Terahertz imaging with sub-wavelength resolution by femtosecond laser filament in air

Terahertz (THz) imaging provides cutting edge technique in biology, medical sciences and non-destructive evaluation. However, due to the long wavelength of the THz wave, the obtained resolution of THz imaging is normally a few hundred microns and is much lower than that of the traditional optical imaging. We introduce a sub-wavelength resolution THz imaging technique which uses the THz radiation generated by a femtosecond laser filament in air as the probe. This method is based on the fact that the femtosecond laser filament forms a waveguide for the THz wave in air. The diameter of the THz beam, which propagates inside the filament, varies from 20 {\mu}m to 50 {\mu}m, which is significantly smaller than the wavelength of the THz wave. Using this highly spatially confined THz beam as the probe, THz imaging with resolution as high as 20 {\mu}m (~{\lambda}/38) can be realized.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Terahertz Wave Guiding by Femtosecond Laser Filament in Air

Femtosecond laser filament generates strong terahertz (THz) pulse in air. In this paper, THz pulse waveform generated by femtosecond laser filament has been experimentally investigated as a function of the length of the filament. Superluminal propagation of THz pulse has been uncovered, indicating that the filament creates a THz waveguide in air. Numerical simulation has confirmed that the waveguide is formed because of the radially non-uniform refractive index distribution inside the filament. The underlying physical mechanisms and the control techniques of this type THz pulse generation method might be revisited based on our findings. It might also potentially open a new approach for long-distance propagation of THz wave in air.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Study of Comprehensive Evaluation of Poverty Reduction Effect for Chinese Poverty-Stricken Areas-Based on the Data of Chinese 14 Contiguous Poor Areas

China has achieved significant achievements on poverty reduction effect since 1978, two hundred fifty million people have get rid of poverty. While with the relative poverty has become increasingly prominent, there are more dimensions which influence the poverty reduction effect. In order to make a comprehensive evaluation on poverty reduction effect for Chinese poverty-stricken areas, this paper presents a dynamic evaluation model based on the gray correlation method to measuring multidimensional poverty reduction effect by selecting the data of Chinese 14 contiguous poor areas. According to analyzing from three evaluation situations of current development, growth and comprehensive evaluation, the result shows that Desertification Area of Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou all have high rankings in comprehensive evaluation, current development evaluation and growth evaluation. While Qinba Mountain Area, Wuling Mountain Area and Dabie Mountain Area are ranked higher in current development evaluation than in growth evaluation, which indicates that these areas will have more difficulties in poverty reduction in the future. On the contrary, Tibet Area, Tree Districts in South Xinjiang and Daxing'anling Mountain Area are ranked lower in current development than in growth evaluation, which reflects that there are much more potential in poverty reduction in these areas

The Influence of Teamwork on the Performance in International Joint Venture

This paper makes an empirical study on whether the influence of teamwork on IJV performance is relatively positive or negative. Aiming to make a more accurate and comparative analysis, the research utilizes the method of questionnaire survey among three kinds of companies which are all located in China, which are local companies、Sino joint ventures and foreign companies. Based on several dimensions which make significant influence in team work, this paper uses factor analysis and correlation analysis by SPSS to arrange the data gaining from the questionnaire survey. By comparing the result of IJV with the other two kinds of companies, the thesis will propose the final conclusion

Influence of the Process Parameters on the Microhardness and the Wear Resistance of Friction Stir Processed H65 Copper Alloy

Friction stir processing (FSP) was used to modify a larger-size surface of H65 copper alloy. The influence of the traverse speed and the rotation speed on the microstructure, the microhardness and the wear resistance of the modified surface were analyzed. The wear mechanism of the modified H65 copper alloy was revealed. The results indicate that the grain size was greatly refined after FSP compared with the parent metal and that the grain size increased with the increment of the rotation speed. The average microhardness of the modified surface was higher than that of the parent metal. The average microhardness had a highest value of 174.13 HV when the traverse speed was 200 mm/min and the rotation speed was 200 rpm, i.e., 21% higher than that of the parent metal. The average microhardness decreased with the increase of the rotation speed. When the traverse speed was 200 mm/min and the rotation speed was 600 rpm, the average friction coefficient of the modified surface was the smallest (0.3213), which was lower than that of the parent metal (0.3810). The wear mechanism of the H65 copper alloy modified by FSP was mainly adhesive wear accompanied by local abrasive wear

