Based on a 4f system, a 0° reflector and a single laser diode side-pump amplifier, a new amplifier is designed to compensate the spherical aberration of the amplified laser generated by a single laser diode side-pump amplifier and enhance the power of the amplified laser. Furthermore, the role of the 4f system in the passive spherical aberration compensation and its effect on the amplified laser are discussed in detail. The results indicate that the amplification efficiency is enhanced by incorporating a 4f system in a double-pass amplifier and placing a 0° reflector only at the focal point of the single-pass amplified laser. This method also effectively uses the heat from the gain medium (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) of the amplifier to compensate the spherical aberration of the amplified laser.

Isolated multi-MeV $\gamma$-rays with attosecond duration, high collimation and beam angular momentum (BAM) may find many interesting applications in nuclear physics, astrophysics, etc. Here, we propose a scheme to generate such $\gamma$-rays via nonlinear Thomson scattering of a rotating relativistic electron sheet driven by a few-cycle twisted laser pulse interacting with a micro-droplet target. Our model clarifies the laser intensity threshold and carrier-envelope phase effect on the generation of the isolated electron sheet. Three-dimensional numerical simulations demonstrate the $\gamma$-ray emission with 320 attoseconds duration and peak brilliance of $9.3\times 10^{24}$ photons s${}^{-1}$ mrad${}^{-2}$ mm${}^{-2}$ per 0.1$\%$ bandwidth at 4.3 MeV. The $\gamma$-ray beam carries a large BAM of $2.8 \times 10^{16}\mathrm{\hslash}$, which arises from the efficient BAM transfer from the rotating electron sheet, subsequently leading to a unique angular distribution. This work should promote the experimental investigation of nonlinear Thomson scattering of rotating electron sheets in large laser facilities.

Power scaling in conventional broad-area (BA) lasers often leads to the operation of higher-order lateral modes, resulting in a multiple-lobe far-field profile with large divergence. Here, we report an advanced sawtooth waveguide (ASW) structure integrated onto a wide ridge waveguide. It strategically enhances the loss difference between higher-order modes and the fundamental mode, thereby facilitating high-power narrow-beam emission. Both optical simulations and experimental results illustrate the significant increase in additional scattering loss of the higher-order modes. The optimized ASW lasers achieve an impressive output power of 1.1 W at 4.6 A at room temperature, accompanied by a minimal full width at half maximum lateral divergence angle of 4.91°. Notably, the far-field divergence is reduced from 19.61° to 11.39° at the saturation current, showcasing a remarkable 42% improvement compared to conventional BA lasers. Moreover, the current dependence of divergence has been effectively improved by 38%, further confirming the consistent and effective lateral mode control capability offered by our design.

A new species of Moniliformis, M. tupaia n. sp. is described using integrated morphological methods (light and scanning electron microscopy) and molecular techniques (sequencing and analysing the nuclear 18S, ITS, 28S regions and mitochondrial cox1 and cox2 genes), based on specimens collected from the intestine of the northern tree shrew Tupaia belangeri chinensis Anderson (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) in China. Phylogenetic analyses show that M. tupaia n. sp. is a sister to M. moniliformis in the genus Moniliformis, and also challenge the systematic status of Nephridiacanthus major. Moniliformis tupaia n. sp. represents the third Moniliformis species reported from China.

Gust response has consistently been a concern in engineering. Critical theories have been proposed in the past to predict the unsteady lift response of an airfoil experiencing vertical gusts by Atassi, and longitudinal gusts by Greenberg. However, their applicability for an airfoil with non-zero angles of attack still needs clarification. Thus, force measurements are conducted to examine these theories’ validity and quasi-steady corrections are applied to compensate potential disparities between the idealised and real flow conditions. Velocity measurements are performed to scrutinise the effect of gusts on the flow around the airfoil, and subsequently to reveal the underlying mechanism governing the airfoil's response to gust-induced perturbations. In the study, two pitching vanes are arranged upstream to generate periodic vertical and longitudinal gusts, whereas a downstream airfoil with angles of attack of 0–12° is subjected to two gust types. It is found that Greenberg's theory demonstrates superior predictive capability in pre-stall regimes, with the potential for its effectiveness to be expanded to post-stall regimes through theoretical refinements. In contrast, Atassi's theory exhibits significant deviations from experimental outcomes across the measured angles of attack. Nevertheless, a modified version of the theory aligns better with experimental results at small angles of attack, whereas substantial discrepancies persist as the angle of attack increases. In the pre-stall regime, the aerodynamic response of the airfoil to vertical gusts displays a linear correlation with the flow angle near the leading edge. In the post-stall regime, the vertical gust induces dynamic stall of the airfoil. The flow angle has an essential effect on the lift coefficient but it alone is inadequate to dictate the trend of the lift coefficient. The vorticity statistics show that negative vortex circulation strongly correlates with the lift coefficient. Thus, further correction of the theory or a new vortex model can be expected to predict the lift variation.

