The laboratory generation and diagnosis of uniform near-critical-density (NCD) plasmas play critical roles in various studies and applications, such as fusion science, high energy density physics, astrophysics as well as relativistic electron beam generation. Here we successfully generated the quasistatic NCD plasma sample by heating a low-density tri-cellulose acetate (TCA) foam with the high-power-laser-driven hohlraum radiation. The temperature of the hohlraum is determined to be 20 eV by analyzing the spectra obtained with the transmission grating spectrometer. The single-order diffraction grating was employed to eliminate the high-order disturbance. The temperature of the heated foam is determined to be T = 16.8 ± 1.1 eV by analyzing the high-resolution spectra obtained with a flat-field grating spectrometer. The electron density of the heated foam is about $N_e=4.0\pm 0.3\times {10}^{20}{\text{cm}}^{-3}$ under the reasonable assumption of constant mass density.

In preparation for an experiment with a laser-generated intense proton beam at the Laser Fusion Research Center at Mianyang to investigate the 11B(p,α)2α reaction, we performed a measurement at very low proton energy between 140 keV and 172 keV using the high-voltage platform at the Institute of Modern Physics, Lanzhou. The aim of the experiment was to test the ability to use CR-39 track detectors for cross-section measurements and to remeasure the cross-section of this reaction close to the first resonance using the thick target approach. We obtained the cross-section σ = 45.6 ± 12.5 mb near 156 keV. Our result confirms the feasibility of CR-39 type track detector for nuclear reaction measurement also in low-energy regions.

Typical ophiolitic rock assemblages such as siliciclastic rocks, basalts and gabbros, together with the subduction-related intermediate-acidic intrusive rocks, are newly discovered in the Tongjiang-Fuyuan area of the Heilongjiang Provence, NE China. To determine the formation age and genesis of the mafic rocks (basalts and gabbros) and intermediate-acidic intrusive rocks (granodiorites) in the area, as well as their geodynamic settings, the whole-rock geochemical analysis and zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating were carried out. Zircon U-Pb results suggest that the granodiorites are 93–95 Ma and gabbro is 95 Ma, respectively. Geochemical results show that the gabbros and basalts exhibit characteristics of ocean island basalt (OIB) affinity and are typically related to having originated from mantle plumes. While the granodiorites show the nature of the island-arc magmatic rocks and may originate from the lower crust. Based on the coeval igneous rock associations and regional tectonic evolution, we conclude that the late Cretaceous magmatic rocks in the Tongjiang-Fuyuan area are the product of continuous subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific plate and reflect the subduction rollback process of the Palaeo-Pacific plate.

TRIM28/KAP1/TIF1β was identified as a universal transcriptional co-repressor and is critical for regulating post-fertilization methylation reprogramming in preimplantation embryos. In this study, three siRNAs (si647, si742, and si1153) were designed to target the TRIM28 mRNA sequence. After transfection of the mixture of the three siRNA (siMix) into bovine fibroblast cells, the most effective one for TRIM28 knockdown was selected. By injecting RNAi directed against TRIM28 mRNA, we found that TRIM28 knockdown in oocytes had the most effect on the H19 gene, in which differentially methylated region (DMR) methylation was almost completely absent at the 2-cell stage (1.4%), while control embryos showed 74% methylation. In addition, global H3K9me3 levels at the 2-cell stage were significantly higher in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) group than in the TRIM28 knockdown group (P<0.05). We further show that TRIM28 is highly expressed during oocyte maturation and reaches peak levels at the 2-cell stage. In contrast, at this stage, TRIM28 expression in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos decreased significantly (P<0.05), suggesting that Trim28 transcripts are lost during SCNT. TRIM28 is required for the maintenance of methylation imprints in bovine preimplantation embryos, and the loss of TRIM28 during SCNT may contribute to the unfaithful maintenance of imprints in cloned embryos.

