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In this paper, we present an extension to the matryoshka suite of neural-network-based emulators. The new editions have been developed to accelerate effective field theory of large-scale structure (EFTofLSS) analyses of galaxy power spectrum multipoles in redshift space. They are collectively referred to as the EFTEMU. We test the EFTEMU at the power spectrum level and achieve a prediction accuracy of better than 1 per cent with BOSS-like bias parameters and counterterms on scales 0.001 ≤ k ≤ 0.19  h  Mpc−1. We also run a series of mock full-shape analyses to test the performance of the EFTEMU when carrying out parameter inference. Through these mock analyses, we verify that the EFTEMU recovers the true cosmology within 1 σ at several redshifts (z  = [0.38, 0.51, 0.61]), and with several noise levels (the most stringent of which is Gaussian covariance associated with a volume of 50003 Mpc3  h −3). We compare the mock inference results from the EFTEMU to those obtained with a fully analytic EFTofLSS model and again find no significant bias, whilst speeding up the inference by three orders of magnitude. The EFTEMU is publicly available as part of the matryoshka Python package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although grapes accumulate diverse groups of volatile compounds, their genetic regulation in different cultivars remains unelucidated. Therefore, this study investigated the volatile composition in the berries of an interspecific hybrid population from a Vitis labruscana 'Campbell Early' (CE) × Vitis vinifera 'Muscat of Alexandria' (MA) cross to understand the relationship among volatile compounds and their genetic regulation. Then, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of its volatile compounds was conducted. Results: While MA contained higher concentrations of monoterpenes and norisoprenoids, CE contained higher concentrations of C6 compounds, lactones and shikimic acid derivatives, including volatiles characteristic to American hybrids, i.e., methyl anthranilate, o-aminoacetophenone and mesifurane. Furthermore, a cluster analysis of volatile profiles in the hybrid population discovered ten coordinately modulated free and bound volatile clusters. QTL analysis identified a major QTL on linkage group (LG) 5 in the MA map for 14 monoterpene concentrations, consistent with a previously reported locus. Additionally, several QTLs detected in the CE map affected the concentrations of specific monoterpenes, such as linalool, citronellol and 1,8-cineol, modifying the monoterpene composition in the berries. As for the concentrations of five norisoprenoids, a major common QTL on LG2 was discovered first in this study. Several QTLs with minor effects were also discovered in various volatile groups, such as lactones, alcohols and shikimic acid derivatives. Conclusions: An overview of the profiles of aroma compounds and their underlying QTLs in a population of interspecific hybrid grapes in which muscat flavor compounds and many other aroma compounds were mixed variously were elucidated. Coordinate modulation of the volatile clusters in the hybrid population suggested an independent mechanism for controlling the volatiles of each group. Accordingly, specific QTLs with significant effects were observed for terpenoids, norisoprenoids and some volatiles highly contained in CE berries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TOLLIP polymorphism has been implicated in the development and prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), mainly in whites. However, ethnic differences in the characteristics of other interstitial pneumonia (non-IPF) subtypes are unclear. We evaluated the association between the rs3750920 genotype and the clinical characteristics of Japanese patients with fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (ILD). We genotyped 102 patients with fibrosing ILD (75 IPF and 27 non-IPF patients) and analyzed the interaction between the rs3750920 genotype distribution and their clinical characteristics. The overall frequencies of the C/C, C/T, and T/T genotypes were 69%, 25%, and 6%, respectively. The proportion of minor T allele carriers was larger in IPF patients than in non-IPF patients (37% vs. 15%, P = 0.031). In addition, survival at 3 years was significantly better for carriers than for non-carriers of the T allele. There was no significant association between genotype distribution and change in pulmonary function after introduction of antifibrotic agents. The frequency of the minor T allele of rs3750920 was low in Japanese patients with fibrosing ILD, particularly in non-IPF patients. Carriers of the minor T allele had better survival than non-carriers. Presence of the T allele might thus be an indicator of better outcomes for fibrosing ILD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reconstruction method was proposed more than a decade ago to boost the signal of baryonic acoustic oscillations measured in galaxy redshift surveys, which is one of key probes for dark energy. After moving the observed overdensities in galaxy surveys back to their initial position, the reconstructed density field is closer to a linear Gaussian field, with higher-order information moved back into the power spectrum. We find that by jointly analysing power spectra measured from the pre- and post-reconstructed galaxy samples, higher-order information beyond the 2-point power spectrum can be efficiently extracted, which generally yields an information gain upon the analysis using the pre- or post-reconstructed galaxy sample alone. This opens a window to easily use higher-order information when constraining cosmological models. Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) are formed in the early universe and can be measured galaxy redshift survey to probe dark energy, but this feature is degraded with galaxy structure evolution. The authors propose a method that simultaneously use pre- and post-reconstruction power spectra to extract higher order information for surveys to constrain cosmological models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fibrocytes are emerging myeloid‐derived circulating cells that can migrate into damaged tissues and usually contribute to their repair. Key features of fibrocytes include the expression myeloid markers, production of extracellular matrix proteins, and secretion of various humoral factors that activate resident fibroblasts; they also have the potential to differentiate into fibroblasts. However, no specific surface markers have been identified to identify fibrocytes in vivo. One reason could be that the method used to detect fibrocytes requires intracellular collagen staining. Methods: In the present study, to establish an improved method for the detection of lung fibrocytes and to analyze viable fibrocytes, we used collagen I(α)2‐green fluorescent protein (Col‐GFP) reporter mice, which had undergone the intratracheal instillation of bleomycin (BLM). Results: Using flow cytometry to gate out cells with autofluorescence, we clearly found that CD45+ GFP+ cells resided in the lungs of Col‐GFP mice at a steady state and these cells increased after BLM injury, peaking at Day 14. These cells expressed not only known cell surface markers of fibrocytes, but also some novel markers, in addition to a low level of collagen I in comparison to CD45− GFP+ cells. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the improved method can be a useful for the detection of pure lung fibrocytes and allows us to further analyze the characteristics of viable fibrocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce the standard model of cosmology based on general relativity and discuss its successes and problems. We then discuss motivations to consider gravitational theories beyond general relativity and summarize observational and theoretical constraints that these theories need to satisfy. A special focus is laid on screening mechanisms, which hide deviations from general relativity in the Solar System and enable large modifications to general relativity on astrophysical and cosmological scales. Finally, several modified gravity models are introduced, which satisfy the Solar System constrains as well as the constraint on the speed of gravitational waves obtained from almost simultaneous detections of gravitational waves and gamma ray bursts from a neutron star merger (GW170817/GRB 170817A). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vainshtein mechanism, present in many models of gravity, is very effective at screening darkmatter haloes such that the fifth force is negligible and general relativity is recoveredwithin their Vainshtein radii. Vainshtein screening is independent of halo mass and environment, in contrast to e.g. chameleon screening, making it difficult to test. However, our previous studies have found that the dark matter particles in filaments, walls, and voids are not screened by the Vainshtein mechanism. We therefore investigate whether cosmic voids, identified as local density minima using a watershed technique, can be used to test models of gravity that exhibit Vainshtein screening. We measure density, velocity, and screening profiles of stacked voids in cosmological N-body simulations using both dark matter particles and dark matter haloes as tracers of the density field. We find that the voids are completely unscreened, and the tangential velocity and velocity dispersion profiles of stacked voids show a clear deviation from Λ cold dark matter at all radii. Voids have the potential to provide a powerful test of gravity on cosmological scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making wine via spontaneous fermentation without sulfur dioxide and commercial yeast (spontaneous winemaking) is increasing in recent year, but there is scant research regarding microbial communities present in Japan during spontaneous winemaking using culture-independent molecular methods. We analyzed fungal communities and populations during laboratory-scale spontaneous winemaking using sterilized labware to avoid winery-resident microbes. In the spontaneous fermentation of four grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Riesling, Koshu, and Koshusanjaku) grown in the same Japanese vineyard, our analysis of yeast and other fungal species by next-generation sequencing based on the ITS1 region demonstrated that Saccharomyces cerevisiae was eventually dominant in seven of 12 fermentation batches (three replications for each grape variety), whereas