This paper provides an overview of the current status of ultrafast and ultra-intense lasers with peak powers exceeding 100 TW and examines the research activities in high-energy-density physics within China. Currently, 10 high-intensity lasers with powers over 100 TW are operational, and about 10 additional lasers are being constructed at various institutes and universities. These facilities operate either independently or are combined with one another, thereby offering substantial support for both Chinese and international research and development efforts in high-energy-density physics.

Immunological castration can be an alternative to traditional surgical castration. The active immunization against GnRH or kisspeptin has a castrating effect. To date, the fusion protein vaccine of combination with GnRH and kisspeptin have not been studied. Thus, the present study will develop a GnRH6-kisspeptin vaccine by genetic engineering method and investigate its immunocastration effect in male rats. Twenty 20-day-old male rats were randomly divided into two groups: the control group (n=10) and the immunization group (n=10). The initial immunization took place at week 0 followed by three booster doses administered intervals. The control group received an equivalent dose of white oil adjuvant. Orbital blood samples were collected at various time points following the initial immunization, at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks, respectively. The entire left testis was weighed and its volume measured at week 12. Samples from the right testis were obtained for histological analysis. Serum levels of GnRH and kisspeptin antibodies, as well as testosterone levels were determined using ELISA. The results showed that the serum levels of GnRH and kisspeptin antibody titres of the immunized rats were significantly higher compared to the control group (P<0.05). Additionally, the testosterone concentration was effectively reduced following the intensified immunization. The testes of the immunized group exhibited a reduction in size and a significant decrease in the number of spermatogonia in the testicular tissue compared to the control group (P<0.05). These data indicate that the recombinant GnRH6-kisspeptin protein effectively induced immunological castration in rats.

Systematically monitoring the baseline sensitivity of troublesome weeds to herbicides is a crucial step in the early detection of their market lifespan. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl is one of the most important herbicides used in rice production throughout the world, and has been used for 5 yr in China. Barnyardgrass is one of the main targeted weed species of florpyrauxifen-benzyl. In total, 114 barnyardgrass populations were collected from rice fields in Jiangsu Province, China, and using whole-plant bioassays they were screened for susceptibility to florpyrauxifen-benzyl. The GR50 values (representing the dose that causes a 50% reduction in fresh weight of aboveground parts) of florpyrauxifen-benzyl for all populations ranged from 1.0 to 34.5 g ai ha−1, with an average of 6.8 g ai ha−1, a baseline sensitivity dose of 3.3 g ai ha−1, and a baseline sensitivity index of 34.5. Twenty-one days after treatment with florpyrauxifen-benzyl at the labeled dose (36 g ai ha−1), 90% of the barnyardgrass populations exhibited >95% reductions in fresh weight of aboveground parts. Compared with the baseline sensitivity dose, 63, 44, and 7 populations had, respectively, no resistance (55%), low resistance (39%), and moderate resistance (6%) to florpyrauxifen-benzyl. Furthermore, the GR50 distribution of barnyardgrass populations did not show a significant correlation with collection location, planting method (direct-seeding or transplanting), or rice species (Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica or ssp. japonica) at any of rice fields where seeds had been collected (P > 0.05). In conclusion, florpyrauxifen-benzyl remains effective for barnyardgrass control in rice fields despite serious resistance challenges.

The betatron radiation source features a micrometer-scale source size, a femtosecond-scale pulse duration, milliradian-level divergence angles and a broad spectrum exceeding tens of keV. It is conducive to the high-contrast imaging of minute structures and for investigating interdisciplinary ultrafast processes. In this study, we present a betatron X-ray source derived from a high-charge, high-energy electron beam through a laser wakefield accelerator driven by the 1 PW/0.1 Hz laser system at the Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility (SULF). The critical energy of the betatron X-ray source is 22 ± 5 keV. The maximum X-ray flux reaches up to 4 × 109 photons for each shot in the spectral range of 5–30 keV. Correspondingly, the experiment demonstrates a peak brightness of 1.0 × 1023 photons·s−1·mm−2·mrad−2·0.1%BW−1, comparable to those demonstrated by third-generation synchrotron light sources. In addition, the imaging capability of the betatron X-ray source is validated. This study lays the foundation for future imaging applications.

