We demonstrated a method to improve the output performance of a Ti:sapphire laser in the long-wavelength low-gain region with an efficient stimulated Raman scattering process. By shifting the wavelength of the high-gain-band Ti:sapphire laser to the long-wavelength low-gain region, high-performance Stokes operation was achieved in the original long-wavelength low-gain region of the Ti:sapphire laser. With the fundamental wavelength tuning from 870 to 930 nm, first-order Stokes output exceeding 2.5 W was obtained at 930–1000 nm, which was significantly higher than that directly generated by the Ti:sapphire laser, accompanied by better beam quality, shorter pulse duration and narrower linewidth. Under the pump power of 42.1 W, a maximum first-order Stokes power of 3.24 W was obtained at 960 nm, with a conversion efficiency of 7.7%. Furthermore, self-mode-locked modulations of first- and second-order Stokes generation were observed in Ti:sapphire intracavity solid Raman lasers for the first time.

Dietary restriction-influenced biological performance is found in many animal species. Pardosa pseudoannulata is a dominant spider species in agricultural fields and is important for controlling pests. In this study, three groups – a control group (CK group), a re-feeding group (RF group), and a dietary restriction group (RT group) – were used to explore development, mating, reproduction, and the expression levels of Vg (vitellogenin) and VgR (vitellogenin receptor) genes in the spider. The findings indicated that when subjected to dietary restriction, the carapace size, weight of the spiderlings, and weight of the adults exhibited a decrease. Furthermore, the preoviposition period and egg stage were observed to be prolonged, while the number of spiderlings decreased. It was also observed that re-feeding reduced cannibalism rates and extended the preoviposition period. Dietary restriction also affected the expression of the Vg-3 gene in the spider. These results will contribute to the understanding of the impact of dietary restriction in predators of pest control, as well as provide a theoretical foundation for the artificial rearing and utilisation of the dominant spider in the field.

Graphite phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a non-metal semiconductor material with a suitable band gap (2.7 eV) for visible photocatalysis. However, the high cost of relevant synthesis methods and poor adsorption performance have limited its practical applications. The objective of the present study was to mitigate these problems by synthesizing the g-C3N4 in the presence of exfoliated montmorillonite (Mnt). Compared with bulk montmorillonite, the specific surface area of exfoliated two-dimensional Mnt layers was significantly increased. As a result, the light transmittance of the lamella improved noticeably due to the fact that a freshly exposed surface had a large number of active reaction sites, making Mnt an excellent carrier for the photocatalyst g-C3N4. In order to improve the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4, a series of g-C3N4/Mnt composites was prepared by a wet chemical method using Mnt nanolayers as the matrix. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller nitrogen adsorption/desorption, transmission electron microscopy, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were used to analyze the phase structure, the chemical bonds, the specific surface area and pore sizes, the morphology, and the light absorption characteristics of the composites, respectively. Rhodamine B (RhB) served as the target dye to test the photocatalytic degradation performance of the composites under visible light. According to the findings, the surface of the Mnt nanolayers was densely and uniformly covered by g-C3N4, forming a multi-layered stack structure. An increase of the calcination temperature improved the crystallinity of g-C3N4, leading first to densification and then to relaxation of the layered composite structure. Conversely, the band gap of the composite gradually decreased from 2.56 to 2.4 eV. Furthermore, temperature exposure changed the photocatalytic performance of the composite drastically. While the largest photocatalytic activity was observed at 610°C, it started to decrease with further heating of the composite. The complete degradation of RhB solution occurred after 2 h of visible light irradiation. The findings of the current study provide a scientific basis for the synthesis of a new generation of photocatalysts.

