Experimental studies of cusp stabilization in Keda Mirror with AXisymmetricity(KMAX)

Stabilization of the axisymmetric magnetic mirror relies on the pressure-weighted magnetic field curvature.We report a new experiment by configuring a magnetic cusp structure to stabilize m=1 interchange mode in the KMAX tandem mirror.The cusp configuration is formed by reversing currents in the two side cell coils,and a stronger cusp can lead to a more stable plasma once the null point of the cusp is less than 35–40 cm away from the device axis.The density fluctuations measured by four axial Langmuir probes are mitigated by 70%–80%.The stabilization effect is consistent with the prediction of a theoretical calculation.

Translation speed measurements of hydrogen, helium, and argon field-reversed configurations in the central cell of a KMAX mirror device

A series of experimental results of field-reversed configurations(FRCs) on a KMAX(Keda Mirror with AXisymmetricity) tandem mirror machine are reported.Single-side FRC translation processes with three different gas species were measured by avalanche photodiodes.Consistent with the theoretical prediction, the measured FRC speeds were inversely proportional to the square root of the ion mass.However, the speeds of the hydrogen FRC increased even in a uniform magnetic field region while the speeds of the helium and argon FRCs decreased.Possible mechanisms are discussed.The speed of the second pass due to the reflection of the mirror fields was found to be ~1/3 of the first pass speed.The internal magnetic fields were measured for a colliding-merging argon FRC, and the results show that, even for very slowmoving FRCs, merging can occur.

Particle simulations on propagation and resonance of lower hybrid wave launched by phased array antenna in linear devices

In this work, we performed first-principles electromagnetic-kinetic simulations to study a phased antenna array and its interaction with deuterium plasmas within the lower hybrid range of frequency. We first gave wave accessibility and resonance results, which agree well with theoretical prediction. In addition, we further investigated the antenna power spectrum with different antenna phases in the presence of the plasma and compared it with that in a vacuum,which directly indicates wave coupling and plasma absorption. Furthermore, for the case with zero phasing difference, our simulation results show that, albeit the launch is away from the accessibility region, tunneling effect and mode conversion occurred, which enhanced coupling and absorption. Moreover, consistent interactions between the injected wave and the plasma concerning various antenna phase differences are shown. We presented the inchoate response of the plasma in terms of the launching directions. Our results could be favorable for the engineering design of wave heating experiments with a tunable phased antenna array in linear devices, such as simple magnetic mirrors or tandem mirrors.

FGF1^(△HBS) prevents diabetic cardiomyopathy by maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and reducing oxidative stress via AMPK/Nur77 suppression

As a classically known mitogen,fibroblast growth factor 1(FGF1)has been found to exert other pleiotropic functions such as metabolic regulation and myocardial protection.Here,we show that serum levels of FGF1 were decreased and positively correlated with fraction shortening in diabetic cardiomyopathy(DCM)patients,indicating that FGF1 is a potential therapeutic target for DCM.We found that treatment with a FGF1 variant(FGF1^(△HBS))with reduced proliferative potency prevented diabetes-induced cardiac injury and remodeling and restored cardiac function.RNA-Seq results obtained from the cardiac tissues of db/db mice showed significant increase in the expression levels of anti-oxidative genes and decrease of Nur77 by FGF1AHBS treatment.Both in vivo and in vitro studies indicate that FGF1^(△HBS) exerted these beneficial effects by markedly reducing mitochondrial fragmentation,reactive oxygen species(ROS)generation and cytochrome c leakage and enhancing mitochondrial respiration rate and β-oxidation in a 5;AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK)/Nur77-dependent manner,all of which were not observed in the AMPK null mice.The favorable metabolic activity and reduced proliferative properties of FGF1^(△HBS) testify to its promising potential for use in the treatment of DCM and other metabolic disorders.

A brief review of forensically important flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)

Forensic entomology could provide valuable data for the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin) estimation and other relevant information,such as causes and circumstances of death.Some representatives of flesh flies are one of the dominant necrophagous insects during early stages of decomposition,demonstrating unique biological characteristics compared with other necrophagous flies.Moreover,they lead to global health concerns as carriers of various pathogenic micro-organisms,and dominantly result in the traumatic myiasis.Thus,sarcophagid flies are considered important in decomposition processes for PMImin estimation.However,the utility of sarcophagid flies has been seriously hampered by limited ecological,biological and taxonomic knowledge of them.The aim of this paper is to provide a brief review on the species,distribution and biological habit of forensically important sarcophagid flies.In addition,the relation between traumatic myiasis and flesh flies,molecular identification methods and developmental pattern of flesh flies are summarized.

A survey on biomarker identification based on molecular networks

Identifying biomarkers for accurate diagnosis and prognosis of diseases is important for the prevention of disease development. The molecular networks that describe the functional relationships among molecules provide a global view of the complex biological systems. With the molecular networks, the molecular mechanisms underlying diseases can be unveiled, which helps identify biomarkers in a systematic way. Results： In this survey, we report the recent progress on identifying biomarkers based on the topology of molecular networks, and we categorize those biomarkers into three groups, including node biomarkers, edge biomarkers and network biomarkers. These distinct types of biomarkers can be detected under different conditions depending on the data available. Conclusions： The biomarkers identified based on molecular networks can provide more accurate diagnosis and prognosis. The pros and cons of different types of hiomarkers as well as future directions to improve the methods for identifying biomarkers are also discussed.