In laser-produced plasma (LPP) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) sources, deformation of a tin droplet into an optimal target shape is determined by its interaction with a pre-pulse laser-generated plasma. This interaction is mediated by a transient ablation pressure, whose complex spatio-temporal evolution remains experimentally inaccessible. Existing modelling approaches are limited: empirical pressure–impulse models neglect dynamic plasma feedback, while advanced radiation hydrodynamics codes often fail to resolve late-time droplet hydrodynamics. To bridge this gap, we propose a radiation two-phase flow model based on a diffuse interface approach. The model integrates radiation hydrodynamics for the plasma with the Euler equations for a weakly compressible liquid, extending a five-equation diffuse interface formulation to incorporate radiation transport, thermal conduction, ionisation and surface tension. This formulation enforces pressure and velocity equilibrium across the diffuse interface region, with closure models constructed to ensure correct jump conditions at interfaces and asymptotically recover the pure-phase equations in bulk regions. Then we apply the model to simulate a benchmark pre-pulse scenario, where a $50\ \unicode{x03BC} \mathrm{m}$ tin droplet is irradiated by a $10\ \mathrm{ns}$ laser pulse. Our axisymmetric simulations capture the rapid plasma expansion and subsequent inertial flattening of the droplet into a thin, curved sheet over microsecond time scales. Notably, the model reproduces experimentally observed features such as an axial jet – rarely replicated in prior simulations. Quantitative agreement with experimental data for sheet dimensions and velocity validates the approach. The proposed model self-consistently couples laser–plasma physics with compressible droplet dynamics, providing a powerful tool for studying plasma–liquid interactions in LPP-EUV source optimisation.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal RNA modification and has emerged as an important regulator of reproductive biology. Dysregulation of m6A regulators has been implicated in pregnancy-related disorders, including recurrent implantation failure, miscarriage, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes, as well as female reproductive endocrine diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome, premature ovarian insufficiency, and endometriosis. In this review, we summarize current evidence on the roles of m6A writers, erasers, and readers in these disorders, with particular attention to tissue specificity, model systems, downstream targets. We further discuss major sources of inconsistency across studies, including differences in disease stage, cell type, assay platform, and confounding factors. By integrating mechanistic findings with current limitations in the field, this review provides an updated framework for understanding the biological significance of m6A in female reproductive health and disease.

This work presents an integrated modelling study of fast-proton distributions generated by ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) minority heating in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Using a series of high-confinement (H-mode) discharges with increasing ICRF power levels from 0.8 to 2.4 MW, fast protons were produced via minority heating mechanisms and analysed through simulations using the ASCOT code. The results reveal that the fast protons are primarily concentrated near the fundamental cyclotron resonance layer and exhibit strong power-dependent behaviour in both real-space (R–Z) distribution and velocity space, where R is the major radius and Z is the vertical coordinate. As the ICRF power increases, the energetic proton population shows significant spatial broadening and energy enhancement, reaching up to 1 MeV. The fast-ion pitch-angle distribution becomes increasingly anisotropic, with high-energy ions concentrated around $|\textit{v}_{\|}/\textit{v}| \lt 0.5$, where $\nu$ is the magnitude (speed) of the full velocity vector of the particle. Furthermore, the energy density of fast ions aligns well with the ICRF power deposition profile, confirming efficient central-core heating. These findings, which provide insight into fast-ion behaviour and ICRF heating characteristics in EAST plasmas, also support future fast-ion diagnostics and performance control strategies in EAST and similar experimental conditions.

The mechanisms governing generation and amplification of laser-driven electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) in the picosecond (ps) regime remain insufficiently understood. Here, we present a unified theoretical and experimental framework that demonstrates dual-picosecond laser irradiation of solid targets can synergistically enhance EMP emission. By integrating particle-in-cell simulations with three-dimensional electromagnetic modeling, we reveal that the increasing laser focal power density amplifies hot electron emission and strengthens neutralization currents, leading to giant EMP radiations. Experimentally, we validate these predictions at the XG-III and SG-II U picosecond petawatt laser facilities, achieving a record-breaking EMP field strength of 3.08 MV/m – substantially exceeding previously reported values from ps-laser–solid interactions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that EMP characteristics can be precisely tuned via laser and target parameters, enabling controllable, high-field electromagnetic sources. Our findings provide deep insight into the physics of laser-driven EMP amplification and establish a robust platform for developing next-generation high-intensity electromagnetic emitters.