non- Saccharomyces species (e.g., Schizosaccharomyces japonicus , Lachancea dasiensis , and Hanseniaspora valbyensis) became dominant in four batches at the end of fermentation. In another batch, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) became dominant and the fermentation remained incomplete. Diverse microbes were involved in the spontaneous fermentation (particularly in Koshusanjaku), indicating that residual sugar remained and lactic and acetic acid largely increased. Compared to the control wine made with SO 2 and commercial yeast, the concentration of lactic acid was 47-fold higher in the must dominated by L. dasiensis , and the concentrations of acetic acid and lactic acid were 10-fold and 20-fold higher in the must dominated by LAB, respectively. Even when indigenous S. cerevisiae became dominant, the finished wines obtained high sensory-analysis scores for complexity but low scores for varietal typicality, indicating the risk of fermentation with unselected wild yeast on the grapes grown in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grapes ( Vitis spp.) produce diverse polyphenolic compounds, which are phytochemicals that contribute to human health. In this study, the polyphenolic profiles of the red–purple berries of two wild grape species native to Japan, Vitis ficifolia and V. coignetiae , and their interspecific hybrid cultivars were investigated and compared with the profiles of V. vinifera and V. × labruscana cultivars. Proanthocyanidins (PAs) were present at lower concentrations in both skins and seeds of wild grape species and their hybrid cultivars than those in V. vinifera cultivars. They also differed in their composition, consisting mainly of epicatechin in wild grape species, but containing considerable amounts of both epigallocatechin in the skins and epicatechin gallate in the seeds of V. vinifera . In contrast, V. ficifolia varieties and their hybrid cultivars accumulated high concentrations of diverse anthocyanins, and whose compositions of anthocyanins and flavonols differed between species in their degree of modification by glucosylation, acylation, methylation and B-ring hydroxylation. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the polyphenolic constituents clearly separate V. vinifera and V. × labruscana cultivars from the wild grape species as well as between wild grape species, V. coignetiae and V. ficifolia . Intermediate compositions were also observed in the hybrid cultivars between these wild grape species and V. vinifera . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose There have been scarce data evaluating the differences of clinical characteristics and prognosis of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) depending on underlying pulmonary diseases. We tried to clarify them in CPA patients who had pulmonary emphysema or previous pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods We reviewed and evaluated CPA patients diagnosed between 2007 and 2013 with pulmonary emphysema (PE group; n = 29), with previous pulmonary tuberculosis (PT group; n = 47) and with combination of these 2 underlying conditions (CTE group; n = 24). Results In CT findings, fungus balls were rare in PE group (7% in PE group and 36% in PT group; p = 0.006). Compared with PT group, PE group patients exhibited more frequent preceding antibiotics administration (45% vs 11%; p = 0.002) and fever (52% vs 17%; p = 0.002), less frequent hemosputum (24% vs 57%; p = 0.008), and more frequent consolidations in imaging (79% vs 38%; p = 0.001) and respiratory failure (34% vs 13%; p = 0.020), possibly suggesting more acute clinical manifestations of CPA in emphysematous patients. Trend of the differences between PT and PE group was not changed when patients with fungal balls were excluded. Multivariate Cox regression analysis of risks for all-cause mortality revealed age (HR, 1.079; p = 0.002) and emphysema (HR, 2.45; p = 0.040) as risk factors. Conclusions Assessment of underlying lung diseases is needed when we estimate prognosis and consider treatment of CPA patients. Particularly, emphysematous patients can be presented as refractory pneumonia and show poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vainshtein mechanism is of paramount importance in many alternative theories of gravity. It hides deviations from general relativity (GR) in the solar system while allowing them to drive the acceleration of the cosmic expansion. Recently, a class of theories have emerged where the mechanism is broken inside astrophysical objects. In this essay, we look for novel probes of these theories by deriving the modified properties of stars and galaxies. We show that main-sequence stars are colder, less luminous and more ephemeral than GR predicts. Furthermore, the circular velocities of objects orbiting inside galaxies are slower and the lensing of light is weaker. We discuss the prospects for testing these theories using the novel phenomena presented here in light of current astrophysical surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal fibrotic lung disease with few effective therapeutic options. Recently, drug repositioning, which involves identifying novel therapeutic potentials for existing drugs, has been popularized as a new approach for the