Extensive modelling efforts of the plasma response to the resonant magnetic perturbation fields, utilized for controlling the edge localized mode (ELM), help to identify the edge-peeling response as a key factor, which correlates to the observed ELM mitigation in several tokamak devices, including MAST, ASDEX Upgrade, EAST, and HL-2A. The recently observed edge safety factor window for ELM mitigation in HL-2A experiments is explained in terms of the edge-peeling response. The computed plasma response, based on toroidal single fluid resistive plasma model with different assumption of toroidal flows, is found generally larger in ELM suppressed cases as compared to that of the ELM mitigated cases, in ASDEX Upgrade and DIII-D. The plasma shaping, in particular, the plasma triangularity, contributes to the enhanced plasma response. But the shaping does not appear to be the sole factor-other factors such as the (higher) pedestal pressure and/or current can also lead to increased edge-peeling response.

Termites (Isoptera) are among the most ecologically ubiquitous of terrestrial eusocial insects and provide an attractive environment for symbionts, which have evolved numerous times independently, and in lineages as diverse as millipedes and beetles. Previous studies reported the discovery of unequivocal termitophily in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar, providing evidence that pushed the origin of termitophily back into the Mesozoic. Here we report the discovery of two more pieces of Cretaceous amber containing individuals of the trichopseniine rove beetle Cretotrichopsenius burmiticus Cai et al., 2017 (Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Trichopseniini) preserved together with their potential host termites, providing further evidence regarding the association between these two insect lineages. Two new termite species and genera are described as putative hosts for C. burmiticus: Arceotermes hospitis Engel & Jiang, gen. et sp. nov. and Tanytermitalis philetaerus Engel & Cai, gen. et sp. nov. Each is included in a new family, Arceotermitidae Engel, fam. nov. (type genus: Arceotermes Engel & Jiang, gen. nov.), and Tanytermitidae Engel, fam. nov. (type genus: Tanytermes Engel et al., 2007). In order to better characterize these two families the classification of lower Isoptera and clade Xylophagodea (= Cryptocercidae + Isoptera) is emended with the following new taxa: Idanotermitinae Engel, subfam. nov.; Melqartitermitidae Engel, fam. nov.; Mylacrotermitidae Engel, fam. nov.; Krishnatermitidae Engel, fam. nov.; Cosmotermitinae Engel, subfam. nov.; Hodotermopsinae Engel, subfam. nov.; Artisoptera Engel, minord. nov.; Cryptocercaptera Engel, infraord. nov. Lower termites were remarkably diverse during the mid-Cretaceous but declined in diversity considerably by the Palaeogene. The fossil rove beetle Cretotrichopsenius Cai et al., 2017 currently provides the earliest definitive evidence of termitophily and the complex association between rove beetles and termites.

Magnetic coil design study is carried out, for the purpose of mitigating or suppressing the edge localized modes (ELMs) in a EU DEMO reference scenario. The coil design, including both the coil geometry and the coil current requirement, is based on criteria derived from the linear, full toroidal plasma response computed by the MARS-F code (Liu et al 2000 Phys. Plasma 7 3681). With a single midplane row of coils, a coil size covering about 30°–50° poloidal angle of the torus is found to be optimal for ELM control using the n  >  2 resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) field (n is the toroidal mode number). For off-midplane coils, the coils’ poloidal location, as well as the relative toroidal phase (coil phasing) between the upper and lower rows of coils, also sensitively affects the ELM control according to the specified criteria. Assuming that the optimal coil phasing can always be straightforwardly implemented, following a simple analytic model derived from toroidal computations, it is better to place the two off-midplane rows of coils near the midplane, in order to maximize the resonant field amplitude and to have larger effects on ELMs. With the same coil current, the ex-vessel coils can be made as effective as the in-vessel coils, at the expense of increasing the ex-vessel coils’ size. This is however possible only for low-n (n  =  1–3) RMP fields. With these low-n fields, and assuming 300 kAt maximal coil current, the computed plasma displacement near the X-point can meet the 10 mm level, which we use as the conservative indicator for achieving ELM mitigation in EU DEMO. The risk of partial control coil failure in EU DEMO is also assessed based on toroidal modeling, indicating that the large n  =  1 sideband due to coil failure may need to be corrected, if the nominal n  >  1 coil configurations are used for ELM control in EU DEMO.

