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In this paper, we give a new effective superpotential that makes clear Bethe/Gauge correspondence between 2d (and 3d) SO/Sp gauge theories and open XXX (and XXZ) spin chains with diagonal boundary conditions, and also works in the case of 2d (and 3d) BCN-type gauge theories which is not previously discussed in the literature. Especially, for exceptional Lie algebras F4, G2, we give the effective superpotential and vacuum equations. For E6,7,8, we only give theirs effective superpotential for convenience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We generalize the determinant representation of the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili τ functions to the case of the 2D Toda τ functions. The generating functions for the weighted Hurwitz numbers are a parametric family of 2D Toda τ functions, for which we give a determinant representation of weighted Hurwitz numbers. Then, we can get a finite-dimensional equation system for the weighted Hurwitz numbers H G d (σ , ω) with the same dimension |σ| = |ω| = n. Using this equation system, we calculated the value of the weighted Hurwitz numbers with dimension 0, 1, 2, 3 and give a recursion formula for calculating the higher dimensional weighted Hurwitz numbers. Finally, we get a matrix representation for the Hurwitz numbers and obtain a determinant representation of weighted paths in the Cayley graph. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present ≳15,000 metal-rich ([Fe/H] > −0.2 dex) A and F stars whose surface abundances deviate strongly from solar abundance ratios and cannot plausibly reflect their birth material composition. These stars are identified by their high [Ba/Fe] abundance ratios ([Ba/Fe] > 1.0 dex) in the LAMOST DR5 spectra analyzed by Xiang et al. They are almost exclusively main-sequence and subgiant stars with Teff ≳ 6300 K. Their distribution in the Kiel diagram (Teff–) traces a sharp border at low temperatures along a roughly fixed-mass trajectory (around 1.4 M⊙) that corresponds to an upper limit in convective envelope mass fraction of around 10−4. Most of these stars exhibit distinctly enhanced abundances of iron-peak elements (Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni) but depleted abundances of Mg and Ca. Rotational velocity measurements from GALAH DR2 show that the majority of these stars rotate slower than typical stars in an equivalent temperature range. These characteristics suggest that they are related to the so-called Am/Fm stars. Their abundance patterns are qualitatively consistent with the predictions of stellar evolution models that incorporate radiative acceleration, suggesting they are a consequence of stellar internal evolution, particularly involving the competition between gravitational settling and radiative acceleration. These peculiar stars constitute 40% of the whole population of stars with mass above 1.5 M⊙, affirming that "peculiar" photospheric abundances due to stellar evolution effects are a ubiquitous phenomenon for these intermediate-mass stars. This large sample of Ba-enhanced, chemically peculiar A/F stars with individual element abundances provides the statistics to test more stringently the mechanisms that alter the surface abundances in stars with radiative envelopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note is an extension of [8] there the supersymmetric vacua of three-dimensional N = 2 gauge theories with matter are shown to be in one-to-one correspondence with the eigenstate of XXZ integrable spin chain Hamiltonians with open boundary conditions. We consider the A 2 quiver gauge theory, which is the simplest non-trivial quiver gauge theory, and s l 3 open XXZ spin chain with diagonal boundary condition. We demonstrate the correspondence between the vacuum equations of different gauge groups and Bethe Ansatz equations with different boundary parameters. Not only that, but we furthermore push forward the program to the general A r quiver gauge theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP04(2023)036 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The outcome of decompressive craniectomy (DC) for severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) patients with fixed dilated pupils (FDPs) is not clear. The objective of this study was to validate the outcome of DC in sTBI patients with FDPs.Patients: We retrospectively collected data from 207 sTBI patients with FDPs during the time period of May 4, 2003-October 22, 2013: DC group (n=166) and conservative care (CC) group (n=41).Measurements: Outcomes that were used as indicators in this study were mortality and favorable outcome. The analysis was based on the Glasgow Outcome Scale recorded at 6 months after trauma.Results: A total of 49.28% patients died (39.76% [DC group] vs 87.80% [CC group]). The mean increased intracranial pressure values after admission before operation were 36.20±7.55 mmHg in the DC group and 35.59±8.18 mmHg in the CC group. After performing DC, the mean ICP value was 14.38±2.60 mmHg. Approximately, 34.34% sTBI patients with FDPs in the DC group gained favorable scores and none of the patients in the CC group gained favorable scores.Conclusion: We found that DC plays a therapeutic role in sTBI patients with FDPs, and it is particularly important to reduce intracranial pressure as soon as possible after trauma. For the patients undergoing DC, favorable outcome and low mortality could be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping large areas using airborne dual-antenna interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) usually requires processing and mosaicking of different scenes from multiple strips. The overlapping areas of these multiple strips should have consistent elevation values. Due to the unstable attitude of the plane, the interferometric parameters usually vary for each scene during mapping. Therefore, interferometric calibration technology for high-precision height retrieval is required for the correction of the interferometric