Path planning under 2D map is a key issue in robot applications. However, most related algorithms rely on point-by-point traversal. This causes them usually cannot find the strict shortest path, and their time cost increases dramatically as the map scale increases. So we proposed RimJump to solve the above problem, and it is a new path planning method that generates the strict shortest path for a 2D map. RimJump selects points on the edge of barriers to form the strict shortest path. Simulation and experimentation prove that RimJump meets the expected requirements.

We investigate the influence of the initial size of the proton layer on proton acceleration in the interaction of high intensity laser pulses with double-layer targets by using two-dimensional particle-in-cell code. We discuss the influence of proton layer initial sizes on the cut-off energy, energy spread, and divergence angle of proton beam. It is found that Coulomb explosion plays an important role on the proton cut-off energy. This causes the cut-off energy to increase for increasing proton layer thickness, at the expense of energy spread. The proton divergence angle reaches a peak value and then falls again with increasing the width. Proton divergence angle grows with target thickness. It is found that there is an optimal thickness to obtain the narrowest energy spread, which may provide an effective method (change the size of proton layer) to obtain high quality proton beams. This work may serve to improve the understanding of sheath field proton acceleration.

High-order interpolation algorithms for charge conservation in Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations are presented. The methods are valid for the case that a particle trajectory is a zigzag line. The second-order and third-order algorithms which can be applied to any even-order and odd-order are discussed in this paper, respectively. Several test simulations are performed to demonstrate their validity in two-dimensional PIC code. Compared with the simulation results of one-order, high-order algorithms have advantages in computation precision and enlarging the grid scales which reduces the CPU time.

In order to improve the total laser-proton energy conversion efficiency, a nanobrush target is proposed for proton acceleration and investigated by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. The simulation results show that the nanobrush target significantly enhances the energy and number of hot electrons through the target rear side. Compared with plain target, the sheath field on the rear surface is increased near 100% and the total laser-proton energy conversion efficiency is prompted more than 70%. Furthermore, the proton divergence angle is less than 30° by using nanobrush target. The proposed target may serve as a new method to increase the energy conversion efficiency from laser to protons.

We have demonstrated conformal deposition of amorphous GeSbTe films in high aspect ratio structures by MOCVD. SEM analysis showed the as-deposited GeSbTe films had smooth morphologies and were well controlled for void free amorphous conformal deposition. GeSbTe films adhere well to SiO2, TiN, and TiAlN. The morphology and adhesion are stable in 420°C post process. By annealing at 365°C, amorphous GeSbTe films converted into crystalline GeSbTe with polycrystalline grain sizes of 5nm. Film resistivity in the crystalline phase ranged from 0.001 to 0.1 Ω-cm, suitable for device applications. Phase change devices fabricated with confined via structures filled with MOCVD GeSbTe showed cycle endurances up to 1×1010 with a dynamic set/rest resistance of two orders of magnitude.

A new 3-DOF translational parallel manipulator is presented in this paper. This manipulator has decoupled motion in for x, y, and z axes, and employs only revolute joints. The structure and kinematics of the manipulator are studied. The mechanism singularity is examined and the calibration methods are presented.

Motion coupling is one of the typical characters of parallel robots. This makes it complicated to control the parallel robots. Therefore, the design of parallel mechanisms with decoupled motions is an important and challenging issue in the parallel robotic field. However, research in this field, including the definition and type synthesis theory, is weak or lacking. In this paper, the reducible correlation between the input and the output of 3-DOF translational mechanisms with decoupled motions is investigated and the definition of this topic is presented. A new parameter named Gf coordinate is propsed for the synthesis of 3-DOF reducible translational mechanisms. The type synthesis theory for this kind of mechanisms is obtained and some reducible mechanisms are synthesized.