In order to provide a theoretical foundation for the utilization of tailings as supplementary cementitious materials, the pozzolanic activity of muscovite—a typical mineral phase in tailings—before and after mechanical activation was investigated. In this study, significant pozzolanic activity of muscovite was obtained as a result of the structural and morphological changes that were induced by mechanical activation. The activated muscovite that was obtained after mechanical activation for 160 min satisfies the requirements for use as an active supplementary cementitious material, and the main characteristics of the pozzolana were as follows: median particle size (D50) of 11.7 μm, BET specific surface area of 28.82 m2 g−1, relative crystallinity of 14.99%, and pozzolanic activity index of 94.36%. Continuous grinding led to a gradual reduction in the relative crystallinity and an increase in the pozzolanic activity index due to the dehydroxylation reaction induced by mechanical activation, which occurred despite the fact that the specific surface area showed a decreasing trend when the grinding time was prolonged. Mechanically activated muscovite exhibited the capacity to react with calcium hydroxide to form calcium silicate hydrate, which is a typical characteristic of pozzolana. This experimental study provided a theoretical basis for evaluating the pozzolanic activity of muscovite using mechanical activation.

As a photocatalyst with good prospects, TiO2 has the shortcomings of easy agglomeration and no catalytic performance under visible light. The purpose of the present study was to help solve these problems by employing muscovite as a carrier for N-doped TiO2 in a nanocomposite. The nanocomposites were prepared by a liquid precipitation-grinding method using muscovite as the matrix and urea as the nitrogen source. The crystal structures, chemical bonding, and micromorphology of the nanocomposites were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, infrared absorption spectrometry, and field emission scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Visible and ultraviolet (UV-Vis) light absorption of the nanocomposites was analyzed by solid ultraviolet diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic effect of the nanocomposites was studied based on the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) solution. The photocatalytic degradation product of RhB was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, revealing that N-doping inhibits the growth of TiO2 nanoparticles. The photocatalytic performance of N-TiO2/muscovite composite nanomaterials decreased with increasing heat-treatment temperature. N-doped TiO2/muscovite nanocomposites that were heated at 400°C showed the best photocatalytic performance under visible-light illumination with an RhB degradation of 97%.

The thermal stability of bentonite is vitally important for its application in the casting field and the layer charge of montmorillonite (Qm) is one of its central crystal-chemical parameters. As the main component of bentonite, the influence of Qm on montmorillonite properties and behavior needs to be considered if bentonite is to be used in high-temperature environments. The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship between Qm and the thermal stability of Chinese bentonite samples collected from Wuhu, Anhui Province (marked as WH); Xinyang, Henan Province (marked as XY); and Santai, Sichuan Province (marked as ST) below. The values of Qm were obtained using the O (11) method, and the structural properties of the bentonite samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results showed that, in the samples investigated, Qm was inversely related to the thermal stability of bentonite. The Qm value (electrons per half unit cell, e/huc) was greatest for sample ST (0.725 e/huc), followed by sample XY (0.470 e/huc), and by sample WH (0.354 e/huc). The dehydroxylation temperature changed related to Qm; the sample with the largest Qm value was WH (701°C), followed by sample XY (684°C), and sample ST (630°C). After the samples were calcined at 600°C, sample WH had the best montmorillonite structural integrity with the greatest degree of reusability (78.21%); while the montmorillonite structures of samples XY and ST were destroyed, and their reusabilities were only 9.48 and 6.01%, respectively.

Fast neutron absorption spectroscopy is widely used in the study of nuclear structure and element analysis. However, due to the traditional neutron source pulse duration being of the order of nanoseconds, it is difficult to obtain a high-resolution absorption spectrum. Thus, we present a method of ultrahigh energy-resolution absorption spectroscopy via a high repetition rate, picosecond duration pulsed neutron source driven by a terawatt laser. The technology of single neutron count is used, which results in easily distinguishing the width of approximately 20 keV at 2 MeV and an asymmetric shape of the neutron absorption peak. The absorption spectroscopy based on a laser neutron source has one order of magnitude higher energy-resolution power than the state-of-the-art traditional neutron sources, which could be of benefit for precisely measuring nuclear structure data.