Often neglected by scholars, China actually played a role in America’s abolitionist movement from 1830 to 1865. Anti-slavery crusaders invoked the country to reinforce their moral suasion, which emerged as one major tactic against slavery after the 1830s. Appropriating the prevailing stereotype of China as an uncivilized and pitiable Other, they presented the characterization as a reference to expose the barbarity and hypocrisy of pro-slavery Americans, as well as the insincerity of Britons regarding abolition. Although white and Black activists emphasized different aspects along racial lines, they were united in leveraging this moral campaign to shame self-styled leaders of civilization into reconsidering their position on slavery. In the process, abolitionists sustained America’s Orientalist condescension toward the Chinese. China became an abolitionist weapon not because of its national power, but because of its perceived backwardness.

Streptococcus agalactiae, a major bovine mastitis pathogen, poses significant economic and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) challenges. This study evaluated AMR in 128 isolates from Shandong, Hebei and Inner Mongolia using the broth microdilution method. Results showed high sensitivity to most antibiotics (e.g. 100% resistance to penicillin, ceftiofur, amoxicillin, cefquinome and vancomycin) but significant resistance to tetracycline (80.7%) and daptomycin (99.3%). Inner Mongolia isolates exhibited higher resistance and mimimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values, reflecting regional antibiotic usage differences, guiding mastitis treatment and antibiotic stewardship in China's dairy industry.

The traditional design of laser drivers for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is highly dependent on coherent laser light fields, which have significant advantages in achieving harmonic conversion and enhancing amplification efficiency. However, they also bring the core challenge of achieving uniform irradiation. This paper investigates the dynamic evolution process of uniform irradiation of multi-mode spatiotemporal light fields and analyzes the influence mechanism of spatiotemporal coherence on irradiation uniformity with different integration times. By balancing the relationship between the spatiotemporal coherence of the light field and uniform irradiation, we explore a possible scheme to alleviate the beam smoothing problem while satisfying the basic requirements of laser amplification and high-efficiency harmonic conversion. Based on this scheme, the overall architecture of the ICF laser driver is constructed.

Dysregulation of fatty acids metabolism has been associated with the risk of osteoarthritis (OA), yet current evidence from epidemiological or genetic studies remains inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the phenotypic association and genetic architecture between total fatty acids, saturated fatty acids (SFA), MUFA, PUFA and OA. Leveraging individual-level data from the UK Biobank, combined with the hitherto largest genome-wide association studies of fatty acids (n 136 016) and OA (n 826 690) in European individuals, we implemented a comprehensive analytical framework. This included observational and genetic analyses, incorporating phenotypic associations, genetic correlations, cross-trait meta-analysis, enrichment analysis and Mendelian randomisation (MR). Observational analysis identified SFA as a risk factor, while MUFA and PUFA as protective factors for OA. Despite a lack of genome-wide genetic correlation, statistically significant local signals were detected within three specific genomic regions. Cross-trait meta-analysis identified sixty-eight pleiotropic loci shared between fatty acids and OA, of which nine were novel. Enrichment analysis revealed the shared genes were enriched in lipoprotein metabolism, immune response and inflammation regulation pathways. Two-sample MR provided evidence for a causal relationship of MUFA and PUFA on OA that survived false discovery rate correction. This study supports associations between circulating fatty acids and OA, with MUFA and PUFA exerting a protective role. Our findings provide new perspectives into OA prevention especially regarding the potential dietary interventions.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains an important public-health problem, and the COVID-19 pandemic and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) may have altered its burden. This study aimed to provide updated CAP burden among adults in Shanghai from 2016–2023.We analysed 61,230 participants aged 20–74 years from the Shanghai Suburban Adult Cohort and Biobank. CAP episodes were ascertained via ICD codes and clinical diagnoses. We calculated incidence rates before, during, and after NPIs, conducted subgroup analyses by age, sex, comorbidity and lifestyle. We used Poisson regression to compare stages, and Cox models to identify risk factors. The Overall CAP incidence was 42.1 per 1,000 person–years (95% CI 41.3–42.8). Incidence declined during NPIs (24.2/1,000 py) and rose after NPIs (95.9/1,000 py). The inpatient-to-outpatient ratio increased to 10.1% during NPIs and fell to 5.7% post–NPI. Among those without underlying conditions, rates were 40.1, 20.1 and 73.6/1,000 py before, during and after NPIs. Incidence was higher in participants ≥60 years and in those with multiple comorbidities, especially respiratory diseases. CAP burden temporarily fell during NPIs but resurged post–NPI, notably among high–risk groups. These findings highlight the need for targeted preventive strategies and continued CAP surveillance in the post-pandemic era.