In this paper an inverse concept idea is presented to determine the main configuration dimensional parameters of a novel 5-DOF parallel kinematic machine tool. By the new described orientation workspace, the motion of the passive joints on the moving platform can be expressed in the fixed coordinate analytically. Some relationships between the reachable workspace and the dimensional parameters of the parallel machine tool have been obtained with graphical representation.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films were prepared on silicon wafers by spin coating. The tribological properties of the PDMS films sliding against AISI-52100 steel ball were investigated with a dynamic static friction coefficient measurement apparatus in a ball-on-plate configuration. It was found that crosslinking, end grafting, and chemical characteristics of the substrate surfaces combined to play an important role in keeping the films' stability and improving the friction-reduction and wear-resistant properties. It was also noted that crosslinked PDMS films on hydroxylated substrates exhibited the most stable friction coefficient and the longest antiwear life, while a friction coefficient below 0.01 was observed for the crosslinked PDMS films on hydrophobic substrates. The latter might be attributed to the weak interaction at the interface of PDMS layer and the self-assembled monolayer. The friction coefficient appeared to be velocity dependent. At higher sliding velocities, the films showed more stable and smaller friction coefficients; this might be attributed to the shear thinning effect.

The alignment and the formation of (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 inside an Ag sheath were investigated for tapes from four different precursor powders. Microstructural characterization along with in situ transmission x-ray diffraction experiments revealed that the kinetics depended strongly on the processing technique and the phase assemblage of the precursors. The alignment process was governed by the preferential grain growth of the Bi-cuprates along the a-b plane and the constraint applied by the sheath. The formation mechanism of (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 was either the intercalation or the nucleation and growth, depending on whether excessive liquid is adjacent to the platelets.

A ternary titanium aluminide alloy, Ti-46Al-3Cr (at%), was discontinuously reinforced with 5 vol% titanium diboride (TiB2), by an in-situ synthesis technique, resulting in a two phase γ(TiAl) (mainly) and α2(Ti3Al) matrix with randomly dispersed TiB2 particle. Interfaces of TiB2-TiAl were investigated by Analytical Electron Microscopy (AEM) and High Resolution Electron Microscopy (HREM). No consistent crystallographic orientation relationship was observed between TiB2 particle and TiAl matrix, and there was no evidence of alloying elements (such as Cr) segregation or interphase formation at the TiB2-TiAl interface. HREM results indicated that no semi-coherent interface between TiB2 and TiAl has been observed. There existed a thin amorphous layer (0.5 to 1.3 nm) at the TiB2-TiAl interface, which may accommodate the large lattice misfit across the interface and enhance the interfacial bonding.

The products and kinetics of solid state reactions between TiC and Ti3Al have been investigated using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) with Ar ion beam sputtering. Diffusion couples were prepared by sputtering TiC thin films onto polished Ti3AI substrates, and then isothermally annealed in vacuum in the temperature range of 800 to 1000°C for 0.25 to 2.25 hours. The thickness of the interfacial reaction layer was obtained from AES elemental concentration depth profiling, while the reaction products were identified from XRD spectra. In the TiC/Ti3Al system, the reaction product was primarily P(Ti3AlC) phase. The growth-rate of the reaction product was fitted to a parabolic growth law (dZ/dt = k1/Z) and the activation energy of the rate constant was about 36.16 kcal/mole. The reaction mechanism will be discussed on the basis of thermodynamical equilibrium in Ti-Al-C ternary system.

In this paper, we first give a characterization of a regular endomorphism of a graph. Then, we explicitly describe its inverses through idempotents.

The interfacial compatibility of SiC, Al2O3, and TiC with Ti3Al alloy has been evaluated. Thin films of these three ceramics materials were deposited on Ti3A1 substrates. The thin film diffusion couples were annealed from 600°C to 1000°C, and the thickness of the interfacial layer was obtained from Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) concentration depth profiling. The reaction products were identified by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and AES. In the A12O3/Ti3A1, obvious interdiffusion occurred with some reaction products. In the SiC/Ti3Al, significant interdiffusion and reactions occurred in the interfacial layer, and multilayer reaction zones were found. In the TiC/Ti3Al, the reaction product was primarily the P(Ti3AlC) phase. Kinetic studies of the growth of the interfacial layer showed that SiC reacted most severely with Ti3Al, TiC less so, and AI2O3 the least. The compatibility of these three systems has been assessed.