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The main scientific goal of LHAASO-WCDA is to survey gamma-ray sources with energy from 100 GeV to 30 TeV. To observe high-energy shower events, especially to measure the energy spectrum of cosmic rays from 100 TeV to 10 PeV, a dynamic range extension system (WCDA++) is designed to use a 1.5-inch PMT with a dynamic range of four orders of magnitude for each cell in WCDA-1. The dynamic range is extended by using these PMTs to measure the effective charge density in the core region of air shower events, which is an important parameter for identifying the composition of primary particles. The system has been running for more than one year. In this paper, the details of the design and performance of WCDA++ are presented.

The extension of the cosmic-ray spectrum beyond 1 petaelectronvolt (PeV; 1015 electronvolts) indicates the existence of the so-called PeVatrons—cosmic-ray factories that accelerate particles to PeV energies. We need to locate and identify such objects to find the origin of Galactic cosmic rays1. The principal signature of both electron and proton PeVatrons is ultrahigh-energy (exceeding 100 TeV) γ radiation. Evidence of the presence of a proton PeVatron has been found in the Galactic Centre, according to the detection of a hard-spectrum radiation extending to 0.04 PeV (ref. 2). Although γ-rays with energies slightly higher than 0.1 PeV have been reported from a few objects in the Galactic plane3–6, unbiased identification and in-depth exploration of PeVatrons requires detection of γ-rays with energies well above 0.1 PeV. Here we report the detection of more than 530 photons at energies above 100 teraelectronvolts and up to 1.4 PeV from 12 ultrahigh-energy γ-ray sources with a statistical significance greater than seven standard deviations. Despite having several potential counterparts in their proximity, including pulsar wind nebulae, supernova remnants and star-forming regions, the PeVatrons responsible for the ultrahigh-energy γ-rays have not yet been firmly localized and identified (except for the Crab Nebula), leaving open the origin of these extreme accelerators. Observations of γ-rays with energies up to 1.4 PeV find that 12 sources in the Galaxy are PeVatrons, one of which is the Crab Nebula.

Facing rising global antibiotics resistance, physical membrane-damaging antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent promising antimicrobial agents. Various strategies to design effective hybrid peptides offer many advantages in overcoming the adverse effects of natural AMPs. In this study, hybrid peptides from different species were investigated, and three hybrid antimicrobial peptides, LI, LN, and LC, were designed by combining the typical fragment of human cathelicidin-derived LL37 with either indolicidin, pig nematode cecropin P1 (CP-1) or rat neutrophil peptide-1 (NP-1). In an aqueous solution, all hybrid peptides had an unordered conformation. In simulated membrane conditions, the hybrid peptide LI displayed more β-turn and β-hairpin structures, whereas LN and LC folded into α-helix structures. The three interspecific hybrid peptides LI, LN, and LC exhibited different levels of antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. LI demonstrated the highest antimicrobial activity and cell selectivity. The results of the swimming motility indicated that LI repressed bacterial motility in a concentration-dependent method. Endotoxin binding assay demonstrated that hybrid peptide LI conserved the binding ability to LPS (polyanionic lipopolysaccharides) of its parental peptides. Fluorescence assays, flow cytometry, and SEM further revealed that hybrid peptide LI acted through different bacteriostatic mechanisms than LL37 and indolicidin and that LI killed bacterial cells via membrane damage. In summary, this study demonstrated that hybrid peptide LI produced by interspecific hybrid synthesis possessed strong cell selectivity and is a promising therapeutic candidate for drug-resistant bacteria infection.

The response of Thellungiella (Thellungiella holophila) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) callus to salt stress was investigated. The relative growth rate of Arabidopsis calli decreased with increased levels of NaCl. However, the relative growth rate of Thellungiella calli increased with higher levels of NaCl, reaching maximal growth at 100 mM NaCl, but then subsequently declined. A similar pattern of accumulation of proline, glycine betaine, and total flavonoid was observed; whereas, accumulation of treholase continued to increase with increasing NaCl levels in both Thellungiella and Arabidopsis calli. Overall, with increasing NaCl levels, accumulation of glycine betaine, total flavonoid, and treholase was higher in Thellungiella than in Arabidopsis calli; while, proline and sucrose contents were higher in Arabidopsis than in Thellungiella calli. These results indicated that compatible solutes were involved in the response of plant calli to salt stress, and that the halophyte Thellungiella and glycophyte Arabidopsis selected different compatible solutes to adapt to salt stress environments.

An isothermal method was applied to measure the thermal decomposition of reactive solids in a sensitive heat flux reaction calorimeter, C80. This technique experimentally clarified the decomposition mechanisms of unstable substances based on the shapes of the heat flow curves, from which autocatalysis, first-order reaction or pseudo-autocatalytic reaction could be recognized. Kinetic parameters were derived from the measured data.

In this paper, several small-scale screening test methods were discussed on evaluating the thermal hazard of reactive substances. Generally the sensitivities of DSC and ARC are not high enough to evaluate the thermal hazards for all reactive substance, especially, for those of complex reactions containing a phase and/or chemical reaction mechanism change in the lower temperature range. Using the C80, however, the reaction can easily be detected in the lower temperature range due to its high sensitivity. Therefore, the C80 gives generally more accurate results than DSC and ARC. Data from C80 and Dewar vessel were compared and it indicates that the Dewar vessel has also high enough sensitivity to evaluate the thermal hazard and determine the heat flux in lower temperature range of reactive substances.