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产气荚膜梭菌通过产生大量的毒素导致人类和动物患气性坏疽、肠炎和肠毒素血症。目前，已知产气荚膜梭菌可产生20多种毒素和水解酶。不同的毒素类型与特定的疾病类型相关。毒素分型已由毒素基因的分子检测替代了传统的血清分型方法。因此本文围绕产气荚膜梭菌毒素种类、基本特征、致病机制以及与疾病的关系进行系统回顾总结和展望，为后续的毒素分型等快速检测技术的建立、免疫抗原筛选、抗体制备以及相关致病机制研究提供基础。.

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a severe and fast-growing public health challenge with rapid globalization, especially in China. Although some monitoring systems were established in different fields, fragmentation of information failed to show the overall trend and spread of AR. It is necessary to establish a national monitoring system to reveal the occurrence, development, and spread of AR. The new AR monitoring system needs an updated analysis indicators system. We intend to recommend a new analysis indicators system for AR was constructed and applied to AR data monitoring and analysis for humans, animals, the environment, and foods. After investigating and analyzing the 5 Chinese major AR monitoring systems and literature, we have formulated 15 AR monitoring analysis indicators and initially established an evaluation system for the country's new AR monitoring system.当前我国病原菌耐药性问题严重，我国在多领域已分别建立的耐药监测网络，由于监测技术方法不统一，信息碎片化，无法显示我国病原菌耐药的整体流行趋势和传播规律。因此需构建全国多领域的病原菌耐药监测网络平台，揭示我国病原菌耐药发生、发展和传播规律。监测平台中需要使用相匹配的分析指标评价体系。本研究拟探索出一套科学合理的耐药监测分析指标，适用于包括人群、畜牧养殖、环境和食品相关环节等在内的耐药性数据监测与分析。经对我国5个耐药监测网络的调查分析，结合文献及专家调研，初步构建了包含15个病原菌耐药监测分析指标的评价体系，为我国的病原菌耐药监测网络数据收集、整理、评价及预测、预警体系的构建提供基础。.

艰难梭菌是引起抗生素相关性腹泻和医疗机构相关性腹泻的重要病原，在欧美引起暴发流行，造成沉重疾病负担。然而我国艰难梭菌感染调查缺乏统一的诊断原则和检测技术规范，我国艰难梭菌感染率和疾病负担尚不明确。因此中国CDC传染病预防控制所联合全国其他11家单位撰写《艰难梭菌感染诊断（T/CPMA 008-2020）》中华预防医学会团体标准，以“合法性、科学性、先进性、可行性”为原则，给出了艰难梭菌感染的危险因素、诊断原则、诊断和鉴别诊断。旨在提高临床感染性腹泻中艰难梭菌感染诊断的准确性，指导监测工作开展，明确我国艰难梭菌感染的风险和疾病负担。.

To verify that miR-92b inhibits proliferation and invasion of lung cancer by targeting EZH2.The expression levels of miR-92b and EZH2 in human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B and human lung cancer cell line (A549, NCI-H23, NCI-H358, NCI-H1975, PC-9) were detected, and miR-92b mimic, sh-EZH2 expression vector, and plasmid blank vector (blank group) were constructed. Blank group, miR-92b mimic, miR-92b mimic+sh-EZH2 group (combined group) were set up, MTT and transwell were used to detect the proliferation and invasion ability of A549 and NCI-H23 cells, and fluorescein report verified the regulatory relationship of miR-92b to EZH2.The expression level of miR-92b in A549, NCI-H23, NCI-H358, NCI-H1975, and PC-9 cells was lower than that in BEAS-2B cells (p0.05). The expression level of EZH2 was higher than that of BEAS-2B cells (p0.05). A549 and NCI-H23 cells were selected for transfection. After that, the expression level of miR-92 in miR-92b mimic, combined group A549 and NCI-H23 cells was higher than that in blank group (p0.05), and miR-92b mimic had no difference with joint group (p0.05). The expression level of EZH2 in cells of miR-92b mimic, blank group A549, and NCI-H23 was lower than that of combined group (p0.05), and miR-92b mimic was lower than that of blank group (p0.05). After the overexpression of miR-92b, pmirGLO-EZH2-3'UT Wt luciferase activity decreased significantly (p0.05) but had no effect on pmirGLO-EZH2-3'UTR Mut Luciferase activity (p0.05). Cell proliferation ability and invasion ability of A549 cells and NCI-H23 cells in miR-92b mimic group were lower than those in blank group (p0.05), while those in combined group were higher than those in miR-92b mimic group (p0.05).MiR-92b inhibits proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells through targeted inhibition of EZH2, which is a potential target for future treatment of lung cancer.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) have a central role in follicle growth, maturation and oestrus, but no clear pathway in the seasonal oestrus of yak (Bos grunniens) has been found. To better understand the role of FSH and LH in seasonal oestrus in the yak, six yaks were slaughtered while in oestrus, and the pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and gonads were collected. Using real-time PCR and immunohistochemical assays, we determined the mRNA and protein expression of the FSH and LH receptors (FSHR and LHR) in these organs. The analysis showed that the FSHR mRNA expression level was higher in the pituitary gland tissue compared with LHR (p