errors. The traditional interferometric calibration methods for a single scene usually use ground control points (GCPs) to estimate the interferometric parameters – this method cannot guarantee a consistent height in the area of overlap. Besides, GCPs are difficult to deploy over rough terrain, making it impossible to use traditional calibration methods. In this article, a joint interferometric calibration method based on the block adjustment theory used in photogrammetry is proposed for airborne dual-antenna InSAR. This method considers the accurate digital elevation model (DEM) height reconstruction model and can be applied with sparse GCPs. The principle of the proposed method is to make the best use of the GCPs within all the scenes and the tie points (TPs) between the adjacent scenes to establish an error relationship model. First, the weighting values of all GCPs and TPs based on their retrieval elevation error caused by the interferometric phase error and the position distribution difference are introduced in the proposed method. Next, the interferometric parameters are weighted to reduce the condition number of the normal equation. Then, an alternative approximation approach combined with the sparse matrix decomposition technique LDLTis utilized to solve the normal equation, and the corrected interferometric parameters for each scene are obtained. High-precision joint interferometric calibration results for airborne InSAR systems are achieved by the proposed method and validated by experiment. Using the proposed method, the average mean error (AME) and root mean square error (RMSE) are below 0.6037 and 0.9176 m, respectively. Meanwhile, the maximum AME and RMSE of the reconstructed DEM height difference for the validation TPs in the overlapped area of the adjacent scenes are reduced from 1.2909 and 1.7245 m to 0.8864 and 1.2087 m, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Iron chalcogenides hold considerable promise for energy conversion and biomedical applications. Realization of this promise has been hindered by the lack of control over the crystallinity and nanoscale organization of iron chalcogenide films. High-quality nanoparticles (NPs) from these semiconductors will afford further studies of photophysical processes in them. Phase-pure NPs from these semiconductors can also serve as building blocks for mesoscale iron chalcogenide assemblies. Herein we report a synthetic method for FeSex (x = 1, 2) NPs with a diameter of ca. 30 nm that satisfy these needs. The high crystallinity of the individual NPs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. TEM tomography images suggest pucklike NP shapes that can be rationalized by bond relaxation at the NP edges, as demonstrated in large-scale atomic models. The prepared FeSex NPs display strong photoluminescence with a quantum yield of 20%, which was previously unattainable for iron chalcogenides. Moreover, they also show strong off-resonant luminescence due to two-photon absorption, which should be valuable for biological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly described the challenges in secure virtual private network (VPN) construction over next generation optical networks and the characteristics of network coding, it focused on the construction scheme of multiple secure VPNs based on network coding. On the basis of the proposed scheme, multiple secure VPNs could be independently established over passive optical network (PON) which was the realistic deployment for next generation optical access networks. Finally, it analyzed the downlink throughput gain introduced by the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A realization of the elliptic quantum algebra Uq,p(sl2⁁) for any given level k is constructed in terms of three free boson fields and their accompanying twisted partners. It can be viewed as the elliptic deformation of the Wakimoto realization. Two screening currents are constructed; they commute or anticommute with Uq,p(sl2⁁) modulo total q-differences. The free field realization for two types of vertex operators nominated as the type I and the type II vertex operators is presented. The twisted version of the two types of vertex operators are also obtained. They all play crucial roles in calculating correlation functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by application of current superalgebras in the study of disordered systems such as the random XY and Dirac models, we investigate gl(2&z.sfnc;2) current superalgebra at general level k. We construct its free field representation and corresponding Sugawara energy–momentum tensor in the non-standard basis. Three screen currents of the first kind are also presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new parafermionic algebra associated with the homogeneous space A(2)2/U(1) and its corresponding Z-algebra have been recently proposed. In this paper, we give a free boson representation of the A(2)2 parafermion algebra in terms of seven free fields. Free field realizations of the parafermionic energy–momentum tensor and screening currents are also obtained. A new algebraic structure is discovered, which contains a W-algebra type primary field with spin two. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Free field and twisted parafermionic representations of twisted su(3)[sub k, sup (2)] current algebra are obtained. The corresponding twisted Sugawara energy-momentum tensor is given in terms of three (β, γ) pairs and two scalar fields and also in terms of twisted parafermionic currents and one scalar field. Two screening currents of the first kind are presented in terms of the free fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of nonlocal currents (quasi-particles), which we call twisted parafermions, and its corresponding twisted Z-algebra are found. The system consists of one spin-1 bosonic field and six nonlocal fields of fractional spins. Jacobi-type identities for the twisted parafermions are derived, and a new conformal field theory is constructed from these currents. As an application, a parafermionic representation of the twisted affine current algebra A(2)2 is given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Thyroid surgery has undergone significant transformation with the introduction of minimally invasive techniques, particularly robotic and endoscopic thyroidectomy. These advancements offer improved precision and faster recovery but also present unique challenges. This study aims to compare the learning curves, operational efficiencies, and patient outcomes of robotic versus endoscopic thyroidectomy. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing 258 robotic (da Vinci) and 214 endoscopic thyroidectomy cases. Key metrics such as operation duration, drainage volume, lymph node dissection outcomes, and hypoparathyroidism incidence were assessed to understand surgical learning curves and efficiency. Results: Robotic thyroidectomy showed a longer learning curve with initially longer operation times and higher drainage volumes but superior lymph node dissection outcomes. Both techniques were safe, with no permanent hypoparathyroidism or recurrent laryngeal nerve damage reported. The study delineated four distinct stages in the robotic and endoscopic surgery learning curve, each marked by specific improvements in proficiency. Endoscopic thyroidectomy displayed a shorter learning curve, leading to quicker operational efficiency gains. Conclusion: Robotic and endoscopic thyroidectomies are viable minimally invasive approaches, each with its learning curves and efficiency metrics. Despite initial challenges and a longer learning period for robotic surgery, its benefits in complex dissections may justify specialized training. Structured training programs tailored to each technique are crucial for improving outcomes and efficiency. Future research should focus on optimizing training protocols and increasing accessibility to these technologies, enhancing patient care in thyroid surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North–South asymmetry in the number density and bulk velocity of stars in the Solar neighbourhood provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of the Milky Way disc. Our objective is to investigate the wave-like disc oscillations of mono-age stellar populations in the Solar neighbourhood using data from Gaia Data Release 3. We have selected a comprehensive sample of main-sequence turn-off stars. The ages of these stars can be accurately determined using isochrone fitting methods. Our findings indicate that the North–South density and mean vertical velocity asymmetries remain consistent across all age groups. The uniformity of perturbations across all subsamples suggests that all populations are responding to the same external influence, which likely affects them irrespective of their age. Moreover, the fact that these perturbations appear consistently implies they could be either ongoing or recent. Regarding vertical velocity dispersions, we observe that older stars exhibit larger dispersions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the formation mechanisms of carbonate geothermal reservoirs is of theoretical and practical significance for summarizing the formation pattern of geothermal resources and further guiding their effective exploitation. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Plain (BTHP), predominantly located within the Jizhong Depression and Cangxian Uplift in the Bohai Bay Basin, serves as the primary region for geothermal exploitation and utilization in China. More than 1500 geothermal wells have been drilled therein, with water temperature at the wellhead ranging from 55 to 110 ℃, single-well flow rate ranging between 80 and 120 m³/h, and cumulative heating area exceeding 100 × 106 m³. However, the exploration and research in the region remain limited overall. As per the previous geothermal and petroleum exploration results and the latest geothermal drilling data, this study comprehensively evaluated the geothermal resources of karst geothermal reservoirs. The results show that two suites of carbonate karst reservoirs, namely the Jxw Formation and the Ordovician strata, have primarily developed in the BTHP, and their formation and evolution can be divided into four stages: the Mesoproterozoic-Early Paleozoic stage with carbonate sedimentation and the development of interlayer karst, the Late Paleozoic stage with the development of direct sedimentary cover, the Mesozoic stage with compressional uplifting and development of buried hill karst, and the Cenozoic stage with regional cover deposition and the modification and finalization of karst geothermal reservoirs. Accordingly, the porosity evolution history of the geothermal reservoirs is composed of three stages, namely a significant decrease followed by a minor increase, a gradual decline, and then a small fluctuation from increase to decrease before slowly rising again. The karstification in geothermal reservoirs can be summarized into quasi-syngenetic karstification, epigenetic karstification, and burial karstification, which can be subdivided into seven subcategories. The carbonate geothermal reservoirs in the study area boast total geothermal resources of 53.821 × 109 GJ, or 184.155 × 109 t of standard coal equivalent (tce), and the annual exploitable geothermal resources in the urban area can heat an area of (400-500) × 106 m³, indicating great potential of geothermal exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unphosphorylated human STAT1 (1–683) has been crystallized in the presence of a phosphopeptide derived from the α-chain of human interferon γ (IFNγ) receptor. A complete data set has been collected from a KAu(CN)2-derivatized and dehydrated crystal. The crystal belonged to space group P6122, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 102.6, c = 646.5 Å, α = β = 90, γ = 120°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CaFe12O19/MnFe2O4 composites with the hard (CaFe12O19) and soft (MnFe2O4) magnetic phases, were prepared by chemical co-precipitation method. The prepared