Search

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are short pulses observed in radio band from cosmological distances. One class of models invoke soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs), or magnetars, as the sources of FRBs. Some radio pulses have been observed from some magnetars, however, no FRB-like events had been detected in association any magnetar burst, including one giant flare. Recently, a pair of FRB-like bursts (FRB 200428 hereafter) separated by milliseconds (ms) were detected from the general direction of the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154. Here we report the detection of a non-thermal X-ray burst in the 1-250 keV energy band with the Insight-HXMT satellite, which we identify as emitted from SGR J1935+2154. The burst showed two hard peaks with a separation of 34 ms, broadly consistent with that of the two bursts in FRB 200428. The delay time between the double radio and X-ray peaks is about 8.57 s, fully consistent with the dispersion delay of FRB 200428. We thus identify the non-thermal X-ray burst is associated with FRB 200428 whose high energy counterpart is the two hard peaks in X-ray. Our results suggest that the non-thermal X-ray burst and FRB 200428 share the same physical origin in an explosive event from SGR J1935+2154., 24 pages, 9 figures, 6 tables; initial submission to a journal on May 9th, 2020. Significant changes include updated localization and detailed spectral evolution of the X-ray burst, and better determination of the two narrow X-ray peaks corresponding to the two radio pulses. Conclusions are strengthened. Nature Astronomy online on Feb. 18, 2021

Recently, the system parameters of Cygnus X-1, i.e., the black hole mass M, the orbital inclination i and the source distance D, have been updated. As the input constraints of the continuum-fitting method, it is necessary to refine the spin with these new parameters. The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT, also named Insight) was successfully launched on June 15th, 2017 in China. In this work, we analyzed spectra obtained by the Insight-HXMT during 2017-2018 and re-estimated the spin via the continuum-fitting method. We first re-estimated the spin using old parameters and found the dimensionless spin parameter to be a ⁎ > 0.934 (3σ), which is consistent with previous measurements both from the continuum-fitting and iron-line fitting methods ( Gou et al. 2011 , Gou et al. 2014 ; Fabian et al. 2012 , Walton et al. 2016 , Tomsick et al. 2018 ). Then, when the new parameters were applied, we obtained an increased spin: a ⁎ > 0.967 (3σ), which is also consistent with the recent measurement (Zhao et al. 2020, submitted to ApJ) and also confirms an extreme Kerr black hole lying in this system.

A new black hole X-ray binary (BHXRB) MAXI J1535-571 was discovered by MAXI during its outburst in 2017. Using observations taken by the first Chinese X-ray satellite, the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (dubbed as Insight-HXMT), we perform a joint spectral analysis (2-150 keV) in both energy and time domains. The energy spectra provide the essential input for probing the intrinsic Quasi-Periodic Oscillation (QPO) fractional rms spectra (FRS). Our results show that during the intermediate state, the energy spectra are in general consistent with those reported by Swift/XRT and NuSTAR. However, the QPO FRS become harder and the FRS residuals may suggest the presence of either an additional power-law component in the energy spectrum or a turn-over in the intrinsic QPO FRS at high energies.

We study the 2018 outburst of Aql X-1 via the monitor of all sky X-ray image (MAXI) data. We show that the outburst starting in February 2018 is a member of short-low class in the frame of outburst duration and the peak count rate although the outburst morphology is slightly different from the other fast-rise-exponential-decay (FRED) type outbursts with a milder rising stage. We study the partial accretion in the weak propeller stage of Aql X-1 via the MAXI data of the 2018 outburst. We report on the spectral analysis of 3 observations of Aquila X-1 obtained by Insight – hard X-ray modulation telescope (Insight-HXMT) during the late decay stage of the 2018 outburst. We discuss that the data taken by Insight-HXMT is just after the transition to the weak propeller stage. Our analysis shows the necessity of a comptonization component to take into account the existence of an electron cloud resulting photons partly up-scattered.

We present a detailed timing study of the brightest persistent X-ray source Sco X-1 using the data collected by the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope ( I n s i g h t -HXMT) from July 2017 to August 2018. A complete Z-track hardness-intensity diagram (HID) is obtained. The normal branch oscillations (NBOs) at ∼ 6 Hz in the lower part of the normal branch (NB) and the flare branch oscillations (FBOs) at ∼ 16 Hz in the beginning part of the flaring branch (FB) are found in observations with the Low Energy X-ray Telescope (LE) and the Medium Energy X-ray Telescope (ME) of I n s i g h t -HXMT, while the horizontal branch oscillations (HBOs) at ∼ 40 Hz and the kilohertz quasi-periodic oscillations (kHz QPOs) at ∼ 800 Hz are found simultaneously above 20 keV for the first time on the horizontal branch (HB) by the High Energy X-ray Telescope (HE) and ME. We find that for all types of the observed QPOs, the centroid frequencies are independent of energy, while the root mean square (rms) increases with energy; the centroid frequencies of both the HBOs and kHz QPOs increase along the Z-track from the top to the bottom of the HB; and the NBOs show soft phase lags increasing with energy. A continuous QPO transition from the FB to NB in ∼ 200 s are also detected. Our results indicate that the non-thermal emission is the origin of all types of QPOs, the innermost region of the accretion disk is non-thermal in nature, and the corona is nonhomogeneous geometrically.

