test two theories from traditional Chinese medicine: “exterior–interior relationship between the lung and large intestine” and “treating from the intestine principle for lung disorders”. The influence of intestine-based treatment using Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang (XBCQT) on the concentration of three trace elements – copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) – was observed in the tissues of the lung, small intestine, large intestine, and stomach of rats suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Thirty-five male Wistar rats were divided randomly and equally into five groups: control; model; Fei treatment (A); Chang treatment (B); and Fei–Chang treatment (C). A rat model of COPD was prepared by tracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide plus exposure to cigarette smoke. Treatments with medicinal herbs started day-22 of administration and exposure to cigarette smoke for 7 days. The control group and model group were administered physiologic (0.9%) saline solution via the stomach. After 7 days of intervention, the tissues of the lung, small intestine, large intestine, and stomach were removed. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy was used to detect the levels of Cu, Zn, and Mn in those tissues. Results: Compared with the control group, the Cu concentration in the tissues of the small intestine, large intestine, and stomach increased significantly in the model group (P

In order to study the laser plasma instabilities (LPIs) in the context of some novel six-side laser-driven indirect designs like the six-cylinder-port hohlraum and the three-axis cylindrical hohlraum, where the laser beams inject in hohlraum with a large angle. LPI experiments in cylindrical hohlraum with only outer beams were designed and performed based on the current laser arrangement condition of SGIII laser facility for the first time. Stimulated Brillouin backscatter (SBS) was found to be the dominant instability with high instantaneous reflectivity in experiments. A typical feature was obtained in the time-resolved spectra of SBS, which maintained similar for different laser intensities of the interaction beam. The experimental data are analyzed by the hydrodynamic simulations combined with HLIP code, which is based on the ray-tracing model. By analysis of experimental data, it is argued that the mixture of gas and Au in the region of their interface is important to SBS, which indicates the need for the mixture model between the filled gas and the high Z plasma from hohlraum wall in the hydrodynamic simulations. Nonlinear saturation of SBS as well as the smoothed beam are also discussed here. Our effective considerations of the ions pervasion effect and the smoothed beam provide utilitarian ways for improvement of the current ray-tracing method.

Optical Thomson scattering (OTS) diagnostics have been continuously developed on a series of large laser facilities for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research in China. We review recent progress in the use of OTS diagnostics to study the internal plasma conditions of ICF gas-filled hohlraums. We establish the predictive capability for experiments by calculating the time-resolved Thomson scattering spectra based on the 2D radiation-hydrodynamic code LARED, and we explore the fitting method for the measured spectra. A typical experiment with a simplified cylindrical hohlraum is conducted on a 10 kJ-level laser facility, and the plasma evolution around the laser entrance hole is analyzed. The dynamic effects of the blast wave from the covering membrane and the convergence of shocks on the hohlraum axis are observed, and the experimental results agree well with those of simulations. Another typical experiment with an octahedral spherical hohlraum is conducted on a 100 kJ-level laser facility, and the plasma evolution at the hohlraum center is analyzed. A discrepancy appears between experiment and simulation as the electron temperature rises, indicating the occurrence of nonlocal thermal conduction.

We report experimental research on laser plasma interaction (LPI) conducted in Shenguang laser facilities during the past ten years. The research generally consists of three phases: (1) developing platforms for LPI research in mm-scale plasma with limited drive energy, where both gasbag and gas-filled hohlraum targets are tested; (2) studying the effects of beam-smoothing techniques, such as continuous phase plate and polarization smoothing, on the suppression of LPI; and (3) exploring the factors affecting LPI in integrated implosion experiments, which include the laser intensity, gas-fill pressure, size of the laser-entrance hole, and interplay between different beam cones. Results obtained in each phase will be presented and discussed in detail.

Two neutron time-of-flight (nToF) detectors have been employed to measure the neutron time-of-flight spectrum in different lines-of-sight, i.e., at the equator plane and the south pole, on Shenguang-III (SG-III) laser facility. The contribution of scattered neutrons has been calculated with the Monte Carlo code JMCT for each nToF detector. The results show that the scattered neutron spectrum is dominated by neutrons scattered on materials in the experiment hall, including the vacuum chamber. The shape of the scattered neutron spectrum depends on the view line, which has been observed with nToF detectors located in the experiment hall of the SG-III laser facility. A method based on the convolution of the calculated neutron time-of-flight spectrum and the instrument response function has been developed for the ion temperature determination. The calculated neutron spectra with the contribution of scattered neutrons can fit the measured results. No obvious ion temperature anisotropy has been observed on the SG-III laser facility at present.

To investigate the effects of a novel synthetic epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, COMPOUND7809, on the inhibition of lung cancer growth in vitro and the underlying mechanisms, we treated three lung tumor cell lines (A549, SK-LU-1, and NCI-H23) with COMPOUND7809 and a Food and Drug Administration–approved epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor gefitinib. Then, we examined cell growth in a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, cell survival in a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and cell apoptosis by Annexin V flow cytometry in the presence of fluorouracil. We found that compared to gefitinib, COMPOUND7809 inhibited cell growth more potentially and induced more cell death in the presence of fluorouracil. Thus, our study demonstrates that COMPOUND7809 may be a promising epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor for human lung cancer therapy.

An ultrathin layer of uranium nitrides (UN) has been coated on the inner surface of depleted uranium hohlraum (DUH), which has been proven by our experiment to prevent the oxidization of uranium (U) effectively. Comparative experiments between the novel depleted uranium hohlraum and pure golden (Au) hohlraum are implemented on an SGIII-prototype laser facility. Under a laser intensity of 6 × 10 ^14 W cm ^−2 , we observe that the hard x-ray ( hν $\;\gt \;1.8$ keV) fraction of the uranium hohlraum decreases by 61% and the peak intensity of the total x-ray flux (0.1 keV∼5.0 keV) increases by 5%. Radiation hydrodynamic code LARED is used to interpret the above observations. Our result for the first time indicates the advantages of the UN-coated DUH in generating a uniform x-ray source with a quasi-Planckian spectrum, which should have important applications in high energy density physics.