composites were calcined at three different temperatures to form different phases. The structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of composite were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), room temperature vibrational sample magnetometer (VSM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The presence of the hard and soft phases has been confirmed without any secondary phase from XRD analysis, indicating the formation of composite. The crystallite size is found to be in the range of 24-44 nm calculated by Scherrer's formula. The TEM revealed hexagonal platelets of CaFe12O19 with spinel MnFe2O4 particles with an average particle size of 48 nm formed at the surface of the CaFe12O19/ MnFe2O4 composite. The room temperature magnetic properties of composite were evaluated by employing VSM. The magnetic measurements have displayed enhancement in coercivity and magnetization for CaFe12O19/MnFe2O4, indicating that the composite possessed excellent exchange coupling. The composite's enhanced energy product ((BH)max) made it highly promising for biomedical applications such as hyperthermia. The exchange-spring coupled magnetic composite was coated with dextran to make it biocompatible, which is necessary for hyperthermia applications. The coating was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Cytotoxicity tests on Vero cell lines showed that the coated composites had an excellent (>95%) cell survival rate. The hyperthermia heating of composite was measured for different concentrations of composite (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 mg/mL) from which specific loss power (SLP) was calculated. From these SLP values, the optimized concentration was identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which determined the stage of gastric cancer in which cancer cells will invade the trunks of the vagus nerve. The study examined 50 cases of gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy with dissection 2 (D2) lymph node dissection at Huashan Hospital from March 2011 to May 2011. It found the cancer cells in the vagus nerves of five patients who had stage IV cancer. It also concluded that the vagus nerve-preserving operation is not safe for these patients.

We provide here, for the first time, a new interfacial electron-induced electrochemiluminescence (IEIECL) system, realizing bionic construction of bioluminescence (BL) by exploiting electrochemiluminescence (ECL) and ITIES (the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions). Significantly, the superiority of the IEIECL system is embodied with the solution of the two bottlenecks encountered in the conventional ECL innovation: that are (a) the applications of hydrophobic luminophores in more commonly used aqueous solution are inhibited tremendously due to the poor inherent solubility and the instability of radicals and (b) the analytes, insoluble in water, are hard to be discovered in an aqueous system because of too little content. More productive IEIECL radiation, analogous to BL, originates from the triplet excited state porphyrin in comparison to the homogeneous ECL. The mechanism of IEIECL, as well as the interaction mechanism between IEIECL and charge transfer (comprising electron transfer (ET), ion transfer (IT), and facilitated ion transfer (FIT)) at the ITIES, are explored in detail. Finally, we emphasize the actual application potential of the IEIECL system with the detection of cytochrome c (Cyt c); it is a key biomolecule in the electron transport chain in the process of biological oxidation and is also an intermediate species in apoptosis. Potentially, the IEIECL system permits ones to explore the lifetime and diffusion path of free radicals, as well as imparting a possibility for the construction of a bionic sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost all life activities involve the process of multistep electron transfer (ET) which occurs on biomembrane. Metalloporphyrins (MTPPs) are a class of molecules which are closely related to life course. Here, the n-step (n = 1, 2) ET behaviors controlled by different metal ions in porphyrin cores were investigated by thin-layer cyclic voltammetry (TLCV). The bimolecular ET was reacted between the MTPP (M = Fe, Zn, Co, Cu, Ni) and Fe(CN)64- in nitrobenzene and aqueous phase, respectively, and the interface between nitrobenzene and aqueous phase was considered as a bionic membrane. The thin-layer theory, which has been revised, was used to calculate the kinetic constants for each step electron transfer reactions. It was shown that the kinetic data were affected dramatically by the different coordinated ions in porphyrin complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western Kuqa fold-thrust belt of Xinjiang Province, China, hosts a series of surface salt structures. Here we present preliminary analysis of the geometry, kinematics, and surface processes of three of these structures: the Quele open-toed salt thrust sheet, Tuzimazha salt wall, and Awate salt fountain. The first two are line-sourced, the third appears to be point-sourced, and all are active. The ~35-km-long, 200-m-thick Quele open-toed salt thrust sheet features internal folding, salt-lined transfer structures, dissolution topography, flanking growth strata, and alluvial fan/stream-network interactions. The ~10-km-long, 50-m-wide Tuzimazha salt wall marks a local topographic high, such that fluvial stream networks are deflected by the rising weak tabular salt body. The salt wall is also flanked by growth strata and normal faults. The ~2-km-long Awate salt fountain represents salt exhumation coincident with the intersection of multiple structures and a river. Therefore this salt body may respond to local structural and/or erosional variations, or it may play a key role determining such variations-or both. Activity along all three structures confirms that active deformation occurs from foreland to hinterland across the western Kuqa fold-thrust belt. Gradual lateral transition from bedded strata to flow-banded halite