In this study, we apply a method for wave analyses in space plasmas, to better understand the nature of plasma waves and turbulence. Such a method is based on four-spacecraft measurements of magnetic fields or electric fields; it calculates the phase velocity of each single-frequency wave by using the timing analysis, then divides the wave frequency by the phase velocity to obtain the wavevector, and finally solves the dispersion relation (ω–k relation) by considering all frequency channels, and thus is termed Dispersion RelAtion From Timing (DRAFT). Quantitatively, we define three parameters, match of amplitude (MOA), ratio of half-wavelength to spacecraft separation (λ/2R sc), and correlation coefficient (CC), to judge the reliability of this method. We illustrate the usage of this method and validate the efficiency of the three parameters by analyzing the Magnetospheric Multiscale data. We find that the DRAFT results are generally accurate under conditions MOA > 0.5, λ/2R sc > 1, CC > 0.8. As a support, we compare our method with the previous methods such as Means and singular value decomposition (SVD). We find that if the three criteria (MOA, λ/2R sc, CC) are satisfied, the DRAFT, Means, and SVD are consistent in resolving the wave normal angle. Such a comparison robustly validates the reliability and rationality of the DRAFT method. Using DRAFT, we successfully solve the dispersion relation of an Alfvén wave in Earth’s magnetosheath and obtain its three-dimensional K -spectrum. Our method should be useful to study the low-frequency waves and weak turbulence in space plasmas.

The evidences for the influence of thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts upon the surrounding environments in neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB) were detected previously via spectral and timing analyses. Benefitting from a broad energy coverage of Insight-HXMT, we analyze one photospheric radius expansion (PRE) burst, and find an emission excess at soft X-rays. Our spectral analysis shows that, such an excess is not likely relevant to the disk reflection induced by the burst emission and can be attributed to an enhanced pre-burst/persistent emission. We find that the burst and enhanced persistent emissions sum up to exceed Eddington luminosity by ∼ 40 percentages. We speculate that the enhanced emission is from a region beyond the PRE radius, or through the Comptonization of the corona.

Lower hybrid drift waves are commonly observed at plasma boundaries, playing an important role in plasma dynamics. Such waves have been widely investigated in the terrestrial magnetosphere but have never been reported in other planetary environments. Here, using the measurements from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission, we present the first observation of electromagnetic lower hybrid drift waves at the edge of the current sheet on the dusk side of the Martian magnetotail, which should be locally excited rather than propagated from other regions. These plasma waves are associated with significant density gradients and magnetic field gradients. Based on the measured local plasma parameters and the sufficient condition for lower hybrid drift instability to be excited, we find that the proton density gradient is sharp enough to excite the lower hybrid drift instability. The analysis of the existence condition for lower hybrid drift instability indicates that these lower hybrid drift waves at the edge of the current sheet are generated through lower hybrid drift instability. The above results can improve our understanding of Mars’ magnetospheric dynamics.

该文报道抗精神类药物致冠状动脉微循环障碍发生反复晕厥及急性左心衰竭一例。通过分析其临床特点及诊治过程，并结合文献复习，探讨了可能的发病机制。值得注意的是，冠状动脉微循环障碍并不罕见，临床上需仔细辨别，以防漏诊、误诊。.

Based on Insight-HXMT data, we report on the pulse fraction evolution during the 2017–2018 outburst of the newly discovered first Galactic ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) source Swift J0243.6+6124. The pulse fractions of 19 observation pairs selected in the rising and fading phases with similar luminosity are investigated. The results show a general trend of the pulse fraction increasing with luminosity and energy at supercritical luminosity. However, the relative strength of the pulsation between each pair evolves strongly with luminosity. The pulse fraction in the rising phase is larger at luminosity below 7.71 × 1038 erg s−1, but smaller at above. A transition luminosity is found to be energy independent. Such a phenomenon is first confirmed by Insight-HXMT observations and we speculate that it may have relation with the radiation-pressure-dominated accretion disc.