Influence of the Process Parameters on the Microhardness and the Wear Resistance of Friction Stir Processed H65 Copper Alloy

Friction stir processing (FSP) was used to modify a larger-size surface of H65 copper alloy. The influence of the traverse speed and the rotation speed on the microstructure, the microhardness and the wear resistance of the modified surface were analyzed. The wear mechanism of the modified H65 copper alloy was revealed. The results indicate that the grain size was greatly refined after FSP compared with the parent metal and that the grain size increased with the increment of the rotation speed. The average microhardness of the modified surface was higher than that of the parent metal. The average microhardness had a highest value of 174.13 HV when the traverse speed was 200 mm/min and the rotation speed was 200 rpm, i.e., 21% higher than that of the parent metal. The average microhardness decreased with the increase of the rotation speed. When the traverse speed was 200 mm/min and the rotation speed was 600 rpm, the average friction coefficient of the modified surface was the smallest (0.3213), which was lower than that of the parent metal (0.3810). The wear mechanism of the H65 copper alloy modified by FSP was mainly adhesive wear accompanied by local abrasive wear

Functional variant of the carboxypeptidase M (CPM) gene may affect silica-related pneumoconiosis susceptibility by its expression: a multistage case-control study.

ObjectivesIn a genome-wide association study, we discovered chromosome 12q15 (defined as rs73329476) as a silica-related pneumoconiosis susceptibility region. However, the causal variants in this region have not yet been reported.MethodsWe systematically screened eight potentially functional single-neucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in the genes near rs73329476 (carboxypeptidase M (CPM) and cleavage and polyadenylation specific factor 6 (CPSF6)) in a case-control study including 177 cases with silicosis and 204 healthy controls, matched to cases with years of silica dust exposure. We evaluated the associations between these eight SNPs and the development of silicosis. Luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to test the effects of selected SNP on the activity of CPM in the promoter. In addition, a two-stage case-control study was performed to investigate the expression differences of the two genes in peripheral blood leucocytes from a total of 64 cases with silicosis and 64 healthy controls with similar years of silica dust exposure as the cases.ResultsWe found a strong association between the mutant rs12812500 G allele and the susceptibility of silicosis (OR=1.45, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.04, p=0.034), while luciferase reporter gene assays indicated that the mutant G allele of rs12812500 is strongly associated with increased luciferase levels compared with the wild-type C allele (p<0.01). Moreover, the mRNA (peripheral blood leucocytes) expression of the CPM gene was significantly higher in subjects with silicosis compared with healthy controls.ConclusionsThe rs12812500 variant of the CPM gene may increase silicosis susceptibility by affecting the expression of CPM, which may contribute to silicosis susceptibility with biological plausibility

A novel 4-(1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-ylthio)pyrimidine derivative inhibits cell proliferation by suppressing the MEK/ERK signaling pathway in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of malignant cancers worldwide. Although molecularly targeted therapies have significantly improved treatment outcomes, most of these target inhibitors are resistant. Novel inhibitors as potential anti-cancer drug candidates are still needed to be discovered. Therefore, in the present study, we synthesized a novel 4-(1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-ylthio)pyrimidine derivative (compound 4) using fragment- and structure-based techniques and then investigated the anti-cancer effect and underlying mechanism of anti-CRC. The results revealed that compound 4 significantly inhibited HCT116 cell proliferation with IC50 values of 8.04 ± 0.94 µmol L–1 after 48 h and 5.52 ± 0.42 µmol L–1 after 72 h, respectively. Compound 4 also inhibited colony formation, migration, and invasion of HCT116 cells in a dose-dependent manner, as well as inducing cell apoptosis and arresting the cell cycle in the G2/M phase. In addition, compound 4 was able to inhibit the activation of the MEK/ERK signaling in HCT116 cells. And compound 4 yielded the same effects as the MEK inhibitor U0126 on cell apoptosis and MEK/ERK-related proteins. These findings suggested that compound 4 inhibited cell proliferation and growth, and induced cell apoptosis, indicating its use as e a novel and potent anti-cancer agent against CRC via the MEK/ERK signaling pathway