In this paper, flexible substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) resonators have been designed and fabricated on polyimide substrates for humidity sensing applications. The proposed SIW resonant cavity allows the resonator to obtain the maximum humidity sensitivity and meet the demand for flexible microwave sensing detection. Meanwhile, the humidity response performance can be further significantly enhanced by introducing nanodiamond (ND) sensing material. Three prototypes of ND-coated SIW sensors with different bending radii are measured to analyze their humidity sensing performance. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed ND-coated SIW sensor with the minimum bending radius can achieve a maximum humidity sensitivity of 1.09 MHz/% relative humidity (RH) in the high RH region (>75.3% RH) and a low humidity hysteresis of 1.8% in the range of 11.3–97.3% RH. This study provides a promising candidate to realize flexible microwave sensors with excellent sensing performance.

The carbonate-hosted Pb–Zn deposits in the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou (SYG) triangle region are important Indosinian deposits in South China. The Tianbaoshan deposit is a typical large Pb–Zn deposit in the SYG area and occurs as pipe-like type, hosted by Sinian dolostone. It contains ∼26 Mt Zn–Pb ore (7.76–10.09 % Zn, 1.28–1.50 % Pb and 93.6 g t−1 Ag) and >0.1 Mt Cu ore (2.55 % Cu). In this study, the detailed mineral textures, mineral chemical and sulphur isotopic compositions of the various sulphides have been analysed to constrain the abnormal enrichment mechanism and mineralization relationship. Four mineralization stages have been recognized: Stage 1, minor early pyrite (Py1) with relics and infill of intergranular dolomite or quartz grains; Stage 2, Cu mineralization with coarse-grained, elliptical crystal chalcopyrite (Cp1); (3) Stage 3, Zn mineralization with dark fine-grained sphalerite (Sph1) and light coarse-grained sphalerite (Sph2); and (4) Stage 4, as represented by a quartz–calcite assemblage with galena, minor pyrite (Py2) and chalcopyrite (Cp2). The petrography of the sulphide minerals (Py1, Cp1, Sph1 and Sph2) demonstrates a mutual inclusion relationship. The nature of this relationship from core to rim and their similar sulphur isotope values (5.5–8.3 ‰) indicates a single sulphur source, suggesting that the different mineralization types are the result of different stages of a continuous hydrothermal system. Sphalerite geothermometer study suggests that sphalerite in the Tianbaoshan deposit formed in a low-temperature (<200 °C) hydrothermal system. The low concentrations of Mn and In, low In/Ge ratios and high Fe/Cd ratios in the sphalerite are consistent with those of Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits, but different from those of magmatism-related deposits (e.g. epithermal, skarn and VMS deposits). The positive δ34S values for Py1 (5.1–7.9 ‰), Cp1 (5.1–7.2 ‰), Sph1 (4.7–7.4 ‰), Sph2 (3.9–8.7 ‰), Py2 (4.4–9.3 ‰) and Cp2 (5.0–6.8 ‰) indicate a sulphur source from thermochemical reduction of coeval seawater sulphate. Widely developed dissolved textures (caverns and breccias) with massive sulphide infillings and deformed host rock remnants suggest that replacement of host dolostones by ore fluids was volumetrically significant and the ore formed nearly simultaneously with the cavities. The Tianbaoshan deposit is a typical MVT deposit, which resulted from mixing of a H2S-rich fluid and a metal-rich fluid, with thermochemical sulphate reduction occurring before ore precipitation rather than during ore precipitation.

Embryo quality determines the success of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment. Biomarkers for the evaluation of embryo quality have some limitations. Apoptosis in cumulus cells (CCs) is important for ovarian function. PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) is a well known tumour suppressor gene that functions as a mediator of apoptosis and is crucial for mammalian reproduction. In the present study, we analyzed the expression level of PTEN in human CCs and aimed to investigate its association with embryo developmental competence in IVF treatment cycles. The PTEN mRNA level in CCs was measured using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The association of the differential expression of PTEN with embryo quality was analyzed. Our data showed that PTEN mRNA levels were significantly decreased in CCs surrounding mature oocytes compared with immature oocytes. Similar changes were found in the analysis of fertilization and blastocyst formation. The speculation that the measurement of PTEN mRNA levels in human CCs would provide a useful tool for selecting oocytes with greater chances to implant into the uterus needs to be further verified through single-embryo transfer in the future. The proapoptotic mechanism of PTEN in human reproduction needs to be further studied.