In February 2018, one 54-year-old male patient with severe scald complicated with pneumonia and sepsis was transferred to Qingdao Municipal Hospital from other hospital. Drugs including cephalosporin, vancomycin, and imipenem/cilastatin combined with ciprofloxacin were used successively for anti-infective treatment, with no obvious effect. Multiple bacterial culture results of sputum, blood, and wound exudate showed infection of extensively drug resistant2018年2月，青岛市市立医院收治1例经外院转入的严重烫伤合并肺炎和脓毒症的54岁男性患者。先后使用头孢菌素、万古霉素、亚胺培南/西司他丁＋环丙沙星等抗感染治疗，但无明显效果。痰液、血液及创面分泌物多次细菌培养结果提示泛耐药铜绿假单胞菌感染。入院第4天调整抗感染治疗方案，补充血浆、红细胞及白蛋白，行营养支持及对症处理，同时进行用药监护，关注药物相关不良反应。经过10余天的治疗，患者感染得到有效控制，病情逐渐好转。本病例提示，严重烧伤患者易发生严重且致命的全身性感染，抗菌药物的不规范使用增加了泛耐药菌的感染风险，清晰的抗感染思路和抗菌药物的有效应用有助于提高感染治疗的成功率，对改善严重烧伤患者的预后具有重要价值。.

We study the evolution of the temporal properties of MAXI 1820+070 during the 2018 outburst in its hard state from MJD 58190 to 58289 with Insight-HXMT in a broad energy band 1-150 keV. We find different behaviors of the hardness ratio, the fractional rms and time lag before and after MJD 58257, suggesting a transition occurred at around this point. The observed time lags between the soft photons in the 1-5 keV band and the hard photons in higher energy bands, up to 150 keV, are frequency-dependent: the time lags in the low-frequency range, 2-10 mHz, are both soft and hard lags with a timescale of dozens of seconds but without a clear trend along the outburst; the time lags in the high-frequency range, 1-10 Hz, are only hard lags with a timescale of tens of milliseconds; first increase until around MJD 58257 and decrease after this date. The high-frequency time lags are significantly correlated to the photon index derived from the fit to the quasi-simultaneous NICER spectrum in the 1-10 keV band. This result is qualitatively consistent with a model in which the high-frequency time lags are produced by Comptonization in a jet., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

We report on our analysis of the 2019 outburst of the X-ray accreting pulsar 4U 1901+03 observed with Insight-HXMT and NICER. Both spectra and pulse profiles evolve significantly in the decaying phase of the outburst. Dozens of flares are observed throughout the outburst. They are more frequent and brighter at the outburst peak. We find that the flares, which have a duration from tens to hundreds of seconds, are generally brighter than the persistent emission by a factor of $\sim$ 1.5. The pulse profile shape during the flares can be significantly different than that of the persistent emission. In particular, a phase shift is clearly observed in many cases. We interpret these findings as direct evidence of changes of the pulsed beam pattern, due to transitions between the sub- and super-critical accretion regimes on a short time scale. We also observe that at comparable luminosities the flares' pulse profiles are rather similar to those of the persistent emission. This indicates that the accretion on the polar cap of the neutron star is mainly determined by the luminosity, i.e., the mass accretion rate., 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

No robust detection of prompt electromagnetic counterparts to fast radio bursts (FRBs) has yet been obtained, in spite of several multi-wavelength searches carried out so far. Specifically, X/gamma-ray counterparts are predicted by some models. We planned on searching for prompt gamma-ray counterparts in the Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT) data, taking advantage of the unique combination of large effective area in the keV-MeV energy range and of sub-ms time resolution. We selected 39 FRBs that were promptly visible from the High-Energy (HE) instrument aboard Insight-HXMT. After calculating the expected arrival times at the location of the spacecraft, we searched for a significant excess in both individual and cumulative time profiles over a wide range of time resolutions, from several seconds down to sub-ms scales. Using the dispersion measures in excess of the Galactic terms, we estimated the upper limits on the redshifts. No convincing signal was found and for each FRB we constrained the gamma-ray isotropic-equivalent luminosity and the released energy as a function of emission timescale. For the nearest FRB source, the periodic repeater FRB180916.J0158+65, we find $L_{\gamma,iso}, Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, 6 tables, accepted by A&A

We report on the observation of the accreting pulsar GRO J1008-57 performed by Insight-HXMT at the peak of the source's 2017 outburst. Pulsations are detected with a spin period of 93.283(1) s. The pulse profile shows double peaks at soft X-rays, and only one peak above 20 keV. The spectrum is well described by the phenomenological models of X-ray pulsars. A cyclotron resonant scattering feature is detected with very high statistical significance at a centroid energy of $E_{\rm cyc}=90.32_{-0.28}^{+0.32}$ keV, for the reference continuum and line models, HIGHECUT and GABS respectively. Detection is very robust with respect to different continuum models. The line energy is significantly higher than what suggested from previous observations, which provided very marginal evidence for the line. This establishes a new record for the centroid energy of a fundamental cyclotron resonant scattering feature observed in accreting pulsars. We also discuss the accretion regime of the source during the Insight-HXMT observation., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