Discordance, such as overlap, repetition and inconsistent, of standards is one of the major problems in current standardization affair in China. Therefore, improving the unity and authority of standards through reduction of overlap, repetition and inconsistency has become the main goal of deepening standardization reform in China. This paper summarizes the discordance in public health standards in China, analyzes the major reasons and provides specific strategic suggestions through case analysis of public health standards in the ways of comparisons of same kind standards of other deparments and standards in administration documents and guidelines or technical specifications of academic associations or societies.标准的交叉、重复、矛盾等不协调问题已成为当前我国标准化工作现状存在的主要问题之一。减少标准的交叉、重复、矛盾，增强标准的统一性和权威性，已成为我国深化标准化改革的重要目标。本文通过资料检索和专题调研等方法，检索公共卫生领域具体标准案例，从部分卫生标准之间、与跨部门相同专业领域标准之间以及与行政规范性文件、学（协）会指南及技术规范之间等多个角度进行比较，初步探讨我国公共卫生领域卫生标准交叉、重复、矛盾等不协调问题，并对产生的主要原因进行分析，针对性地提出相关策略建议。.

Recent years, national laws and government policies were published as series to encourage the development of group standardizations. The updated Standardization Law of the People's Republic of China, implemented on January 1(st), 2018, stipulates that group standard is a part of the Chinese standard system. Under the current supportive circumstances, more institutes and organizations have joined in the writing and releasing procedures of group standards'. Despite the rapid development of group standardization to publish, we are still at the phase of exploring and regulating group standardizations. This review summarizes the development and practice on the development group standardization in the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and analyzes current condition and deficiency of the work in China, in order to develop suggestions and strategies to improve and regulate group standardization.近年来我国对团体标准的法律和政策供给力度不断加大，出台了一系列鼓励支持团体标准发展的政策措施。2018年1月1日起实施的新《标准化法》正式赋予了团体标准法律地位，团体标准正式成为了我国标准体系的一部分。在良好的法律和政策环境支持下，越来越多的社会团体积极参与到制定发布团体标准中来。团体标准虽然呈现迅猛发展的势头，但目前仍处在探索和逐步规范的阶段。本文通过总结中华预防医学会团体标准化工作的发展和实践情况，分析我国团体标准化工作现状和不足，并提出了推动和规范团体标准发展的对策和建议。.

We study the thermodynamics and phase structures of the asymptotically flat dilatonic black holes in 4 dimensions, placed in a cavity {\it a la} York, in string theory for an arbitrary dilaton coupling. We consider these charged black systems in canonical ensemble for which the temperature at the wall of and the charge inside the cavity are fixed. We find that the dilaton coupling plays the key role in the underlying phase structures. The connection of these black holes to higher dimensional brane systems via diagonal (double) and/or direct dimensional reductions indicates that the phase structures of the former may exhaust all possible ones of the latter, which are more difficult to study, under conditions of similar settings. Our study also shows that a diagonal (double) dimensional reduction preserves the underlying phase structure while a direct dimensional reduction has the potential to change it., 32 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, a footnote on bubble phase added

As the prevalence and clinical characteristics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are still unknown in ketosis-onset diabetes, the present study compared the characteristics of NAFLD in type 1 diabetes (T1D), ketosis-onset and non-ketotic type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients.This cross-sectional study was performed with newly diagnosed Chinese patients with diabetes, including 39 T1D, 165 ketosis-onset and 173 non-ketotic T2D, with 30 non-diabetics included as controls. NAFLD was determined by hepatic ultrasonography, then its clinical features were analyzed and its associated risk factors evaluated.NAFLD prevalence in patients with ketosis-onset diabetes (61.8%) was significantly higher than in controls (23.3%; P=0.003) and in T1D patients (15.4%; P0.001). However, there was no difference in prevalence between ketosis-onset and non-ketotic T2D patients (52.6%; P=0.229), although BMI and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) proved to be independent risk factors for the presence of NAFLD in both these groups whereas, in T1D patients, serum uric acid levels were independent risk factors.NAFLD prevalence and risk factors in ketosis-onset diabetes were similar to those in non-ketotic T2D, but different from those in T1D. These data provide further evidence that ketosis-onset diabetes should be classified as a subtype of T2D rather than idiopathic T1D.