Toroidal computation of the plasma response to the n  =  2 (n is the toroidal mode number) resonant magnetic perturbation field, based on an H-mode plasma in DIII-D, is carried out for the purpose of investigating the role of the ideal versus resistive plasma response models while scanning the plasma safety factor (q) at the edge. Both response models, implemented in the MARS-F code (Liu et al 2000 Phys. Plasmas 7 3681), show significant amplification of the kink-peeling response in certain q-windows. A longstanding issue addressed in this work is the sensitivity of the q-window versus smoothing of the X-point geometry of the plasma separatrix. For this purpose, scan of the safety factor in 2D space (q95, qa) is carried out, where the q-value at 95% of the equilibrium poloidal flux, q95, is scanned by varying the total plasma current, whilst the edge safety factor qa is varied by gradually smoothing the X-point geometry at fixed total plasma current. Transition to the edge-peeling amplification domain is well described by simple analytic curves relating q95 and qa in the (q95, qa) space. These analytic curves not only help to quantify the sensitivity of the q95-window versus qa variation, but also establish the q95 window in the asymptotic limit of infinite qa (i.e. in the presence of true X-points). The ‘resonant’ q95 values (3.6, 4.05, 4.5) are found to roughly exhibit 1/n periodicity at infinite qa. Both ideal and resistive plasma response models, as well as the computed field at different pick-up locations, yield the same analytic curves describing transition to strong edge-peeling response. Detailed analysis of the computed plasma response and comparison with experiments are also performed.

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AIMTo examine the effects of Acanthopanax senticosus polysaccharides (ASPS) on intestinal tight junction (TJ) disruption and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)/myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) activation in endotoxemia.METHODSBALB/C mice (6-8-weeks-old) received continuous intragastric gavage of ASPS for 7 d before injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or received ASPS once after LPS injection. Blood and intestinal mucosal samples were collected 6 h after LPS challenge. Clinical symptoms, histological injury, intestinal permeability, TJ ultrastructure, and TJ protein expression were determined.RESULTSCompared with mice in the LPS group, pretreatment with ASPS improved clinical and histological scores by 390.9% (P < 0.05) and 57.89% (P < 0.05), respectively, and gut permeability change in endotoxemic mice was shown by a 61.93% reduction in reduced leakage of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran 6 h after LPS injection (P < 0.05). ASPS pretreatment also prevented LPS-induced TJ ultrastructure breakdown supported by increased electron dense materials between adjoining cells, sustained redistribution and expression of occludin (0.597 ± 0.027 vs 0.103 ± 0.009, P < 0.05) and zonula occludens-1 (0.507 ± 0.032 vs 0.125 ± 0.019, P < 0.05), and suppressed activation of the NF-κB/MLCK pathway indicated by reduced expression of NF-κB, phospho-inhibitor kappa B-alpha, MLCK and phospho-myosin light-chain-2 by 16.06% (P < 0.05), 54.31% (P < 0.05), 66.10% (P < 0.05) and 64.82% (P < 0.05), respectively.CONCLUSIONASPS pretreatment may be associated with inhibition of the NF-κB/MLCK pathway and concomitant amelioration of LPS-induced TJ dysfunction of intestinal epithelium in endotoxemia.

Background Illicium verum is widely cultivated in southern China especially in Guangxi province. Its fruits has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine. In recent years, it has been the industrial source of shikimic acid. Usually the residues after extracting shikimic acid are treated as waste. Thus, the aim of this study was to optimize the extraction conditions of cellulase-ultrasonic assisted extraction technology for flavonoids from I. verum residues.ResultsThe optimum extraction conditions with a maximum flavonoids yield of 14.76 % are as follows: the concentration of ethanol is 51.14 %, the liquid–solid ratio is 20.52 mL/g, the enzymatic hydrolysis pH is 5.303, the sonication time is 60 min, the enzyme solution temperature is kept at 45 °C, the amount of added enzyme is 70 mg/g, the enzymatic hydrolysis time is 2 h and the crushed mesh size is 0.355–0.85 mm.ConclusionsThe data indicate that the cellulase-ultrasonic assisted extraction technology has the potential be used for the industrial production of flavonoids from I. verum.

Large, complex, active regions may produce multiple flares within a certain period of one or two days. These flares could occur in the same location with similar morphologies, commonly referred to as "homologous flares". In 2011 September, active region NOAA 11283 produced a pair of homologous flares on the 6th and 7th, respectively. Both of them were white-light (WL) flares, as captured by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory in visible continuum at 6173Å which is believed to originate from the deep solar atmosphere.We investigate the WL emission of these X-class flares with HMIs seeing-free imaging spectroscopy. The durations of impulsive peaks in the continuum are about 4 minutes. We compare the WL with hard X-ray (HXR) observations for the September 6 flare and find a good correlation between the continuum and HXR both spatially and temporally. In absence of RHESSI data during the second flare on September 7, the derivative of the GOES soft X-ray is used and also found to be well correlated temporally with the continuum. We measure the contrast enhancements, characteristic sizes, and HXR fluxes of the twin flares, which are similar for both flares, indicating analogous triggering and heating processes. However, the September 7 flare was associated with conspicuous sunquake signals whereas no seismic wave was detected during the flare on September 6. Therefore, this comparison suggests that the particle bombardment may not play a dominant role in producing the sunquake events studied in this paper.