Glitches correspond to sudden jumps of rotation frequency ($\nu$) and its derivative ($\dot{\nu}$) of pulsars, the origin of which remains not well understood yet, partly because the jump processes of most glitches are not well time-resolved. There are three large glitches of the Crab pulsar, detected in 1989, 1996 and 2017, which were found to have delayed spin-up processes before the normal recovery processes. Here we report two additional glitches of the Crab pulsar occurred in 2004 and 2011 for which we discovered delayed spin up processes, and present refined parameters of the largest glitch occurred in 2017. The initial rising time of the glitch is determined as $, Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures

In this study, polydimethylsiloxane and graphene were used to fabricate surface electrodes for electrocardiographic (ECG) sensing. A simple and inexpensive method was developed to fabricate graphene-based polymer films. In this method, graphene was inlaid in polydimethylsiloxane by polymer infiltration. The polymer films were successfully used in ECG measurements and performed as well as conventional silver/silver chloride wet electrodes. Few motion artifacts were observed with the graphene films when body postures were changed and during walking. The presented approach is low-cost and suitable for mass production, holding great promise in fabricating polymer electrodes for medical monitoring.

We report on analysis of observations of the bright transient X-ray pulsar \src obtained during its 2017-2018 giant outburst with Insight-HXMT, \emph{NuSTAR}, and \textit{Swift} observatories. We focus on the discovery of a sharp state transition of the timing and spectral properties of the source at super-Eddington accretion rates, which we associate with the transition of the accretion disk to a radiation pressure dominated (RPD) state, the first ever directly observed for magnetized neutron star. This transition occurs at slightly higher luminosity compared to already reported transition of the source from sub- to super-critical accretion regime associate with onset of an accretion column. We argue that this scenario can only be realized for comparatively weakly magnetized neutron star, not dissimilar to other ultra-luminous X-ray pulsars (ULPs), which accrete at similar rates. Further evidence for this conclusion is provided by the non-detection of the transition to the propeller state in quiescence which strongly implies compact magnetosphere and thus rules out magnetar-like fields., Submitted to MNRAS

We present a study of timing properties of the accreting pulsar 2S 1417-624 observed during its 2018 outburst, based on Swift/BAT, Fermi/GBM, Insight-HXMT and NICER observations. We report a dramatic change of the pulse profiles with luminosity. The morphology of the profile in the range 0.2-10.0keV switches from double to triple peaks at $\sim2.5$ $\rm \times 10^{37}{\it D}_{10}^2\ erg\ s^{-1}$ and from triple to quadruple peaks at $\sim7$ $\rm \times 10^{37}{\it D}_{10}^2\ erg\ s^{-1}$. The profile at high energies (25-100keV) shows significant evolutions as well. We explain this phenomenon according to existing theoretical models. We argue that the first change is related to the transition from the sub to the super-critical accretion regime, while the second to the transition of the accretion disc from the gas-dominated to the radiation pressure-dominated state. Considering the spin-up as well due to the accretion torque, this interpretation allows to estimate the magnetic field self-consistently at $\sim7\times 10^{12}$G., 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The recently discovered neutron star transient Swift J0243.6+6124 has been monitored by {\it the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope} ({\it Insight-\rm HXMT). Based on the obtained data, we investigate the broadband spectrum of the source throughout the outburst. We estimate the broadband flux of the source and search for possible cyclotron line in the broadband spectrum. No evidence of line-like features is, however, found up to $\rm 150~keV$. In the absence of any cyclotron line in its energy spectrum, we estimate the magnetic field of the source based on the observed spin evolution of the neutron star by applying two accretion torque models. In both cases, we get consistent results with $B\rm \sim 10^{13}~G$, $D\rm \sim 6~kpc$ and peak luminosity of $\rm >10^{39}~erg~s^{-1}$ which makes the source the first Galactic ultraluminous X-ray source hosting a neutron star., published

The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope ($Insight$-HXMT) was successfully launched on June 15th, 2017. It performs broad band X-ray scan survey of the Galactic Plane to detect new black holes and other objects in active states. It also observes X-ray binaries to study their X-ray variabilities. Here we will introduce the Science Operations of $Insight$-HXMT, which is responsible for collecting and evaluating observation proposals, scheduling observations, and monitoring the working status of the payloads.