1. The objective of this study was to determine the origin and evolution of chickens from 5 native breeds that are traditionally raised in Jiangsu Province. 2. To address this question, the complete mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequence of 149 chickens from 5 native breeds of Jiangsu Province was analysed. 3. Sequence read lengths of the native breeds were 1231 to 1232 bp, with a single-base deletion from the 859 bp site in the 1231 bp haplotype. A total of 33 variable sites that defined 19 haplotypes were identified. The average haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.862 ± 0.017 and 0.00591 ± 0.00135. 4. Phylogenetic analysis showed that genetic structure of the mtDNA haplotypes of Jiangsu chickens are distributed across 5 clades (haplogroups): Clades A, B, C, D, and E. However, most of the individuals characterised in this study belonged to clades A and B. 5. The results of this study indicate that Jiangsu chicken populations have relatively low nucleotide and haplotype diversity and likely share 5 common maternal lineages.

We construct two new SL(2,Z) invariant vacua of type IIB string theory which are bound states of $(p,q)$ strings with $(m,n)$ 5-branes, written as ((F, D1), (NS5, D5)) and preserve 1/4 of the full space-time supersymmetries. For the first case, the strings live inside the 5-brane world-volume and in the second case the strings are perpendicular to the 5-brane world-volume. In the first case, naively one would expect an attractive interaction between the strings and the 5-branes due to attractive force between F and D5 and also between D1 and NS5. We find that 1/4 BPS bound state exists only when the vacuum moduli satisfy certain condition which is found to be consistent with the no-force condition between the branes. No such complication arises for the second case. The tension formulae and the various other descendant states which can be obtained by the application of T-duality for both these bound states are discussed., 22 pages, 1 table, minor changes and one reference added, the version to appear in JHEP

We present a brief review on predictions for hidden charm molecules, with and without strangeness, which were made prior to the LHCb experiment. We discuss these issues and how these states can be observed in the reactions, \(\Lambda _{b} \to J/\psi K^{ - }p\), \(\Lambda _{b} \to J/\psi \eta \Lambda \), \(\Lambda _{b} \to J/\psi \pi ^{ - }p\), \(\Lambda _{b} \to J/\psi K^{0}\Lambda \), and \(\Xi _{b}^{ - } \to J/\psi K^{ - }\Lambda \) by looking at the invariant mass distributions for \(J/\psi p\) or \(J/\psi \Lambda \).

A 60 day feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effect on growth, survival, amino acid composition, and coloration of hatchery-cultured mud crab (Scylla paramamosain) instar (0.41 ± 0.05 g) fed: fish Harpadon nehereus, Chinese mystery snail Cipangopaludina chinensis, and artificial feed. Each food type was assigned to eight tanks (10 crabs per tank). Results showed that the growth of mud crab is significantly affected by food type. Crabs fed the artificial feed showed specific growth rate comparable to crabs fed the snail C. chinensis, and higher growth rate compared to crabs consuming fish H. nehereus. Amino acid profiles of whole crabs were found to be highly correlated with dietary amino acid profiles. Crabs fed dry feed showed higher L* value (lighter colour) and b* value (higher intensity in blue colour) compared to crabs fed the other two diets. In conclusion, it is clear that artificial feed is potentially an alternative diet for hatchery-cultured mud crab (S. paramamosain) instar in terms of growth rate. However, it is suggested that paler carapace color might be related to insufficient dietary intake of carotenoids from the artificial feed

In order to investigate the possible influence of metallic environment on the alpha decay process, we have measured the 147Sm activities in the hosts of metal samarium and Sm2O3 . The 147Sm half-life was found to be (1.06±0.01)×1011 y in metal samarium and (1.07±0.01)×1011 y in Sm2O3 , respectively. No significant change has been observed within the experimental uncertainty. The absolute half-life presented here is consistent with the recommended value.