observed within the Quele open-toed salt thrust sheet implies that similar transitions observed in seismic reflection data do not require interpretation as diapiric cut-offrelationships. The surface salt structures of the western Kuqa fold-thrust belt display a variety of erosiontectonics interactions, with nuances reflecting the low viscosity and high erodibility of salt, including stream deflections, potential tectonic aneurysm development, and even an upper-crustal test site for channel flow- focused denudation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), as one of the most important economic fish, was seriously infected by the nervous necrosis virus (NNV), especially in the larvae stage. PolyI:C is an effective stimulus of the antivirus system, but whether it can work in the larvae stage is still unknown. In this study, the transcriptomic profiles of 10 day-post hatching (dph) cod larvae challenged with polyI:C was analysed using next-generation sequencing technology. After assembly and annotation, a total of 77,562 unigenes were acquired and 780 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 508 upregulated and 272 downregulated genes. The DEGs were involved in diverse pathways including protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisome, carbon metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and PPAR signaling pathway. Gene expression patterns of five immune relevant genes belonging to IFN signal pathway, such as TLR3, IRF3, MDA5, IPS1 and ATG5, were detected using qPCR. The transcript levels of TLR3, IRF3, MAD5 and IPS1 in cod larvae seems very low, but these genes were upregulated significantly 48h post-challenged with polyI:C, while ATG5 was downregulated 12h after polyI:C challenged. The results indicated that IFN system of cod larvae can be induced by polyI:C, thus considering polyI:C as a potential antivirus agent for cod larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The P9-1 protein of Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) is an essential part of the viroplasm. However, little is known about its nature or biological function in the viroplasm. In this study, the structure and function of P9-1 were analyzed for in vitro binding to nucleic acids. We found that the P9-1 protein preferentially bound to single-stranded versus double-stranded nucleic acids; however, the protein displayed no preference for RBSDV versus non-RBSDV single-stranded ssRNA (ssRNA). A gel mobility shift assay revealed that the RNA gradually shifted as increasing amounts of P9-1 were added, suggesting that multiple subunits of P9-1 bind to ssRNA. By using discontinuous blue native gel and chromatography analysis, we found that the P9-1 protein was capable of forming dimers, tetramers, and octamers. Strikingly, we demonstrated that P9-1 preferentially bound to ssRNA in the octamer, rather than the dimer, form. Deletion of the C-terminal arm resulted in P9-1 no longer forming octamers; consequently, the deletion mutant protein bound to ssRNA with significantly lower affinity and with fewer copies bound per ssRNA. Alanine substitution analysis revealed that electropositive amino acids among residues 25 to 44 are important for RNA binding and map to the central interior structure that was formed only by P9-1 octamers. Collectively, our findings provide novel insights into the structure and function of RBSDV viroplasm protein P9-1 binding to RNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The range dependence is one of the intrinsic features for the clutter of airborne radar, which degrades the performance of conventional space-time adaptive processor (STAP). A novel algorithm of nonstationary clutter suppression, which is based on the joint-time secondary data selection, is presented. Due to the stationarity of radar echo in time domain and the slow change in the Doppler frequency with range, both the slow and quick time secondary data are used as the training samples for sub-CPI adaptive processing to mitigate the range dependence, and ultimately the loss of time aperture is decreased by summing the outputs of all the sub-processors coherently. The simulation results indicate that the algorithm can improve the precision of covariance matrix and the performance of main-lobe clutter suppression, and has a higher robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose to detect quantum entanglement by a condition of local measurements. We find that this condition can efficiently detect the pure entangled states for both discrete and continuous variable systems. It does not depend on interference of decoherence from noise and detection loss in some systems, which allows a loophole-free test in real experiments. In particular, it is a necessary condition for the violation of some generalized Bell inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health monitoring of world economy is an important issue, especially in a time of profound economic difficulty world-wide. The most important aspect of health monitoring is to accurately predict economic downturns. To gain insights into how economic crises develop, we present two metrics, positive and negative income entropy and distribution analysis, to analyze the collective "spatial" and temporal dynamics of companies in nine sectors of the world economy over a 19 year period from 1990-2008. These metrics provide accurate predictive skill with a very low false-positive rate in predicting downturns. The new metrics also provide evidence of phase transition-like behavior prior to the onset of recessions. Such a transition occurs when negative pretax incomes prior to or during economic recessions transition from a thin-tailed exponential distribution to the higher entropy Pareto distribution, and develop even heavier tails than those of the positive pretax incomes. These features propagate from the crisis initiating sector of the economy to other sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ready availability, low price and environmentally benign character of iron mean that