We present the X-ray timing results of the new black hole candidate (BHC) MAXI J1535-571 during its 2017 outburst from Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (\emph{Insight}-HXMT) observations taken from 2017 September 6 to 23. Following the definitions given by \citet{Belloni2010}, we find that the source exhibits state transitions from Low/Hard state (LHS) to Hard Intermediate state (HIMS) and eventually to Soft Intermediate state (SIMS). Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) are found in the intermediate states, which suggest different types of QPOs. With the large effective area of \emph{Insight}-HXMT at high energies, we are able to present the energy dependence of the QPO amplitude and centroid frequency up to 100 keV which is rarely explored by previous satellites. We also find that the phase lag at the type-C QPOs centroid frequency is negative (soft lags) and strongly correlated with the centroid frequency. By assuming a geometrical origin of type-C QPOs, the source is consistent with being a high inclination system., Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, Sumbitted to ApJ

The objective of the present study was to observe the effects of different doses of rosuvastatin on cardiac protection in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after stent implantation.A total of 137 patients with ACS were selected from March 2014 to January 2015 and randomly divided into: 1. The conventional treatment group: 45 patients were treated with conventional drugs such as aspirin, clopidogrel, nitrates, and a β-blocker; 2. The conventional rosuvastatin dose group: 45 patients received 10 mg/d rosuvastatin before sleep in addition to routine therapy; 3. The large rosuvastatin dose group: 47 patients received 20 mg/d rosuvastatin before sleep in addition to routine therapy. The course of treatment was 12 weeks. At 1, 6, and 12 week, ultrasound echocardiography, electrocardiogram (ECG), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP) levels were tested to evaluate the therapeutic effects. The ultrasonic imaging criteria included left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESD), left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end systolic volume (LVESV), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).After 1 week, hs-CRP, pro-BNP, and echocardiography of the patients in the three groups showed no significant differences (p0.05); after 6 and 12 weeks, the levels of hs-CRP, MMP-9, and pro-BNP in the large rosuvastatin dose group were significantly lower than in the conventional rosuvastatin dose group and conventional treatment group (p0.05), and ultrasonic indexes changed significantly after 12 weeks (p0.05). There were no significant differences in ultrasonic indexes after 6 weeks (p0.05). No thrombosis or restenosis occurred during the follow-up period in each group.Three months after emergency percutaneous coronary intervention, a high-dose of rosuvastatin can delay ventricular remodeling, effectively inhibit malignant remodeling of the heart, improve left ventricular systolic function, reduce the prevalence of adverse events, and significantly improve the long-term prognosis.

Finding the electromagnetic (EM) counterpart of binary compact star merger, especially the binary neutron star (BNS) merger, is critically important for gravitational wave (GW) astronomy, cosmology and fundamental physics. On Aug. 17, 2017, Advanced LIGO and \textit{Fermi}/GBM independently triggered the first BNS merger, GW170817, and its high energy EM counterpart, GRB 170817A, respectively, resulting in a global observation campaign covering gamma-ray, X-ray, UV, optical, IR, radio as well as neutrinos. The High Energy X-ray telescope (HE) onboard \textit{Insight}-HXMT (Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope) is the unique high-energy gamma-ray telescope that monitored the entire GW localization area and especially the optical counterpart (SSS17a/AT2017gfo) with very large collection area ($\sim$1000 cm$^2$) and microsecond time resolution in 0.2-5 MeV. In addition, \textit{Insight}-HXMT quickly implemented a Target of Opportunity (ToO) observation to scan the GW localization area for potential X-ray emission from the GW source. Although it did not detect any significant high energy (0.2-5 MeV) radiation from GW170817, its observation helped to confirm the unexpected weak and soft nature of GRB 170817A. Meanwhile, \textit{Insight}-HXMT/HE provides one of the most stringent constraints (~10$^{-7}$ to 10$^{-6}$ erg/cm$^2$/s) for both GRB170817A and any other possible precursor or extended emissions in 0.2-5 MeV, which help us to better understand the properties of EM radiation from this BNS merger. Therefore the observation of \textit{Insight}-HXMT constitutes an important chapter in the full context of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger observation of this historical GW event., Comment: accepted by Science China - Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy. Planned to publish on Oct 17, but postponed due to a problem on pdf file

In this work, we report the in-orbit demonstration of X-ray pulsar navigation with Insight-Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT), which was launched on Jun. 15th, 2017. The new pulsar navigation method 'Significance Enhancement of Pulse-profile with Orbit-dynamics' (SEPO) is adopted to determine the orbit with observations of only one pulsar. In this test, the Crab pulsar is chosen and observed by Insight-HXMT from Aug. 31th to Sept. 5th in 2017. Using the 5-day-long observation data, the orbit of Insight-HXMT is determined successfully with the three telescopes onboard - High Energy X-ray Telescope (HE), Medium Energy X-ray Telescope (ME) and Low Energy X-ray Telescope (LE) - respectively. Combining all the data, the position and velocity of the Insight-HXMT are pinpointed to within 10 km (3 sigma) and 10 m/s (3 sigma), respectively., Accepted by the Astrophysical Journal Supplement

The habit planes observed in numerous alloys during phase transformation can often be explained with the condition that the interface contains a single set of dislocations. Based on the unique matching condition in the habit plane, an analytical expression of the interface orientation in a general system has been derived. The orientations of habit planes are found to be confined on an elliptic cone corresponding to a particular Burgers vector. A simple method based on a superimposed diffraction pattern in the zone axis of the Burgers vector is proposed to specify the axes and parameters of the cones. The present analytical method provides a convenient mathematical tool for a systematic investigation of possible habit planes generated from either martensitic or precipitation transformation. The applications of the method to fcc/bct and hcp/bcc systems are presented. The calculated results have been tested against data in the literature, showing full agreement.