In this study, specimens of heartwood from Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata [Lamb.] Hook.) plantation trees were dried by high-temperature drying (HTD), low-temperature drying (LTD), and freeze vacuum drying (FVD), respectively. The dynamic viscoelastic properties of dried and untreated wood specimens with various moisture contents were investigated in the temperature range between − 120 and 40°C at 1 Hz using a dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results indicated that the relative storage modulus and relative loss modulus were both the highest for HTD wood and the lowest for FVD wood, and that two mechanical relaxation processes developed. The α relaxation process in the higher temperature range was presumably a result of surpassing the glass transition of hemicelluloses with low molecular weight, whereas the β relaxation process occurring in the lower temperature range was most probably due to the motions of both methyl groups in the amorphous region of wood cell wall and adsorbed water molecule...

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite rainfall data were assessed and calibrated using limited ground meteorological and hydrological data in Irrawaddy River basin, a watershed with complex terrain conditions but lack of data. A correction factor was determined to adjust TRMM data, taking basin water balance and terrain slopes into consideration. A distributed hydrological model SWAT was established and used to simulate the basin rainfall-runoff processes from 2001 to 2011, driven by the calibrated TRMM rainfall data series. Results show that, in a data scarce basin like Irrawaddy River basin, such a water balanced based TRMM data calibration method is suitable and reliable.

Remote sensing is one subject of the modern geomatics, with a high priority for practical applications in which cross time and space analysis is one of its significant features. Object recognition and/or parameter retrieval are normally the first step in remote sensing applications, whereas cross time and space change analysis of those surface objects and/or parameters will make remote sensing applications more valuable. Based on a short review on the historic evolution of remote sensing and its current classification system, the cross time and space features commonly existing in remote sensing applications were discussed. The paper, aiming at improving remote sensing applications and promoting development of the remote sensing subject from a new vision, proposed a methodology based subject classification approach for remote sensing and then suggest to establish the theory of cross time and space remote sensing applications. The authors believe that such a new cross time and space concept meets the demand for new theories and new ideas from remote sensing subject and is of practical help to future remote sensing applications.

By using the non-supersymmetric $p$-brane solutions delocalized in arbitrary number of transverse directions in type II supergravities, we show how they can be regarded as interpolating solutions between unstable D$p$-branes (a non-BPS D-brane or a pair of coincident D-brane-antiD-brane) and fundamental strings and also between unstable D$p$-branes and NS5-branes. We also show that some of these solutions can be regarded as interpolating solutions between NS5/$\bar{\rm NS}$5 and D$p$-branes (for $p \leq 5$). This gives a closed string description of the tachyon condensation and lends support to the conjecture that the open string theory on unstable D-branes at the tachyonic vacuum has soliton solutions describing not only the lower dimensional BPS D-branes, but also the fundamental strings as well as the NS5-branes., 11 pages, LaTeX, one statement corrected and one reference added, v3: more details of the solution used is given, version to appear in Phys. Lett. B

The purpose of the study was to investigate the clinical implantation protocol of custom-made artificial semi-knee joint based on computer-aided design so as to improve the limb salvage efficiency.The custom-made artificial semi-knee joint was designed and manufactured based on rapid prototyping technology. The repeated modifications were carried out in the design and manufacture of the semi-knee joint, together with the operation protocol. Clinical trial was conducted on 2 cases of osteosarcoma, one receiving allograft prosthesis composite transplantation, and the other receiving synthetic bone graft prosthesis composite transplantation. The clinical outcomes of the 2 patients were evaluated.The custom-made artificial semi-knee joint met the clinical customization needs. In clinical trial, 18-month follow-up demonstrated the satisfactory knee joint function recovery in near future.The custom-made artificial semi-knee joint based on computer-aided design can afford satisfactory knee joint function recovery following allograft bone transplantation.

It is well known that charged black $Dp$ branes of type II string theory share a universal phase structure of van der Waals$-$Maxwell liquid-gas type except $D5$ and $D6$ branes. Interestingly, the phase structure of $D5$ and $D6$ branes can be changed to the universal form with the inclusion of particular delocalized charged lower-dimensional branes. For $D5$ branes one needs to introduce delocalized $D1$ branes, and for $D6$ branes, one needs to introduce delocalized $D0$ branes to obtain the universal structure. In a previous paper [J. High Energy Phys. {\bf 04} (2013) 100] Lu with Wei study the phase structure of black $D6$ branes with the introduction of delocalized $D0$ branes in a special case when their charges are equal and the dilaton charge vanishes. In this paper, we look at the phase structure of the black $D6/D0$ system with the generic values of the parameters, which makes the analysis more involved but the structure more rich. We also provide reasons why the respective modifications of the phase structures to the universal form for the black $D5$ and $D6$ branes occur when specific delocalized lower-dimensional branes are introduced., 36 pages, 11 Figures, added discussion on the possible dual field theory, references added, minor change of the title, publised in PRD