it is an ideal alternative to precious metals in catalysis. Recent growth in the number of iron-catalysed reactions reported reflects an increasing demand for sustainable chemistry. Only a limited number of chiral iron catalysts have been reported and these have, in general, proven less enantioselective than other transition-metal catalysts, thus limiting their appeal. Here, we report that iron complexes of spiro-bisoxazoline ligands are highly efficient catalysts for asymmetric O–H bond insertion reactions. These complexes catalyse insertions into the O–H bond of a wide variety of alcohols and even water, with exceptional enantioselectivities under mild reaction conditions. The selectivities surpass those obtained with other transition-metal catalysts. This study should inspire and encourage the use of iron instead of traditional precious metals in the development of greener catalysts for catalytic asymmetric synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on EscA as a protein necessary in the accumulation and proper secretion of EseC, another translocon component. It provides the methods used in the investigation, involving bacteria strains, plasmids, culture media and growth conditions and construction of in-frame deletion mutants of Edwardsiella tarda. The results suggested that EscA serves as a particular chaperone for EseC and stimulates the virulence of Edwardsiella tarda, a significant Gram-negative enteric pathogen harming both animals and humans.

Abstract: The esrB gene of Edwardsiella tarda, which encodes a regulator protein of the type III secretion system, was mutated by the unmarked deletion method and reintroduced by allelic exchange into the chromosome of E. tarda LSE40 by means of the suicide vector pRE112. The LSE40 esrB mutant was highly attenuated when inoculated intraperitoneally into turbot Scophthamus maximus L., showing a 50% lethal dose of 108.1 cfu/fish. The esrB mutants were not recoverable from the internal organs at 14days post-inoculation. Vaccination with a single dose of 105–107 cfu/fish of the esrB mutant elicited significant protection against the wild-type strain of E. tarda LSE40 (relative percentage survival>50%). The protection correlated well with the antibody titres in the serum of vaccinated fish. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Patients with traumatic injuries are often accompanied by emotional disorders, which seriously impede functional gains. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and risk factors associated with underlying anxiety and depression in orthopaedic trauma patients. Methods: From July 2015 to December 2017, all orthopaedic trauma patients were included in the retrospective study. Patients with conditions that might affect cognitive impairment were excluded from the study. Basic demographic data were collected. All patients were screened for emotional disorders on admission using a simple questionnaire called "Huaxi Emotional-Distress Index" (HEI). Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were used to identify the factors associated with a HEI score of > 8. Results: One hundred and sixty-two patients (8.1%) had a HEI score of > 8. About 1.0% of enrolled patients had severe emotional disorders (HEI score ≥ 17). The reasons caused by emotional disorders in patients with orthopaedic trauma were a higher Injury Severity Score (ISS), a higher visual analogue score (VAS) and type of surgery. On logistic regression, marital status was a protective factor for emotional disorders, while VAS and ISS were the risk factors for emotional disorders. Conclusions: Although a significantly low percentage of orthopaedic trauma patients in our setting have emotional disorders, traumatic orthopaedic surgeons still need to pay attention to the risk of emotional disorders and integrate effective screening tools into clinical practice to screen for these factors and stratify emotional disorders. Appropriate targeted psychological intervention and treatment should be adopted according to the stratification of emotional disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social media key opinion leaders (SMKOL) and community-based organizations (CBOs) are two leading delivery strategies for HIV self-testing (HIVST). This study compared respondent characteristics, linkage to care, antiretroviral treatment (ART), and cost of HIVST among MSM recruited via SMKOLs and CBOs in China. Methods: Between January and December 2018, SMKOLs distributed HIVST advertisements to MSM through WeChat public platforms, Simultaneously, CBOs distributed HIVST program messages to local MSM. All participants were required to pay a deposit to apply for HIVST kit and had their deposit refunded after completing an online survey and uploading HIVST results. Trained staff provided HIV referral services by telephone and WeChat. Results: 1743 (63.0% [1743/2766]) and 1023 (37.0% [1023/2766]) individuals met criteria via SMKOLs and CBOs, respectively. MSM reached by SMKOLs had a lower HIV seropositive rate (2.1% [33/1561] vs. 12.5% [100/803]) and higher proportion received ART (94.4% [31/33] vs. 29.0% [29/100]) compared to CBO-recruited MSM (all p < 0.05). The average number of HIVST respondents recruited by each investigator in SMKOL-strategy was higher than that of CBO-strategy (290 vs. 49). The SMKOLs had lower cost of per person tested (USD 13.18 vs. USD 101.21) and per newly identified HIV infection case (USD 632.66 vs. USD 812.70). Conclusions: SMKOL has lower cost of per person tested while CBOs can reach MSM subpopulations with higher HIV seropositive rates. Both recruitment methods are efficient and should be utilized as complementary HIVST delivery strategies to address low HIV testing coverage among Chinese MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sun Z, Li L, Zhang L, Yan J, Shao C, Bao Z, Liu J, Li Y, Zhou M, Hou L, Jing L, Pang Q, Geng Y, Mao X, Gu W, Wang Z. Macrophage galectin-3 enhances intimal translocation of vascular calcification in diabetes mellitus. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 318: H1068-H1079, 2020. First published March 27, 2020; doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00690.2019.--The clinical risks and prognosis of diabetic vascular intimal calcification (VIC) and medial calcification (VMC) are different. This study aims to investigate the mechanism of VIC/VMC translocation. Anterior tibial arteries were collected from patients with diabetic foot amputation. The patients were then divided into VIC and VMC groups. There were plaques in all anterior tibial arteries, while the enrichment of galectin-3 in arterial plaques in the VIC group was significantly higher than that in the VMC group. Furthermore, a macrophage/vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) coculture system was constructed. VSMC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) was labeled with fluorescent probe. After macrophages were pretreated with recombinant galectin-3 protein, the migration of VSMC-derived EVs and VSMC-derived calcification was more pronounced. And anti-galectin-3 antibody can inhibit this process of EVs and calcification translocation. Then, lentivirus (LV)-treated bone marrow cells (BMCs) were transplanted into apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice, and a diabetic atherosclerosis mouse model was constructed. After 15 wk of high-fat diet, ApoE-/- mice transplanted with LV-shgalectin-3 BMCs exhibited medial calcification and a concentrated distribution of EVs in the media. In conclusion, upregulation of galectin-3 in macrophages promotes the migration of VSMC-derived EVs to the intima and induces diabetic vascular intimal calcification. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The clinical risk and prognosis of vascular intimal and medial calcification are different. Macrophage galectin- 3 regulates the migration of vascular smooth muscle cellderived extracellular vesicles and mediates diabetic vascular intimal/medial calcification translocation. This study may provide insights into the early intervention in diabetic vascular calcification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastatic bone tumor-induced changes in gene transcription and translation in pain-related regions of the nervous system may participate in the development and maintenance of bone cancer pain. Epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation regulate gene transcription. Here we report that intrathecal injection of decitabine, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, dosedependently attenuated the development and maintenance of bone cancer pain induced by injecting prostate cancer cells (PCC) into the tibia. The level of the de novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3a, but not DNMT3b, time-dependently increased in the ipsilateral L4/5 dorsal horn (not L4/5 dorsal root ganglion) after PCC injection. Blocking this increase through microinjection of recombinant adeno-associated virus 5 (AAV5) expressing Dnmt3a shRNA into dorsal horn rescued PCC-induced downregulation of dorsal horn Kv1.2 expression and impaired PCC-induced pain hypersensitivity. In turn, mimicking this increase through microinjection of AAV5 expressing full-length Dnmt3a into dorsal horn reduced dorsal horn Kv1.2 expression and produced pain hypersensitivity in the absence of PCC injection. Administration of neither decitabine nor virus affected locomotor function and acute responses to mechanical, thermal, or cold stimuli. Given that Dnmt3a mRNA is co-expressed with Kcna2 mRNA (encoding Kv1.2) in individual dorsal horn neurons, our findings suggest that the increased dorsal horn DNMT3a contributes to bone cancer pain through silencing dorsal horn Kv1.2 expression. DNMT3a may represent a potential new target for cancer pain management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by Brucella infection. In the late fifties, Brucella suis vaccine strain S2 with reduced virulence was obtained by serial transfer of a virulent B. suis biovar 1 strain in China. It has been widely used for vaccination in China since 1971. Until now, the mechanisms underlie virulence attenuation of S2 are still unknown. Results: In this paper, the whole genome sequencing of S2 was carried out by Illumina Hiseq2000 sequencing method. We further performed the comparative genomic analysis to find out the differences between S2 and the virulent Brucella suis strain 1330. We found premature stops in outer membrane autotransporter omaA and eryD genes. Single mutations were found in phosphatidylcholine synthase, phosphorglucosamine mutase, pyruvate kinase and FliF, which have been reported to be related to the virulence of Brucella or other bacteria. Of the other different proteins between S2 and 1330, such as Omp2b, periplasmic sugar-binding protein, and oligopeptide ABC transporter, no definitive implications related to bacterial virulence were found, which await further investigation. Conclusions: The data presented here provided the rational basis for designing Brucella vaccines that could be used in other strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory responses are important aspects of the innate immune system during virus infection. We found that Newcastle disease virus can induce inflammasome activation in the human macrophage-like cell line THP-1. Viral replication was required for inflammasome activation, and small hairpin RNA knockdown experiments indicated that IL-1β secretion was mediated by the NLRP3 inflammasome. We also verified the results in LPS-primed bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from NLRP3-deficient and wild type mice. NDV is considered to be a promising oncolytic virus. Stimulating the immune system has been proposed as a key mechanism of oncolytic specificity, and the inflammasome appears to be an important mechanism by which NDV is controlled. Knockdown of inflammasome components or chemical inhibition of caspase-1 activity shows that cell survival was augmented and benefited NDV replication. This study shows that NLRP3 inflammasome activation is an innate