Water droplets containing the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for coronavirus 2019 transmission, were introduced into a controlled-temperature and -humidity chamber. The SARS-CoV-2 virus with green fluorescent protein tag in droplets was used to infect Caco-2 cells, with viability assessed through flow cytometry and microscopic counting. Whereas temperature fluctuations within typical indoor ranges (20°C–30°C) had minimal impact, we observed a notable decrease in infection rate as the surrounding air’s relative humidity increased. By investigating humidity levels between 20% and 70%, we identified a threshold of ≥40% relative humidity as most effective in diminishing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. We also found that damage of the viral proteins under high relative humidity may be responsible for the decrease in their activity. This outcome supports previous research demonstrating a rise in the concentration of reactive oxygen species within water droplets with elevated relative humidity.

Terahertz (THz) radiation from a plasma cylinder with embedded radial electric and axial magnetic fields is investigated. The plasma density and the electric and magnetic fields are such that the electron plasma frequency is near the electron cyclotron frequency and in the THz regime. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that the plasma electrons oscillate not only in the azimuthal direction but also in the radial direction. Spectral analysis shows that the resulting oscillating current pattern has a clearly defined characteristic frequency near the electron cyclotron frequency, suggesting resonance between the cyclotron and plasma oscillations. The resulting far-field THz radiation in the axial direction is also discussed.

Dietary antioxidant indices (DAI) may be potentially associated with relative telomere length (RTL) of leucocytes. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between DAI and RTL. A cross-sectional study involving 1656 participants was conducted. A generalised linear regression model and a restricted cubic spline model were used to assess the correlation of DAI and its components with RTL. Generalised linear regression analysis revealed that DAI (β = 0·005, P = 0·002) and the intake of its constituents vitamin C (β = 0·043, P = 0·027), vitamin E (β = 0·088, P < 0·001), Se (β = 0·075, P = 0·003), and Zn (β = 0·075, P = 0·023) were significantly and positively correlated with RTL. Sex-stratified analysis showed that DAI (β = 0·006, P = 0·005) and its constituents vitamin E (β = 0·083, P = 0·012), Se (β = 0·093, P = 0·006), and Zn (β = 0·092, P = 0·034) were significantly and positively correlated with RTL among females. Meanwhile, among males, only vitamin E intake (β = 0·089, P = 0·013) was significantly and positively associated with RTL. Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed linear positive associations between DAI and its constituents’ (vitamin E, Se and Zn) intake and RTL in the total population. Sex-stratified analysis revealed a linear positive correlation between DAI and its constituents’ (vitamin E, Se and Zn) intake and RTL in females. Our study found a significant positive correlation between DAI and RTL, with sex differences.

Aging plays a crucial role in the mechanisms of the impacts of genetic and environmental factors on blood pressure and serum lipids. However, to our knowledge, how the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the correlation between blood pressure and serum lipids changes with age remains to be determined. In this study, data from the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR) were used. Resting blood pressure, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and fasting serum lipids, including total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TGs) were measured in 2378 participants (1189 twin pairs). Univariate and bivariate structural equation models examined the genetic and environmental influences on blood pressure and serum lipids among three age groups. All phenotypes showed moderate to high heritability (0.37–0.59) and moderate unique environmental variance (0.30–0.44). The heritability of all phenotypes showed a decreasing trend with age. Among all phenotypes, SBP and DBP showed a significant monotonic decreasing trend. For phenotype-phenotype pairs, the phenotypic correlation (Rph) of each pair ranged from −0.04 to 0.23, and the additive genetic correlation (Ra) ranged from 0.00 to 0.36. For TC&SBP, TC&DBP, TG&SBP and TGs&DBP, both the Rph and Ra declined with age, and the Ra difference between the young group and the older adult group is statistically significant (p < .05). The unique environmental correlation (Re) of each pair did not follow any pattern with age and remained relatively stable with age. In summary, we observed that the heritability of blood pressure was affected by age. Moreover, blood pressure and serum lipids shared common genetic backgrounds, and age had an impact on the phenotypic correlation and genetic correlations.