We investigate how the four-dimensional noncommutative open string/Yang-Mills theory behaves under a general non-perturbative quantum $SL(2,Z)$ symmetry transformation. We discuss this by considering D3 branes in a constant background of axion, dilaton, and electric and magnetic fields (including both $ {\bf E} \perp {\bf B}$ and {\bf E}$||${\bf B} cases) in the respective decoupling limit. We find that the value of axion, whether rational or irrational, determines the nature of the resulting theory under $SL(2,Z)$ as well as its properties such as the coupling constant and the number of noncommutative directions. In particular, a strongly coupled theory with an irrational value of axion can never be physically equivalent to a weakly coupled theory while this is usually true for a theory with a rational value of axion. A noncommutative Yang-Mills (NCYM) (resulting from D3 branes with pure magnetic flux) is physically equivalent to a noncommutative open string (NCOS) but if the value of axion is irrational, we also have noncommutative space-space directions in addition to the usual noncommutative space-time directions for NCOS. We also find in general that a NCOS cannot be physically equivalent to a NCYM but to another NCOS if the value of axion is irrational. We find another new decoupling limit for possible light-like NCYM whose $SL(2,Z)$ duality is a light-like ordinary Yang-Mills if the value of the axion is rational. Various related questions are also discussed.

We consider systems of nonthreshold bound states ( D (p−2), D p) , for 2≤p≤6 , in type II string theories. Each of them can be viewed as D p branes with a nonzero (rank two) Neveu–Schwarz B -field. We study the noncommutative effects in the gravity dual descriptions of noncommutative gauge theories for these systems in the limit where the brane worldvolume theories decouple from gravity. We find that the noncommutative effects are actually due to the presence of infinitely many D (p−2) branes in the ( D (p−2), D p) system which play the dominant role over the D p branes in the large B -field limit. Our study indicates that D p branes with a constant B -field represents dynamically the system of infinitely many D (p−2) branes without B -field in the decoupling limit. This implies an equivalence between the noncommutative Yang–Mills in (p+1) dimensions and an ordinary Yang–Mills with gauge group U(∞) in (p−1) dimensions. We provide a physical explanation for the new scale which measures the noncommutativity.

The title compound, tris(diethyl dithiophosphato)-1κ 2 S,S';2κ 2 S,S'; 3κ 2 S,S'-μ-o-nitrobenzoato-2κO:3κO'-pyridine-1κN-μ 3 -thio-tri-μ-thio-1:2κ 2 S,1:5κ 2 S,2:3κ 2 S-triangulo-trimolybdenum(3 Mo-Mo), [Mo 3 S 4 (C 7 H 4 N(C 4 H 10 PS 2 ) 3 (C 5 H 5 N)], was synthesized in a mixed solvent of acetonitrile and ethanol by a ligand substitution reaction in which o-nitrobenzoic acid replaces the bridging diethyl dithiophosphate (DTP) ligand. The average Mo-Mo bond distance is 2.731 (2) A. The substitution of o-nitrobenzoate for DTP shortens the Mo-Mo bond that it bridges to 2.693 (1) A.

The efficacy of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) loaded with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2)-gene-modified bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was evaluated for the repair of experimentally-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head in goats. Bilateral early-stage osteonecrosis was induced in adult goats three weeks after ligation of the lateral and medial circumflex arteries and delivery of liquid nitrogen into the femoral head. After core decompression, porous β-TCP loaded with BMP-2 gene- or β-galactosidase (gal)-gene-transduced BMSCs was implanted into the left and right femoral heads, respectively. At 16 weeks after implantation, there was collapse of the femoral head in the untreated group but not in the BMP-2 or β-gal groups. The femoral heads in the BMP-2 group had a normal density and surface, while those in the β-gal group presented with a low density and an irregular surface. Histologically, new bone and fibrous tissue were formed in the macropores of the β-TCP. Sixteen weeks after implantation, lamellar bone had formed in the BMP-2 group, but there were some empty cavities and residual fibrous tissue in the β-gal group. The new bone volume in the BMP-2 group was significantly higher than that in the β-gal group. The maximum compressive strength and Young’s modulus of the repaired tissue in the BMP-2 group were similar to those of normal bone and significantly higher than those in the β-gal group. Our findings indicate that porous β-TCP loaded with BMP-2-gene-transduced BMSCs are capable of repairing early-stage, experimentally-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head and of restoring its mechanical function.