Western Zhou Dynasty (ca. 1046–771 BC) was established soon after conquering the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1600–1046 BC) and brought about the earliest enfeoffment system in Chinese history. Yan was one of the vassal states of the same clan as Zhou. According to historical records, the capital of Yan state was located near Yan mountain, which is now known as the Liulihe site in the Fangshan District, Beijing. This study carries out the high-precision dating of two newly discovered Western Zhou Dynasty noble tombs at the Liulihe site. The man in tomb M1902 participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of Yan’s capital according to inscriptions on the bronze vessel found in this tomb. Samples of different materials, especially different parts of human skeletons from the tombs, were selected to form a sample series in chronological order. Wiggle-matching models were established in OxCal program based on the growth and development time of different teeth and bones of human skeletons. More accurate ages were acquired for the death of the individuals. The results indicate that the most probable distribution range of the death date of the individual in M1902 is about 1045–1010 BC. The radiocarbon dates of M1902 give important chronological information about the founding of Yan state, and they are very close to those of the year in which King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang Dynasty.

The emerging era of big data in radio astronomy demands more efficient and higher-quality processing of observational data. While deep learning methods have been applied to tasks such as automatic radio frequency interference (RFI) detection, these methods often face limitations, including dependence on training data and poor generalisation, which are also common issues in other deep learning applications within astronomy. In this study, we investigate the use of the open-source image recognition and segmentation model, Segment Anything Model (SAM), and its optimised version, HQ-SAM, due to their impressive generalisation capabilities. We evaluate these models across various tasks, including RFI detection and solar radio burst (SRB) identification. For RFI detection, HQ-SAM (SAM) shows performance that is comparable to or even superior to the SumThreshold method, especially with large-area broadband RFI data. In the search for SRBs, HQ-SAM demonstrates strong recognition abilities for Type II and Type III bursts. Overall, with its impressive generalisation capability, SAM (HQ-SAM) can be a promising candidate for further optimisation and application in RFI and event detection tasks in radio astronomy.

Interface-resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS) of clustered settling suspensions in a periodic domain are performed to study the filtered drag force for clustered particle-laden flows. Our results show that, for the homogeneous system, the filtered drag is independent of the filter size, whereas for the clustered particle-laden flows, the averaged drag becomes smaller than the homogeneous drag at the filter size above 4 particle diameters. The drag reduction saturates at the filter size being comparable to the cluster size in the horizontal direction in our simulations. A new correlation is proposed to account for the mesoscale effect on the filtered drag force by using drift velocity and variance of the solid volume fraction, based on the modification of existing subgrid drag models for the inhomogeneous system. The existing models for the drift velocity and the variance of the solid volume fraction are assessed using our DNS data. A new model for the drift velocity and the variance of the solid volume fraction is proposed, based on the combination and modification of the previous models. All mesoscale models considered can predict well the filtered drag with comparable accuracy, and are superior to the homogeneous drag model for the clustered system. Our models with the same parameter values obtained from the large-scale system can also predict well the filtered drag for smaller computational domain sizes.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been shown to play a significant role in oxidative stress across various tissues and cells; however, its role in sperm function remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of GYY4137, a slow-releasing H2S compound, on sperm damage induced by H2O2. We assessed the effects of GYY4137 on motility, viability, lipid peroxidation and caspase-3 activity in human spermatozoa in vitro following oxidative damage mediated by H2O2. Spermatozoa from 25 healthy men were selected using a density gradient centrifugation method and cultured in the presence or absence of 10 μM H2O2, followed by incubation with varying concentrations of GYY4137 (0.625–2.5 μM). After 24 h of incubation, sperm motility, viability, lipid peroxidation, and caspase-3 activity were evaluated. The results indicated that H2O2 adversely affected sperm parameters, reducing motility and viability, while increasing oxidative stress, as evidenced by elevated lipid peroxidation and caspase-3 activity. GYY4137 provided dose-dependent protection against H2O2-induced oxidative stress (OS). We concluded that supplementation with GYY4137 may offer antioxidant protection during in vitro sperm preparation for assisted reproductive technology.