Environmental factors are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Silica exposure has been implicated as potentially hazardous in epidemiological studies of SSc. It can activate fibroblasts to express profibrotic genes at certain conditions. The aim of this study is to examine whether the fibroblasts of SSc patients respond to silica particles with specific gene expressions differentially from normal control fibroblasts. The fibroblasts obtained from skin biopsies of 96 SSc patients and 104 controls were examined. Silica particles were used to perturb the cultures of the fibroblasts in time-course and dose-response assays. The transcript levels of COLI A2, COL3A1, MMP1, MMP3, TIMP3 and CTGF genes of the fibroblasts were measured with quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that the expressions of all six genes in SSc fibroblasts under silica perturbation appeared significantly different from normal control fibroblasts. In age stratified analysis, compared to control fibroblasts, SSc fibroblasts from patients at age 30–40 years and 50–60 years displayed significantly decreased expressions of MMP1 gene in all dosage assays and increased expression of COL3A1 genes started at low dosages perturbation of silica particles, respectively. In autoantibody stratified analysis, specific gene expression patterns were significantly associated with autoantibody-subgroups of fibroblasts. A common feature of SSc fibroblasts was unstable and a wide range of gene expression changes in response to silica perturbation. Our studies may suggest an altered intrinsic dynamic control in SSc fibroblasts. In addition, sensitivity and specificity of SSc fibroblasts to potentially hazardous environmental trigger is age and autoantibody-subgroup-dependent. The fibroblasts of SSc patients at age 30–60 years may be more sensitive to silica perturbation toward a profibrotic gene expression.

A geometrical model has been applied to predict the morphology of faceted Mg32(Al, Zn)49 precipitates in a Mg–Zn–Al alloy using the observed orientation relationship (OR) and the lattice parameters of the precipitates and the matrix as inputs. Planes in rational or in irrational orientations with higher densities of good matching sites are more likely to be preferred, which agrees well with experimental observations.

In order to study the temporal and spatial variations of PM2.5 and its chemical compositions in the region of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei (BTH), PM2.5 samples were collected at four urban sites in Beijing (BJ), Tianjin (TJ), Shijiazhuang (SJZ), and Chengde (CD), and also one site at Shangdianzi (SDZ) regional background station over four seasons from 2009 to 2010. The samples were weighted for mass concentrations and analyzed in the laboratory for chemical profiles of 19 elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn), eight water-soluble inorganic ions (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl−, NO3−, and SO42−, and carbon fractions (OC and EC). The concentrations of PM2.5 and its major chemical species were season dependent and showed spatially similar characteristics in the plain area of BTH. The average annual concentrations of PM2.5 were 71.8–191.2 μg m−3 at the five sites, with more than 90% of sampling days exceeding 50 μg m−3 at BJ, TJ, and SJZ. PM2.5 pollution was most serious at SJZ, and the annual concentrations of PM2.5, secondary inorganic ions, OC, EC, and most crustal elements were all highest. Due to stronger photochemical oxidation, the sum of concentrations of secondary inorganic ions (NH4+, NO3−, and SO42− was highest in the summer at SDZ, BJ, TJ, and CD. Analysis of electric charges of water-soluble inorganic ions indicated the existence of nitric acid or hydrochloric acid in PM2.5. For all five sites, the concentrations of OC, EC and also secondary organic carbon (SOC) in the spring and summer were lower than those in the autumn and winter. SOC had more percentages of increase than primary organic carbon (POC) during the winter. The sums of crustal elements (Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Ti, Ba, and Sr) were higher in the spring and autumn owing to more days with blowing or floating dust. The concentrations of heavy metals were at higher levels in the BTH area by comparison with other studies. In Shijiazhuang and Chengde, the PM2.5 pollution was dominated by coal combustion. Motor vehicle exhausts and coal combustion emissions both played important roles in Tianjin PM2.5 pollution. However, motor vehicle exhausts had played a more important role in Beijing owing to the reduction of coal consumption and sharp increase of cars in recent years. At SDZ, regional transportation of air pollutants from southern urban areas was significant.