The importance of the long-range Lifshitz--van der Waals interaction energy between condensed bodies is well known. However, its implementation for interacting bodies that are highly irregular and separated by distances varying from contact to micrometers has received little attention. As part of a study of collisions of irregular aerosol particles, an approach based on the Lifshitz theory of van der Waals interaction has been developed to compute the interaction energy between a sphere and an aggregate of spheres at all separations. In the first part of this study, the iterated sum-over-dipole interactions between pairs of approximately spherical molecular clusters are compared with the Lifshitz and Lifshitz-Hamaker interaction energies for continuum spheres of radii equal to those of the clusters' circumscribed spheres and of the same masses as the clusters. The Lifshitz energy is shown to converge to the iterated dipolar energy for quasispherical molecular clusters for sufficiently large separations, while the energy calculated by using the Lifshitz-Hamaker approach does not. Next, the interaction energies between a contacting pair of these molecular clusters and a third cluster in different relative positions are calculated first by coupling all molecules in the three-cluster system and second by ignoring the interactions between the molecules of the adhering clusters. The error calculated by this omission is shown to be very small, and is an indication of the error in computing the long-range interaction energy between a pair of interacting spheres and a third sphere as a simple sum over the Lifshitz energies between individual, condensed-matter spheres. This Lifshitz energy calculation is then combined with the short-separation, nonsingular van der Waals energy calculation of Lu, Marlow, and Arunachalam, to provide an integrated picture of the van der Waals energy from large separations to contact.

A novel (Me3PhCH2N)2[MoFe4S4(SC6H11)7] cubane-like cluster was obtained from a reaction system including (NH4)2MoS4, FeCl2 and NaSC6H11 in methanol, and characterized by X-ray crystallography. The title compound crystallizes in triclinic space group\(P\bar 1\) witha = 1.523 1(3), b =1.610 5(3),c = 1.838 3(4) nm, α = 77.18 (3)°, β = 75.17(3)°, γ = 64.60(3)°, and Z = 2. Also included in this paper are the discussions on the variation of the reaction products obtained from the participation of cyclohexylthiolate and on the changes of the structural features of the products.

Water on a planar substrate and on spherical substrates of radii r=10, 15, and 20 A are studied at temperatures of 200, 240, 270, and 290 K by Monte Carlo simulations. The average water–water potential energies and the average water–substrate interaction energies are obtained by use of the single point charge model for the water–water interaction and the nonsingular van der Waals potential plus the Born-type repulsive potential for the water–substrate interaction. Water structure and water–substrate interaction energy are shown to be sensitive to substrate size.

To analyze the synonymous codon usage patterns of sequence regions flanking cleavage sites in the hepatitis A virus (HAV) polyprotein, the codon usage bias at codon positions and the synonymous codon usage in the target contexts of 30 virus strains were estimated by two simple methods that were based on the values for relative synonymous codon usage. In addition, the pattern of synonymous codon usage was compared between the genomic sequences in HAV and those of its human host. Our results indicated that HAV adopts a combination of coincidence and antagonism with the synonymous codon usage in humans. This characteristic may help HAV to efficiently use the translational machinery in its human host. We also observed that codon usage exhibited a strong bias in some specific positions in these contexts, and that the underrepresented synonymous codons, CUA for Leu, ACG for Thr, GUA for Val, and UCG for Ser, are preferentially used in these positions. These underrepresented synonymous codons likely play roles in regulating the rate of protein translation and influencing the secondary structure of the sequence regions flanking the cleavage sites.