development of novel therapeutic reagents. However, this approach has not yet been fully utilized in the field of pulmonary fibrosis. Methods: The present study identified novel therapeutic options for pulmonary fibrosis using a systematic computational approach for drug repositioning based on integration of public gene expression signatures of drug and diseases (in silico screening approach). Results: Among the top compounds predicted to be therapeutic for IPF by the in silico approach, we selected BI2536, a polo-like kinase (PLK) 1/2 inhibitor, as a candidate for treating pulmonary fibrosis using an in silico analysis. However, BI2536 accelerated mortality and weight loss rate in an experimental mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis. Because immunofluorescence staining revealed that PLK1 expression was dominant in myofibroblasts while PLK2 expression was dominant in lung epithelial cells, we next focused on the anti-fibrotic effect of the selective PLK1 inhibitor GSK461364. Consequently, GSK461364 attenuated pulmonary fibrosis with acceptable mortality and weight loss in mice. Conclusions: These findings suggest that targeting PLK1 may be a novel therapeutic approach for pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting lung fibroblast proliferation without affecting lung epithelial cells. In addition, while in silico screening is useful, it is essential to fully determine the biological activities of candidates by wet-lab validation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the prevalence and risk factors of recurrence of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) after discontinuation of antifungal triazoles. Method We reviewed the medical records of CPA patients who achieved resolution of clinical and radiographic manifestations and stopped taking antifungal triazoles between June 2006 and June 2012 at Tokyo National Hospital. We evaluated whether there was CPA recurrence within 1 year after treatment cessation and investigated risk factors for relapse. The association of anti-Aspergillus antibody conversion with CPA recurrence was also reviewed. Results A total of 39 patients were included in this study and there was CPA recurrence in 14 patients. Compared with the Non-recurrence group, the Recurrence group exhibited 1) younger age ( p = 0.017), 2) more than one lung lobe affected by CPA more frequently ( p = 0.008), 3) longer duration needed to remit manifestations of chest radiograph ( p = 0.031), 4) longer antifungal treatment duration ( p = 0.042). The present study did not reveal an association between negative conversion of serum anti-Aspergillus antibody and recurrence risk. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that patients with CPA with affected area of more than one lung lobe had increased risk (odds ratio, 10.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.49–69.77; p = 0.018). Conclusion CPA recurrence can be seen in about one-third of cases after discontinuing azole treatment. We should make decisions about treatment duration and follow up depending on the severity of each case, particularly on the expansion of CPA-affected area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive gravity is a good theoretical framework to study the modifications of General Relativity. The theory offers a concrete set-up to study models of dark energy, since it admits cosmological self-accelerating solutions in the vacuum, in which the size of the acceleration depends on the graviton mass. Moreover, nonlinear gravitational self-interactions, in the proximity of a matter source, manage to mimic the predictions of linearized General Relativity; hence, agreeing with solar-system precision measurements. In this paper, we review our work in the subject, classifying, on one hand, static solutions, and on the other hand, self-accelerating backgrounds. For the static solutions, we exhibit black hole configurations, together with other solutions that recover General Relativity near a source via the Vainshtein mechanism. For the self-accelerating solutions, we describe a wide class of cosmological backgrounds, including an analysis of their stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck) is a member of the Src family of tyrosine kinases. The significance of Lck inhibition in lung fibrosis has not yet been fully elucidated, even though lung fibrosis is commonly preceded by inflammation caused by infiltration of T-cells expressing Lck. In this study, we examined the effect of Lck inhibition in an experimental mouse model of lung fibrosis. We also evaluated the effect of Lck inhibition on the expression of TGF-β1, an inhibitory cytokine regulating the immune function, in regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Methods: Lung fibrosis was induced in mice by intratracheal administration of bleomycin. A-770041, a Lck-specific inhibitor, was administrated daily by gavage. Tregs were isolated from the lung using a CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T-cell Isolation Kit. The expression of Tgfb on Tregs was examined by flow cytometry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The concentration of TGF-β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and cell culture supernatant from Tregs was quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: A-770041 inhibited the phosphorylation of Lck in murine lymphocytes to the same degree as nintedanib. A-770041 attenuated lung fibrosis in bleomycin-treated mice and reduced the concentration of TGF-β in BALF. A flow-cytometry analysis showed that A-770041 reduced the number of Tregs producing TGF-β1 in the lung. In isolated Tregs, Lck inhibition by A-770041 decreased the Tgfb mRNA level as well as the concentration of TGF-β in the supernatant. Conclusions: These results suggest that Lck inhibition attenuated lung fibrosis by suppressing TGF-β production in Tregs and support the role of Tregs in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biosynthesis of phenolic compounds is known to be sensitive to light environments, which reflects the possible role of these compounds for photoprotection in plants. Herein, the effects of UV and visible light on biosynthesis of flavonoids was investigated, i.e., proanthocyanidins (PAs) and flavonols, in young berry skins of a red-wine grape, Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon. Shading with light-proof boxes from the flowering stage until 49days after treatment (DAT) partially decreased PA concentrations, and completely decreased flavonol concentrations in the berry skins. Shading decreased the transcript abundance of a flavonol-related gene more remarkably than those of PA-related genes. In addition, light exclusion influenced the composition of PAs, such as the decrease in the proportion of trihydroxylated subunits and the mean degree of polymerization (mDP) within PAs. However, solar UV exclusion did not affect the concentration and composition of PAs, whereas this exclusion remarkably decreased the flavonol concentration. Consistently, UV exclusion did not influence the transcript levels of PA-related genes, whereas it dramatically decreased that of flavonol-related genes. These findings indicated a different light regulation of the biosynthesis of these flavonoids in young berry skins of wine grape. Visible light primarily induces biosynthesis of PAs and affects their composition, whereas UV light specifically induces biosynthesis of flavonols. Distinct roles of members of a MYB transcription factor family for light regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis were proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this essay, we address two long-standing problems of massive gravity: The ghost mode found by Boulware and Deser, and the incompatibility with General Relativity in the massless limit, better known as the vDVZ discontinuity. We present a recent candidate for a ghost-free theory, and show how Einstein's gravity is recovered within a certain macroscopic radius from a mass source, via the Vainshtein mechanism. We also exhibit an exact solution which could account for the late time acceleration of the Universe by means of a small graviton mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study spherically symmetric solutions in a covariant massive gravity model, which is a candidate for a ghost-free nonlinear completion of the Fierz-Pauli theory. There is a branch of solutions that exhibits the Vainshtein mechanism, recovering general relativity below a Vainshtein radius given by (rgm²)1/3, where m is the graviton mass and rg is the Schwarzschild radius of a matter source. Another branch of exact solutions exists, corresponding to de Sitter-Schwarzschild spacetimes where the curvature scale of de Sitter space is proportional to the mass squared of the graviton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observable universe could be a 1+3-surface (the "brane") embedded in a 1+3+d-dimensional spacetime (the "bulk"), with Standard Model particles and fields trapped on the brane while gravity is free to access the bulk. At least one of the d extra spatial dimensions could be very large relative to the Planck scale, which lowers the fundamental gravity scale, possibly even down to the electroweak (∼ TeV) level. This revolutionary picture arises in the framework of recent developments in M theory. The 1+10-dimensional M theory encompasses the known 1+9-dimensional superstring theories, and is widely considered to be a promising potential route to quantum gravity. At low energies, gravity is localized at the brane and general relativity is recovered, but at high energies gravity "leaks" into the bulk, behaving in a truly higher-dimensional way. This introduces significant changes to gravitational dynamics and perturbations, with interesting and potentially testable implications for high-energy astrophysics, black holes, and cosmology. Brane-world models offer a phenomenological way to test some of the novel predictions and corrections to general relativity that are implied by M theory. This review analyzes the geometry, dynamics and perturbations of simple brane-world models for cosmology and astrophysics, mainly focusing on warped 5-dimensional brane-worlds based on the Randall-Sundrum models. We also cover the simplest brane-world models in which 4-dimensional gravity on the brane is modified at low energies — the 5-dimensional Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati models. Then we discuss co-dimension two branes in 6-dimensional