Excavations at Aketala reveal traces of human activity at the oases of the western Tarim Basin, north-western China, by at least 2200 BC. The recovered artefacts indicate that, by 1800 BC, the Andronovo culture had reached this region, bringing agropastoralism and developing the earliest regional evidence of bronze manufacturing techniques.

In the field of parafoil airdrop path planning, the inherent complexity and time-sensitive nature of mission requirements necessitate rapid path generation through low-order mathematical models that approximate the system’s true dynamics. This study presents a novel sparse identification framework for constructing a parafoil path planning approximate model. Leveraging high-fidelity 9-degree-of-freedom (9 DOF) dynamic simulation data as training inputs, our method identifies simple nonlinear relationships between 3D positional coordinates (for spatial targeting) and yaw angle (for directional control), which are critical path planning parameters. Compared to conventional 4 DOF models, experimental validation using field airdrop data reveals that the proposed sparse model achieves enhanced predictive accuracy while maintaining computational efficiency. Quantitative analysis demonstrates reductions in root mean square error (RMSE) by approximately 12.96% (horizontal position), 54.44% (height) and 37.96% (yaw angle). The efficacy is further confirmed through successful fixed-point homing across diverse initial deployment scenarios, underscoring its potential for parafoil path planning.

Previous studies highlighted the health benefits of coffee and tea, but they only focused on the comparisons between different consumptions. Consequently, the association estimate lacked a clear interpretation, as the substitution of beverages and distribution of doses were not explicitly prescribed. We focused on the ‘relative association’ to ascertain the optimal consumption strategy (including total intake and optimal allocation strategy) for coffee, tea and plain water associated with decreased mortality. Self-reported coffee, tea and plain water intake were used from the UK Biobank. Within a compositional data analysis framework, a multivariate Cox model was used to assess the relative associations after adjusting for a range of potential confounders. The lower mortality risk was observed with at least approximately 7–8 drinks/d of total consumption. When the total intake > 4 drinks/d, substituting plain water with coffee or tea was linked to reduced mortality; nevertheless, the benefit was not seen for ≤ 4 drinks/d. Besides, a balanced consumption of coffee and tea (roughly a ratio of 2:3) associated with the lowest hazard ratios of 0·55 (95 % CI 0·47, 0·64) for all-cause mortality, 0·59 (95 % CI 0·48, 0·72) for cancer mortality, 0·69 (95 % CI 0·49, 0·99) for CVD mortality, 0·28 (95 % CI 0·15, 0·52) for respiratory disease mortality and 0·35 (95 % CI 0·15, 0·82) for digestive disease mortality than other combinations. These results highlight the importance of the rational combination of coffee, tea and plain water, with particular emphasis on ensuring adequate total intake, offering more comprehensive and explicit guidance for individuals.

High gain greater than 106 is crucial for the preamplifiers of joule-class high-energy lasers. In this work, we present a specially designed compact amplifier using 0.5%Nd,5%Gd:SrF2 and 0.5%Nd,5%Y:SrF2 crystals. The irregular crystal shape enhances the gain length of the laser beam and helps suppress parasitic oscillations. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) induced by the high gain is analyzed through ray tracing. The balance between gain and ASE is estimated via numerical simulation. The gain spectral characteristics of the two-stage two-pass amplifier are examined, demonstrating the advantages of using different crystals, with bandwidths up to 8 nm and gains over 106. In addition, the temperature and stress distributions in the Nd,Gd:SrF2 crystal are simulated. This work is expected to contribute to the development of high-peak-power ($\ge$terawatt-class) high-energy (joule-class) laser devices.