cellular response to NDV infection and offers insights into the oncolytic specificity of NDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mobile revolution transformed the ways we socialize and conduct business. Today, mobile technology is an essential element of every aspect of digital success. More people are accessing the Internet through mobile devices than through wired connections. Mobile device users are always connected, actively leveraging information, knowledge and social activities. The rapid growth of mobile usage in the world created many opportunities that leverage the ubiquity of mobile networks. Clearly mobile revolution will continue, and organizations not only create mobile strategy, they devote more resources to deliver innovative mobile services and next must-have applications (apps) for the agricultural sector. There are many design challenges and considerations in developing mobile apps that can be widely accepted by users in agricultural communities. This paper discusses mobile apps in the agricultural domain, considerations and challenges for successful mobile app development and focuses on a cross-platform mobile development approach adopted by University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). This cross-platform framework is an intuitive approach to developing apps quickly, easily and cost effectively. A mobile portal and sample mobile apps developed at UF/IFAS are presented. Effective and quality mobile app deployment in agriculture needs a clear mobile strategy, creative ideas and collective efforts from developers, domain experts and organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nucleocapsid (N) protein of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) plays key roles in assembling genomic RNA into ribonucleoprotein (RNP), which serves as a template for both viral gene transcription and genome replication. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of how TSWV N interacts with genomic RNA. In this study, we demonstrated that TSWV N protein forms a range of higher ordered oligomers. Analysis of the RNA binding behavior of N protein revealed that no specific oligomer binds to RNA preferentially, instead each type of N oligomer is able to bind RNA. To better characterize the structure and function of N protein interacting with RNA, we constructed homology models of TSWV N and N-RNA complexes. Based on these homology models, we demonstrated that the positively charged and polar amino acids in its predicted surface cleft of TSWV N are critical for RNA binding. Moreover, by N-RNA homology modeling, we found that the RNA component is deeply embedded in the predicted protein cleft; consistently, TSWV N-RNA complexes are relatively resistant to digestion by RNase. Collectively, using homology modeling, we determined the RNA binding sites on N and found a new protective feature for N protein. Our findings also provide novel insights into the molecular details of the interaction of TSWV N with RNA components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cantharidin is an active constituent of mylabris, a traditional Chinese therapeutic agent. Cantharidin is a potent and selective inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Cantharidin has been previously reported to efficiently repress the growth of pancreatic cancer cells. However, excessively activated protein kinase C (PKC) has been shown to improve cell survival following the adminstration of cantharidin. Tamoxifen is widely used in the treatment of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. In addition, an increasing number of studies have found that tamoxifen selectively inhibits PKC and represses growth in estrogen receptor-negative cancer cells. Administration of a combination of PKC inhibitor and PP2A inhibitors has been demonstrated to exert a synergistic anticancer effect. The proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells was analyzed by 3-(4,5-dimethyltiazol-2-yl]2, 5-diphenyltetrazo- lium bromide assay. The expression levels of ERα and ERβ in various pancreatic cancer cell lines were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. In addition, the protein levels of PKCα and phosphorylated PKCα in pancreatic cell lines were analyzed by western blot analysis. In the present study, tamoxifen was found to exert a cytotoxic effect against pancreatic cancer cells independent of the hormone receptor status. Tamoxifen repressed the phosphorylation of PKC, and amplified the anticancer effect induced by cantharidin and norcantharidin. The findings reveal a novel potential strategy against pancreatic cancer using co-treatment with tamoxifen plus cantharidin or cantharidin derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the properties, structure, and mineralogical phases of slag films obtained from the mould wall in stainless steel casting. It mentions that scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) were used to examine the samples' chemical compositions. The results revealed that the film's chemical composition during casting is different from the original flux composition with high crystallization ratio.

A linear frequency−thickness (F−T) relation was established for surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) in a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). This quantitative F−Trelation is monomer dependent but independent of polymerization rate, initiator and polymer density. With this F−Trelation and the online monitoring capacity, QCM was successfully applied to study the kinetics of SI-ATRP mechanisms. QCM was also demonstrated to be useful in controlling film thickness at the angstrom level, which is critical in nanofabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines post-translational processing and subunit reconstitution of cephalosporin acylase of Pseudomonas sp. 130. Expression of gene encoding enzymes as precursor polypeptide; Industrial production of cephalosporin antibiotics; Commercial and technological aspects of cephalosporin acylase.