The Righi–Leduc heat flux generated by the self-generated magnetic field in the ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability driven by a laser irradiating thin targets is studied through two-dimensional extended-magnetohydrodynamic simulations. The perturbation structure gets into a low magnetization state though the peak strength of the self-generated magnetic field could reach hundreds of teslas. The Righi–Leduc effect plays an essential impact both in the linear and nonlinear stages, and it deflects the total heat flux towards the spike base. Compared to the case without the self-generated magnetic field included, less heat flux is concentrated at the spike tip, finally mitigating the ablative stabilization and leading to an increase in the velocity of the spike tip. It is shown that the linear growth rate is increased by about 10% and the amplitude during the nonlinear stage is increased by even more than 10% due to the feedback of the magnetic field, respectively. Our results reveal the importance of Righi–Leduc heat flux to the growth of the instability and promote deep understanding of the instability evolution together with the self-generated magnetic field, especially during the acceleration stage in inertial confinement fusion.

In the present study, acid-modified attapulgite was used, as an adsorbent, to remove as much Cd2+ as possible from aqueous solution. Static adsorption experiments using powdered acid-modified attapulgite, and dynamic adsorption using granular acid-modifed attapulgite, were conducted to explore the practical application of modified attapulgite in the adsorption of Cd2+. The modified attapulgite had a larger specific surface area and thinner fibrous crystals than the unmodified version. No obvious differences were noted, in terms of the crystal structure, between the natural attapulgite and the modified version. The effects of initial concentration, pH, contact time, and ionic strength on the adsorption of Cd2+ were investigated, and the results showed that the adsorption capacity of the modified attapulgite was increased with increasing pH and the initial Cd2+ concentration. The adsorption properties were analyzed by means of dynamic adsorption tests with respect to various Cd2+ concentrations and flow rates. The maximum adsorption capacity of 8.83 mg/g occurred at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and at an initial concentration of 75 mg/L. Because there was better accord between the data and a pseudo-second order model than a pseudo-first-order model, external mass transfer is suggested to be the rate-controlling process. The experimental data were also fitted for the intraparticle diffusion model, implying that the intraparticle diffusion of Cd2+ onto the modified attapulgite was also important for controlling the adsorption process. The Bohart-Adams model was more suitable than the Thomas model for describing the dynamic behavior with respect to the flow rate and the initial Cd2+ concentration. This research provided the theoretical basis for the dynamic adsorption of Cd2+ on the modified attapulgite. Compared to the powdered modified attapulgite, the dynamic adsorption by granular modified attapulgite appeared more favorable in terms of practical application.

The release of GNSS raw data on Android smartphones provides the potential for high-precision smartphone positioning using multi-constellation and multi-frequency signals. However, severe multipath and low observation quality in kinematic environments make double-differenced uncombined ambiguities difficult to resolve reliably. To address this, the paper proposes an improved wide-lane (WL) integer ambiguity resolution (IAR) method that combines integer rounding and the Least-Square AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment (LAMBDA) methods. The proposed method achieved fix rates of 57% to 70% in challenging environments, with an average improvement of 7 · 7% in horizontal positioning accuracy compared to the float solution. The traditional partial integer rounding method only improved accuracy by 1 · 1%.

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.

All-fiber coherent beam combiners based on the self-imaging effect can achieve a near-perfect single laser beam, which can provide a promising way to overcome the power limitation of a single-fiber laser. One of the key points is combining efficiency, which is determined by various mismatches during fabrication. A theoretical model has been built, and the mismatch error is analyzed numerically for the first time. The mismatch errors have been numerically studied with the beam quality and combining efficiency being chosen as the evaluation criteria. The tolerance of each mismatch error for causing 1% loss is calculated to guide the design of the beam combiners. The simulation results are consistent with the experimental results, which show that the mismatch error of the square-core fiber is the main cause of the efficiency loss. The results can provide useful guidance for the fabrication of all-fiber coherent beam combiners.

In this paper, we design and fabricate dual-tunable waveguides in a two-dimensional periodic plate with threaded holes. Dual tunability is realized by using rods held with nuts as well as assembly prestress of the nuts. A straight waveguide, a bent waveguide, and a wave splitter are designed by changing the distribution of rods and nuts in different circuits. The experimental and numerical results show that the frequencies of guided waves can be tuned by the assembly prestress. By increasing the amount of prestress, the frequency range of the passing band can be shifted upward. Confinements, guiding, and splitting of Lamb waves are clearly observed in both experimental measurements and numerical simulations. This work is essential for the practical design of reconfigurable phononic devices.