models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acceleration of micromagnetic calculations on symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems is investigated. A speed up of more than 20 times has been realized compared with the serial processing software. The SMP system with the optimized software has a speed up of 5.6 times compared to a previous version on an 8-CPU cluster system. Micromagnetic analysis of a write head with trailing and side shields is performed to derive the quasi-static recording field distributions, dynamic recording fields and magnetization rotation processes. It is noted that the dynamic recording field is affected by the trailing and side shields. A write head for shingled recording is also analyzed and is found to be promising due to its higher recording field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) application on the transcriptome as well as the phenolic profiles in the skins of Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries grown on the vine and cultured in vitro. ABA application rapidly induced the accumulation of anthocyanin and flavonol. Correlatively, the structural genes in the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways, their transcriptional regulators, as well as genes considered to be involved in the acylation and transport of anthocyanin into the vacuole, were upregulated by ABA treatment. The Genechip analysis showed that the ABA treatment significantly up- or downregulated a total of 345 and 1,482 transcripts in the skins of berries grown on the vine and cultured in vitro, respectively. Exogenous ABA modulated the transcripts associated with osmotic responses, stress responses, cell wall modification, auxin and ethylene metabolism and responses, in addition to the induction of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes, and reduced those associated with photosynthesis; approximately half of these transcripts were identical to the previously reported ripening-specific genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the effect of primordial isocurvature perturbations on non-Gaussian properties of cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies. We consider generic forms of the non-linearity of isocurvature perturbations which can be applied to a wide range of theoretical models. We derive analytical expressions for the bispectrum and the Minkowski Functionals for CMB temperature fluctuations to describe the non-Gaussianity from isocurvature perturbations. We find that the isocurvature non-Gaussianity in the quadratic isocurvature model, where the isocurvature perturbation S is written as a quadratic function of the Gaussian variable , can give the same signal-to-noise ratio as even if we impose the current observational limit on the fraction of isocurvature perturbations contained in the primordial power spectrum α. We give constraints on isocurvature non-Gaussianity from Minkowski Functionals using the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( WMAP) 5-year data. We do not find a significant signal of isocurvature non-Gaussianity. For the quadratic isocurvature model, we obtain a stringent upper limit on the isocurvature fraction (95 per cent CL) for a scale-invariant spectrum which is comparable to the limit obtained from the power spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study structure formation in a phenomenological model of modified gravity which interpolates between Λcold dark mtter (ΛCDM) and Dvali–Gabadadze–Porrati (DGP) gravity. In our model, the Friedmann equation assumes the form with the interpolation parameter α. Generalization of spherical collapse by using the Birkhoff theorem along with the modified growth equation shows that the overdensity for spherical collapse δc in these models is significantly lowered compared to ΛCDM, leading to enhanced number densities of massive clusters and enhanced cluster merging rates. We find that δc( z) is well fitted by a function of the form . We examine the sensitivity of Planck's and SPT's Sunyaev–Zel'dovich survey to constrain the modified gravity parametrization, and find that these experiments can easily distinguish between models with a cosmological constant and modified gravity by including prior constraints from cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropies. Applying a Fisher matrix formalism yields an expected accuracy of Δα∼ 0.04 (SPT), ..., 0.07( Planck) for a combined measurement of the cluster redshift distribution and the CMB temperature and polarization power spectrum, assuming ΛCDM as the fiducial cosmology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to develop an energy-saving copper recycling process from wastes, electrochemical measurements were conducted in ammoniacal alkaline solutions containing Cu(I) ions and an ammonium salt of sulfate, chloride or nitrate. The results of each system were then compared. The polarization measurements suggested that the voltage required for the electrode process is lower in the chloride and nitrate systems than that in the sulfate system. The cathode current efficiency during the copper electrodeposition varied from 39 to 97% and increased with current density in the chloride and sulfate systems. In the nitrate system, the lowest cathode current efficiency