This work demonstrates the generation of short pulse duration and high-beam-quality laser pulses using transient stimulated Brillouin scattering at a high repetition rate. Thermal effects and optical breakdown are identified as the main factors that restrict energy reflectivity and beam quality under high repetition rates and transient situations. Through experimental analysis, the interaction length and focal point size are determined to be the key parameters in reducing the thermal effect by reducing the absorption of the laser pulse by the medium. The obtained results show that pulses with a duration of 175 ps and beam quality M2 of around 1.2 can be achieved with a maximum energy reflectivity of over 40% under an interaction length of 50 mm. Furthermore, at an interaction length of 90 mm, a pulse output with a minimum duration of 115 ps (0.5τQ) is achieved.

Pyrophyllite is an important layered phyllosilicate material that is used in many fields due to its beneficial physicochemical and mechanical properties. Due to the presence of multiple defects in pyrophyllite, an in-depth investigation was conducted using density functional theory to explore the effects of Na(I), K(I), Mg(II), Ca(II) and Fe(II) doping on the atomic structure, electronic properties and mechanical characteristics of pyrophyllite. The results demonstrated that, among the studied defects, K(I) doping had the most pronounced effects on the lattice constants and bonding lengths of pyrophyllite, while the least significant effects were observed in the case of Fe(II) doping. Moreover, the partial and total densities of states and band structures of the five kinds of doped pyrophyllite also changed significantly due to the redistribution of electrons. Finally, the elastic constants of the doped pyrophyllite were lower than that of the undoped pyrophyllite. Doping with Na(I), K(I), Mg(II), Ca(II) and Fe(II) reduced the deformation resistance, stiffness and elastic wave velocity but increased the degree of anisotropy in pyrophyllite. The observed effects on the mechanical properties of pyrophyllite followed the order: Mg(II) > Fe(II) > Ca(II) >K(I) > Na(I).

It is crucial to understand the genetic mechanisms and biological pathways underlying the relationship between obesity and serum lipid levels. Structural equation models (SEMs) were constructed to calculate heritability for body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and the genetic connections between BMI and the four classes of lipids using 1197 pairs of twins from the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR). Bivariate genomewide association studies (GWAS) were performed to identify genetic variants associated with BMI and lipids using the records of 457 individuals, and the results were further validated in 289 individuals. The genetic background affecting BMI may differ by gender, and the heritability of males and females was 71% (95% CI [.66, .75]) and 39% (95% CI [.15, .71]) respectively. BMI was positively correlated with TC, TG and LDL-C in phenotypic and genetic correlation, while negatively correlated with HDL-C. There were gender differences in the correlation between BMI and lipids. Bivariate GWAS analysis and validation stage found 7 genes (LOC105378740, LINC02506, CSMD1, MELK, FAM81A, ERAL1 and MIR144) that were possibly related to BMI and lipid levels. The significant biological pathways were the regulation of cholesterol reverse transport and the regulation of high-density lipoprotein particle clearance (p < .001). BMI and blood lipid levels were affected by genetic factors, and they were genetically correlated. There might be gender differences in their genetic correlation. Bivariate GWAS analysis found MIR144 gene and its related biological pathways may influence obesity and lipid levels.

Inkjet printing, originally invented for text and pattern printing, is now central to many industrial applications, such as printed electronics, flexible electronics, 3-D printing of mechanical and even biological devices. However, constrained by the droplets’ ejection mechanism, the accuracy of traditional inkjet printing is limited by the size of its orifice, and it is difficult to achieve a volume of droplets at the femtolitre scale, which hinders its further application in the above fields. To this end, we propose the confined interface vibration inkjet printing (CIVIJP) technique, which is capable of printing patterns in a liquid environment with droplet size much smaller than the orifice from which they are dispensed. Here, further systematic study of the mechanism of printing in a liquid environment was carried out with the assistance of a high-speed imaging technique. It is found for the first time that a single pulse stimulation applied on the piezo-ceramic of the inkjet nozzle can trigger damping oscillations of the oil/water interface confined by the orifice, which can last more than 500 $\mathrm {\mu }$s. By adjusting the intensity of single pulse stimulation, the size and quantity of the dispensed droplets can be controlled in a wide range, which is obviously different from traditional droplet ejection in a gaseous environment. This work reveals the underlying physics between the pulse stimulation and the interface behaviours, as well as the physics between the interface behaviours and the size and number of dispensed droplets, enriching the fundamental theory of the inkjet printing in liquid phase.