This article presents a model of a secondary coincidence site lattice (CSLΙΙ). It is applied to interpret a truncated triangular morphology of β-Mg2Sn precipitates in an Mg-Sn-based alloy. With a slight long-range strain being accommodated elastically, the distribution of good matching sites (GMS) on interfaces between the β-Mg2Sn precipitates and α-Mg matrix exhibits double periodicity. One is within GMS clusters, and the other is carried by the constrained-CSLΙΙ (CCSLΙΙ) points at the centers of the GMS clusters. The calculated results fully agree with the experimental results, including the irrational orientation relationship, the habit plane, and the irrational side facets. The preferred state of the interfaces, the preferred ledge height, and the preferred Burgers vectors of secondary dislocations have been discussed.

To compare the efficacies of core needle biopsy and fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of neck lymph node diseases with contrast-enhanced ultrasound.A total of 105 patients with enlargement cervical lymph nodes were randomly divided into two groups, 49 in group A and 56 in group B. All patients were firstly examined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound to determine the targeted lymph node and the puncture point. Core needle biopsy was performed in Group A and tissues were fixed by with 10% formaldehyde; Fine needle aspiration cytology was performed in Group B and extracts were smeared and fixed with 95% alcohol.The success rates of sampling were 100.0% in group A and 96.4% in group B. The positive rates of pathological examinations were 97.9% in group A; and 82.1% in group B, with a significant difference between two groups (χ(2) = 6.97, P0.05).The pathologically positive rates of core needle biopsy is higher than that of fine needle aspiration cytology for the diagnosis of neck lymph node diseases with contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

To explore the changing trend and clinical significance of disease spectrum of biliary surgery among 30 years in PLA General Hospital.We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 21 189 consecutive patients with biliary diseases in PLA General Hospital between January 1985 and December 2014 according to the inclusion criteria. Taking 5 years as a research group, all patients were divided into 6 groups, and then the 30 years of the disease spectrum of biliary surgery was described.(1) From January 1985 to December 2014, the PLA General Hospital performed 21 189 cases of patients with biliary surgery diseases, including 9 460 cases of male, 11 729 cases of female (female∶male=1.24∶1). The average age was 52.1±13.5 years old (6-98 years). (2) Of the all cases, the most patients was cholelithiasis, accounting for 65.26%, and gallbladder stones accounting for 53.61%. The following disease was cholangiocarcinoma, accounting for 12.79%, and hilar cholangiocarcinoma accounting for 5.95%. (3) From the perspective of disease spectrum changing trend, the proportion of patients with cholelithiasis were decreased gradually, from 74.9% to 65.2%, while the proportion of patients with cholangiocarcinoma showed a gradual upward trend, rising from 6% to 14% (P0.05); and the proportion of bile duct cystic dilatation and gallbladder carcinoma shared a gradual increase(P0.05), however, the variation of proportion of gallbladder polyps and biliary stricture were not statistically significant (P0.05). (4) In patients with cholelithiasis, the proportion of patients with gallbladder stones increased gradually from 71.9% to 82%, while the proportion of patients with bile duct stones decreased gradually from 28.1% to 18%. There was no statistical significance in the proportion of different types of cholangiocarcinoma patients (P0.05) (40% of the patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma, 25% of the intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and 35% of the extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma).With the time changing, the disease spectrum of biliary surgery has also changed. The proportion of patients with cholelithiasis, especially the patients with bile duct stones, was declining gradually, and the proportion of patients with cholangiocarcinoma was increasing gradually.

Oridonin, an active diterpenoid isolated from traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has drawn rising attention for its remarkable apoptosis‐ and autophagy‐inducing activity and relevant molecular mechanisms in cancer therapy. Apoptosis is a well known type of cell death, whereas autophagy can play either pro‐survival or pro‐death roles in cancer cells. Accumulating evidence has recently revealed relationships between apoptosis and autophagy induced by oridonin; however, molecular mechanisms behind them remain to be discovered. In this review, we focus on highlighting updated research on oridonin‐induced cell death signalling pathways implicated in apoptosis and autophagy, in many types of cancer. In addition, we further discuss cross‐talk between apoptosis and autophagy induced by oridonin, in cancer. Taken together, these findings open new perspectives for further exploring oridonin as a potential anti‐tumour agent targeting apoptosis and autophagy, in future anti‐cancer therapeutics.

Two new orientation relationships between β-Mg2Sn precipitates and α-Mg matrix have been observed by transmission electron microscopy. One is (1 1 0)β//(0 0 0 1)α, [0 0 1]β//[1 −1 0 0]α, and the other is (1 1 0)β//(0 0 0 1)α, [−1 1 −1]β//[1 −1 0 0]α. The precipitates with both orientation relationships exhibit a lath shaped morphology, with the long axis lying along [1 1 −2 0]α. The morphology is interpreted by a three-dimensional near coincidence sites model.