There exists a dramatic difference in phase structure between charged black Dp-branes with $p < 5$ and charged black D5 or D6 branes. In [1], we found that the phase structure of charged black D5 system can be changed qualitatively to that of charged black Dp with $p < 5$ by adding the delocalized D1 branes but the similar change does not happen for the charged black D6 system through adding the delocalized D2 branes (Note that both D1/D5 and D2/D6 belong to the same type of D(p - 4)/Dp system). Adding the delocalized D4 branes to the black D6 branes doesn't work, either. In this paper, we consider adding the delocalized D0 branes, the only remaining lower dimensional branes, to the black D6 system for this purpose. We find that the delocalized charged black D0-branes alone share the same phase structure as the charged black D6 branes, having no van der Waals-Maxwell liquid-gas type. However, when the two are combined to form D0/D6, the resulting phase diagram finally gets changed dramatically to the wanted one, containing now the above liquid-gas type. This change arises from the interaction between D6 and the delocalized D0., 27 pages, 3 figures, references added, typos corrected, expanded version (more discussion added and results unchanged) to appear in JHEP. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1210.0708

Nonsingular van der Waals potentials are developed, from the newly established nonsingular intermolecular interactions by two of the present authors, for the following cases: two half spaces, two macroscopic spheres, a macroscopic sphere and a half space, a molecule and a half space, and a molecule and a sphere. Inclusion of a repulsive exponential-decay (Born) potential to each of the above attractive potentials is also discussed. In particular, calculations of cohesion and adhesion energies for two slabs have been performed for systems whose accurate Hamaker–Lifshitz constants and experimental surface and interfacial tensions are available. Agreement is good for each of these systems.

In this paper, we explore means which can be used to change qualitatively the phase structure of charged black systems. For this, we consider a system of black D1/D5 (or its S-dual F/NS5). We find that the delocalized charged black D-strings (F-strings) alone share the same phase structure as the charged black D5 branes (NS5-branes), having no van der Waals-Maxwell liquid-gas type. However, when the two are combined to form D1/D5 (F/NS5), the resulting phase diagram has been changed dramatically to a richer one, containing now the above liquid-gas type. The effect of adding the charged D-strings (F-strings) on the phase structure can also be effectively described as a slight increase of the transverse dimensions to the original D5 (NS5). This may be viewed as a connection between a brane charge and a fraction of spatial dimension at least in a thermodynamical sense., 31 pages, 3 Figures, 2 Tables, minor corrections, version published in JHEP

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 3-Hydroxy-octanoate, recently identified as a ligand for, the orphan GPCR, HCA(3), is of particular interest given its ability to treat lipid disorders and atherosclerosis. Here we demonstrate the pathway of HCA(3)-mediated activation of ERK1/2. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Using CHO-K1 cells stably expressing HCA(3) receptors and A431 cells, a human epidermoid cell line with high levels of endogenous expression of functional HCA(3) receptors, HCA(3)-mediated activation of ERK1/2 was measured by Western blot. KEY RESULTS HCA(3)-mediated activation of ERK1/2 was rapid, peaking at 5 min, and was Pertussis toxin sensitive. Our data, obtained by time course analyses in combination with different kinase inhibitors, demonstrated that on agonist stimulation, HCA(3) receptors evoked ERK1/2 activation via two distinct pathways, the PLC/PKC pathway at early time points (≤ 2 min) and the MMP/ epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) transactivation pathway with a maximum response at 5 min. Furthermore, our present results also indicated that the βγ-subunits of the G(i) protein play a critical role in HCA(3)-activated ERK1/2 phosphorylation, whereas β-arrestins and Src were not required for ERK1/2 activation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS We have described the molecular mechanisms underlying the coupling of human HCA(3) receptors to the ERK1/2 MAP kinase pathway in CHO-K1 and A431 cells, which implicate the G(i) protein-initiated, PLC/PKC -and platelet-derived growth factor receptor/EGFR transactivation-dependent pathways. These observations may provide new insights into the pharmacological effects and the physiological functions modulated by the HCA(3)-mediated activation of ERK1/2.