of 30% was observed because of nitrate ion reduction. Based on these results, the power consumption required for the electrowinning stage of the copper recycling process was calculated. Among these three systems, the chloride system showed the lowest power consumption of 500kWht−1 at the current density of 200Am−2, which is about 25% of the conventional copper electrowinning process from a copper sulfate–sulfuric acid solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article studies the kinetics of the extraction of phenolics from berry skins and seeds of the grape, Vitis vinifera cv, during red wine maceration. According to the authors, the molecular size and composition of the proanthocyanidins possibly influenced the kinetics of their extraction in addition to their localization. The authors also evaluate the effects of cold soak and heating at the end of maceration on the extraction of phenolics in red wine.

Abstract: We present a systematic way to derive the four-dimensional effective theories for warped compactifications with fluxes and branes in the ten-dimensional type IIB supergravity. The ten-dimensional equations of motion are solved using the gradient expansion method and the effective four-dimensional equations of motions are derived by imposing the consistency condition that the total derivative terms with respect to the six-dimensional internal coordinates vanish when integrated over the internal manifold. By solving the effective four-dimensional equations, we can find the gravitational backreaction to the warped geometry due to the dynamics of moduli fields, branes and fluxes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We discuss the evolution of gravitational waves (GWs) after inflation in a brane-world cosmology embedded in five-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS5) bulk spacetime. In a brane-world scenario, the evolution of GWs is affected by the non-standard cosmological expansion and the excitation of the Kaluza–Klein (KK) modes, which are significant in the high-energy regime of the universe. We numerically solve the wave equation of GWs in the Poincaré coordinates of the AdS5 spacetime. Using a plausible initial condition from inflation, we find that, while the behavior of GWs in the bulk is sensitive to the transition time from inflation to the radiation-dominated epoch, the amplitude of GWs on the brane is insensitive to this time if the transition occurs early enough before horizon reentry. As a result, the amplitude of GWs is suppressed by the excitation of KK-modes and the effect may compensate the enhancement of the GWs by the non-standard cosmological expansion. Based on this, the influence of the high-energy effects on the GW backgrounds is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We study the evolution of gravitational waves (GWs) after inflation in a brane-world cosmology embedded in five-dimensional anti-de Sitter space–time. Contrary to the standard four-dimensional results, the GWs at the high-energy regime in brane-world model suffer from the effects of the non-standard cosmological expansion and the excitation of the Kaluza–Klein modes (KK-modes), which can affect the amplitude of stochastic gravitational wave background significantly. To investigate these two high-energy effects quantitatively, we numerically solve the wave equation of the GWs in the radiation dominated epoch at relatively low-energy scales. We show that the resultant GWs are suppressed by the excitation of the KK modes. The created KK modes are rather soft and escape away from the brane to the bulk gravitational field. The results are also compared to the semi-analytic prediction from the low-energy approximation and the evolved amplitude of GWs on the brane reasonably matches the numerical simulations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We evaluate the effectiveness of early dark energy (EDE) in addressing the Hubble tension using the luminous red galaxy (LRG), quasar (QSO), and emission line galaxy (ELG) samples from the completed eBOSS survey. We perform cosmological parameter measurements based on full shape analysis of the power spectrum employing the effective field theory of large-scale structure (EFTofLSS). EDE is known to strongly suffer from volume projection effects, complicating cosmological constraints' interpretation. To quantify the volume projection effects within an EDE full shape analysis, we explore the impact of different prior choices on the nuisance parameters of EFTofLSS through an extensive mock study. We compare classical Gaussian priors to the non-informative Jeffreys prior, known to mitigate volume projection effects in ΛCDM. Our full shape analysis combines eBOSS and BOSS data with Planck , external Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO), PantheonPlus, and SH0ES supernova data. EDE reduces the tension from 5.2σ to 3σ compared to ΛCDM, yielding |$H_0=71.73_{-0.86}^{+0.82}$| km s−1 Mpc−1 with |$f_\mathrm{EDE} = 0.1179_{-0.022}^{+0.025}$| (Gaussian priors) and |$H_0=72.03_{-0.87}^{+0.82}$| km s−1 Mpc−1 with |$f_\mathrm{EDE} = 0.1399_{-0.022}^{+0.023}$| (Jeffreys prior). Although the Hubble tension is mitigated compared to ΛCDM, the inclusion of eBOSS data amplifies the tension within EDE from 2σ to 