Breakdown of argon by a train of high-repetition long-wave-infrared pulses from a free-electron laser oscillator.

This study presents an experimental demonstration of laser-induced breakdown in argon, employing a free-electron laser with a wavelength of 10 μm and a repetition rate of 2.856 GHz. Despite the fluence of individual laser pulses being an order of magnitude smaller than the breakdown threshold, cascade ionization developed in the pulse train, leading to breakdown.

Development of ultrafast four-dimensional precession electron diffraction.

Ultrafast electron diffraction/microscopy technique enables us to investigate the nonequilibrium dynamics of crystal structures in the femtosecond-nanosecond time domain. However, the electron diffraction intensities are in general extremely sensitive to the excitation errors (i.e.

EVs-miR-17-5p attenuates the osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells potentially via inhibition of TGF-β signaling under high glucose conditions.

Vascular calcification, which is a major complication of diabetes mellitus, is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is one of the key mechanisms underlying vascular calcification. Emerging evidence suggests that macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) may be involved in calcification within atherosclerotic plaques in patients with diabetes mellitus.