The crystallographic morphology of β-Mg2Sn precipitates at (near) Burgers orientation relationship (OR) with respect to the α-Mg matrix in a Mg–Sn–Mn alloy was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two irrational facets of the precipitates were found to be F1 ∼// (−1 1 0.74)β and F2 ∼// (−1 1 −3.1)β. The facets are interpreted according to interfacial structures. The presence of a singular dislocation structure in F1 requires a small rotation of 0.21° from the Burgers OR. The calculated morphology is consistent with the observations.

Microstructures of an as-cast and heat-treated Mg–6Zn–5Al (wt.%) alloy have been studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The second phase of the as-cast alloy is ϕ-Mg21(Zn, Al)17. After solution heat-treatment, the alloy exhibits a prominent hardening effect when aged at 180°C. This is attributed to nanosized τ-Mg32(Al, Zn)49 precipitates finely distributed in Mg matrix. A new orientation relationship between τ precipitates and Mg matrix has been identified, i.e., (1 0 0)τ//(0 1 −1 0)α, (0 2 −1)τ//(−2 1 1 2)α, [0 1 2]τ//[2 −1 −1 3]α. MgZn2 precipitates are found in over-aged samples.

This work presents a secondary CCSL model to interpret newly observed orientation relationships of fcc Mg2Sn precipitates and bcc Mg32(Al, Zn)49precipitates with respect to Mg matrix. The morphologies of these precipitates are characterized with a common feature of well defined facets. The orientations of these facets have been interpreted with the secondary CCSL model.

Product phases from various phase transformations often exhibit fascinating morphologies. Facets of unique crystallographic orientations are characteristic of the morphologies. Based on a comparison of facets in the surfaces and interfaces of crystals, this paper proposes to use singularity as the common features of facets on a crystal. While association of facets with energy singularity has been established from the Wulff construction, we defined singularity in structure with an absence of one or more types of defects common to a vicinal surface or interface. Singularity in an interfacial structure is described in terms of both ledges and dislocations. When dislocations are involved, the candidates of the singular interfaces derive mainly from the principal O-lattice planes. The orientations of these planes are defined by Δg’s, which are measurable in diffraction patterns. Singularity with respect to the orientation relationship results from further eliminating defects, which is permitted by a special arrangement of Δg’s. The candidates of singular interface confined by the arrangement of discrete Δg’s are helpful for understanding the crystallographic morphology. One example from an Mg alloy is provided to show the association of the singular interfaces with Δg’s. The effect of the potential presence of a long-range strain and kinetic effects are briefly discussed.

The preference of the habit planes (HPs) developed from precipitation in the fcc/bcc system has been investigated. The interfacial energy of different interface orientations has been examined with variation of the orientation relationships (OR) and lattice parameters by a classical molecular dynamics method. The results show that interface has the lowest interfacial energy when it contains parallel Burgers vectors and a set of dislocations. The local minimum of interfacial energy may not associated with a maximum of dislocation spacing. It is also found that the near Kurdjumov-Sachs OR is more preferable than the near Nishiyama-Wasserman OR. Contrary to the previous interfacial energy calculations, which usually limit to rational ORs, the present work allows ORs to be irrational, which agrees with the observations.

Frame-by-frame analysis of the austenite/lath martensite interface during in situ heating using transmission electron microscopy was used to provide direct information on the mechanisms of the martensite interface motion in an Fe–20Ni–5.5Mn (wt.%) alloy. When the temperature was increased to ∼550 °C, the tip of the lath martensite receded slightly, and then decomposed into ledges on only one side of the lath. With further time at 550 °C, the ledges migrated in a start–stop fashion; the highest velocity observed was 0.79 μm s −1 . When the temperature was increased to ∼580 °C, the interface on the mobile side of the lath preferentially receded within certain transformation twins formed during the earlier quenching treatment. Based on these experimental observations, it appears that the austenite may form an array of parallel twins during the martensitic transformation, which coalesce to form a lath shape. This lath then thickens in one direction only to establish the final morphology by a ledge mechanism displaying start–stop growth behavior.

An experimental study with respect to the effect of melt superheat on the unidirectional solidified structure of duplex stainless steel (DSS) is reported. The results show that the melt superheat causes distinct modifications of both macrostructure and microstructure of DSS. For macrostructure of DSS, the columnar to equiaxed transition is observed at different melt superheats. The length of equiaxed zone increases and the equiaxed grain size decrease with melt superheat decreasing. For microstructure of DSS, there are significant differences in the morphology of the austenite at intragranular and boundary. In the interior of ferrite grains, the austenite appears primarily as acicular morphology. Nevertheless, the austenite takes on a widmanstatten side plate appearance at the ferrite grain boundaries. In addition, the austenite content increases with melt superheat decreasing.