We present a generic Lagrangian, in arbitrary spacetime dimension $D$, describing the interaction of a dilaton, a graviton and an antisymmetric tensor of arbitrary rank $d$. For each $D$~and~$d$, we find ``solitonic'' black $\tilde{p}$-brane solutions where $\tilde{p} = \tilde{d} - 1$~and~ $\tilde d = D - d - 2$. These solutions display a spacetime singularity surrounded by an event horizon, and are characterized by a mass per unit $\tilde p$-volume, ${\cal M}_{\tilde{d}}$, and topological ``magnetic'' charge $g_{\tilde{d}}$, obeying $\kappa {\cal M}_{\tilde{d}} \geq g_{\tilde{d}}/ \sqrt{2}$. In the extreme limit $\kappa {\cal M}_{\tilde{d}}=g_{\tilde{d}}/ \sqrt{2}$, the singularity and event horizon coalesce. For specific values of $D$~and~$d$, these extreme solutions also exhibit supersymmetry and may be identified with previously classified heterotic, Type IIA and Type IIB super $\tilde p$-branes. The theory also admits elementary $p$-brane solutions with ``electric'' Noether charge $e_d$, obeying the Dirac quantization rule $e_d g_{\tilde{d}} = 2\pi n$, $n =$~integer. We also present the Lagrangian describing the theory dual to the original theory, whose antisymmetric tensor has rank $\tilde{d}$ and for which the roles of topological and elementary solutions are interchanged. The super $p$-branes and their duals are mutually non-singular. As special cases of our general solution we recover the black $p$-branes of Horowitz and Strominger $(D = 10)$, Guven $(D = 11)$ and Gibbons et al $(D = 4)$, the $N = 1$, $N = 2a$~and~$N = 2b$ super-$p$-branes of Dabholkar et al $(4 \leq D \leq 10)$, Duff and Stelle $(D = 11)$, Duff and Lu $(D = 10)$ and Callan, Harvey and Strominger $(D = 10)$, and the axionic instanton of Rey $(D = 4)$. In particular, the electric/magnetic duality of Gibbons and Perry in $D = 4$ is seen to be a consequence of particle/sixbrane duality in $D = 10$. Among the new solutions is a self-dual superstring in $D = 6$., Comment: 42 pages, harvmac, CERN-TH.6675/93, CTP/TAMU-54/92

We systematically study black holes in the Horava-Lifshitz (HL) theory by following the kinematic approach, in which a horizon is defined as the surface at which massless test particles are infinitely redshifted. Because of the nonrelativistic dispersion relations, the speed of light is unlimited, and test particles do not follow geodesics. As a result, there are significant differences in causal structures and black holes between general relativity (GR) and the HL theory. In particular, the horizon radii generically depend on the energies of test particles. Applying them to the spherical static vacuum solutions found recently in the nonrelativistic general covariant theory of gravity, we find that, for test particles with sufficiently high energy, the radius of the horizon can be made as small as desired, although the singularities can be seen in principle only by observers with infinitely high energy. In these studies, we pay particular attention to the global structure of the solutions, and find that, because of the foliation-preserving-diffeomorphism symmetry, ${Diff}(M,{\cal{F}})$, they are quite different from the corresponding ones given in GR, even though the solutions are the same. In particular, the ${Diff}(M,{\cal{F}})$ does not allow Penrose diagrams. Among the vacuum solutions, some give rise to the structure of the Einstein-Rosen bridge, in which two asymptotically flat regions are connected by a throat with a finite non-zero radius. We also study slowly rotating solutions in such a setup, and obtain all the solutions characterized by an arbitrary function $A_{0}(r)$. The case $A_{0} = 0$ reduces to the slowly rotating Kerr solution obtained in GR., Comment: latex4, 15 figures. Some typos were corrected

A large number of studies have shown that polymorphisms in the interleukin 10 (IL-10) gene are implicated in susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB). However, the results are inconsistent and inconclusive.A meta-analysis was performed to analyse the association between polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene and TB susceptibility.A total of 18 studies that referred to three polymorphisms (-1082G/A, -819C/T and -592A/C) were identified. No association was found between these three polymorphisms and TB risk in combined analyses: -1082G/A (AA+AG vs. GG): OR 0.87, 95%CI 0.66-1.14, P = 0.30; -819C/T (TT+TC vs. CC): OR 1.02, 95%CI 0.92-1.14,e1P/e= 0.66; -592A/C (CC+CA vs. AA): OR 0.99, 95%CI 0.88-1.11, P = 0.82. However, in the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, European subjects with the -1082(AA+GG) genotypes have a decreased risk of TB: OR 0.55, 95%CI 0.35-0.88, P = 0.01.This meta-analysis suggests that the -1082G/A polymorphism of the IL-10 gene could be a risk factor for TB in Europeans. Further studies with larger populations are required to assess the association between IL-10 polymorphisms and TB susceptibility.

It is found that a necessary completion of phase structure of D-dimensional charged black p-brane ($p > 0$) in a cavity requires two additional thermodynamical phases, the so-called "bubble of nothing" and/or the extremal brane, in canonical ensemble. This finding resolves the puzzle about the missing phases which are needed for the underlying phase diagram when $\tilde d = D - p - 3 \leq 2$ and gives a new (bubble) phase which can become globally stable when $\tilde d > 2$. An analog of Hawking-Page transition is also found among other new phase transitions, giving a complete phase structure in this setup., 18 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, the expanded version with new title and abstract, to appear in Nucl. Phys. B