This study uses a sample of technological mergers and acquisitions (M&As) of A-share listed companies in the five major high-tech industries from 2012 to 2016, and conducts factor analysis to measure the heterogeneity of these enterprises in terms of financial slack resources, equity resources, and governance structure. On this basis, multivariate regression analysis is utilized to explore the influence of the acquiring firms' heterogeneity on their innovation performance, and the adjustment action of absorptive capacity between heterogeneity and innovation performance. The research results show that the slack financial resources and highly centralized equity structure of enterprises are not conducive to enterprises improving their innovation performance following a technological M&A, while the impact of governance structure on innovation performance following an M&A is similarly not significant. The empirical evidence provided offer insights and a decision reference for technological M&As of high-tech enterprises.

Underground Nuclear Astrophysics in China (JUNA) will take the advantage of the ultra-low background in Jinping underground lab. High current accelerator with an ECR source and detectors were commissioned. JUNA plans to study directly a number of nuclear reactions important to hydrostatic stellar evolution at their relevant stellar energies. At the first period, JUNA aims at the direct measurements of 25Mg(p,γ)26 Al, 19F(p,α) 16 O, 13C(α, n) 16O and 12C(α,γ) 16O near the Gamow window. The current progress of JUNA will be given.

Air pollution is a persistent and well-established public health problem in India: emissions from coal-fired power plants have been associated with over 80,000 premature deaths in 2015. Premature deaths could rise by four to five times this number by 2050 without additional pollution controls. We site a model 500 MW coal-fired electricity generating unit at eight locations in India and examine the benefits and costs of retrofitting the plant with a flue-gas desulfurization unit to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. We quantify the mortality benefits associated with the reduction in sulfates (fine particles) and value these benefits using estimates of the value per statistical life transferred to India from high income countries. The net benefits of scrubbing vary widely by location, reflecting differences in the size of the exposed population. They are highest at locations in the densely populated north of India, which are also among the poorest states in the country.

The development of advanced fuel fabrication technologies is important for developing accident-tolerant fuels and engineering fuels for safer and more effective nuclear energy systems. In this work, commercial-size uranium dioxide (UO2) fuel pellets with a theoretical density of 95% were consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1600°C for 5 min. Systematic investigations suggest uniform densification and stoichiometric UO2 with an ideal fluorite structure across the commercial-size fuel pellet, but with a distributed grain structure because of non-uniform distribution of temperature during sintering. This work demonstrates a great potential of using SPS for fabricating nuclear fuels at a cost-effective manner.

The experiments reported in this research communication aimed to plot the expression pattern of Sirt3, a master regulator of energy metabolism and antioxidation defence, in the liver of dairy goats during perinatal period. Ten healthy dairy goats in late pregnancy were chosen, and needle biopsy was applied to collect liver samples at 1-week intervals. Protein levels of hepatic Sirt3 were analysed by western-blotting. Serum enzyme activities of manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) levels were measured, and their correlation with Sirt3 mRNA levels was also estimated. Compared with >3-week before parturition (BP), Sirt3 proteins were significantly reduced at 1-week after parturition (AP) and 2-week AP (P < 0·05), but increased on the day of parturition (P < 0·01). Correlation analysis revealed a positive association between hepatic Sirt3 mRNA levels and serum enzyme activity of Mn-SOD (r = 0·46), but a negative association between that and serum NEFA levels (r = −0·41). These data indicate that the decreased hepatic expression of Sirt3 might be one of the reasons that dairy goats undergo oxidative stress after parturition.