3σ, in contrast to the full shape analysis of BOSS data with Planck , external BAO, PantheonPlus, and SH0ES. This highlights the significance of incorporating additional large-scale structure data in discussions concerning models aiming to resolve the Hubble tension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present matryoshka , a suite of neural-network-based emulators and accompanying python package that have been developed with the goal of producing fast and accurate predictions of the non-linear galaxy power spectrum. The suite of emulators consists of four linear component emulators, from which fast linear predictions of the power spectrum can be made, allowing all non-linearities to be included in predictions from a non-linear boost component emulator. The linear component emulators include an emulator for the matter transfer function that produces predictions in ∼0.0004 s, with an error of |${\lt} 0.08{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (at 1σ level) on scales 10−4 < k < 101  h  Mpc−1. In this paper, we demonstrate matryoshka by training the non-linear boost component emulator with analytic training data calculated with Halofit, which has been designed to replicate training data that would be generated using numerical simulations. Combining all the component emulator predictions we achieve an accuracy of |${\lt} 0.75{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| (at 1σ level) when predicting the real space non-linear galaxy power spectrum on scales 0.0025 < k < 1  h  Mpc−1. We use matryoshka to investigate the impact of the analysis set-up on cosmological constraints by conducting several full shape analyses of the real-space galaxy power spectrum. Specifically we investigate the impact of the minimum scale (or k max), finding an improvement of ∼1.8× in the constraint on σ8 by pushing k max from 0.25 to 0.85  h  Mpc−1, highlighting the potential gains when using clustering emulators such as matryoshka in cosmological analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is designed to assess medical students' skills and attitude competencies before clinical practice. However, no method of reflective learning using video-based content has been used in OSCE education. This study aimed to confirm whether using smart glasses-based educational content is effective for OSCE reflective learning using multiple views (patient, student, and overall). This educational intervention study included a control group exposed to the traditional learning method and an intervention group exposed to a learning method incorporating smart glasses. Participants were 117 (72 in the control group and 45 in the intervention group) third-year radiological technology students scheduled to take the OSCE and 70 (37 in the control group and 33 in the intervention group) who met the eligibility criteria. Mock OSCEs were administered before and after the educational intervention (traditional and smart glasses-based education) to investigate changes in scores. After the educational intervention, a self-reported comprehension survey and a questionnaire were administered on the effectiveness of the video-based content from different views for student reflective learning. Unexpectedly, the OSCE evaluation score after the preliminary investigation significantly increased for the smart glasses control group (0.36±0.1) compared to the intervention group (0.06±0.1) setting up the radiographic conditions (x-ray center and detector center; p = 0.042). The intervention group's lower score in the mock OSCEs may have been due to the discomfort of wearing the smart glasses to perform the radiography procedure and their unfamiliarity with the smart glasses, which may have affected their concentration. The findings suggest that smart glasses-based education for OSCEs can be improved (e.g., being easy to handle and use and trouble-free). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a series of full-shape analyses of galaxy power spectrum multipole measurements from the 6dFGS, BOSS, and eBOSS galaxy surveys. We use an emulated effective field theory of large-scale structure (EFTofLSS) model to conduct these analyses. We exploit the accelerated prediction speed of the neural-network-based emulator to explore various analysis setups for our cosmological inference pipeline. Via a set of mock full-shape analyses of synthetic power spectrum multipoles, designed to approximate measurements from the surveys above, we demonstrate that the use of alternative priors on nuisance parameters and restricted model complexity reduces many of the biases previously observed in marginalized cosmological constraints coming from EFTofLSS analyses. The alternative priors take the form of a Jeffreys prior; a non-informative prior that can mitigate against biases induced by marginalizing over poorly constrained nuisance parameters. When performing a joint analysis of all synthetic multipoles, we see an improvement in the level of agreement between the marginalized ln (1010 As) constraints and the truth; from ∼2.0σ to ∼0.42σ. Using our pipeline to analyse the measured multipoles, we find an improvement in the level of agreement with cosmic microwave background (CMB) results; from ∼2.4σ to ∼0.5σ. Therefore, we conclude that the spectroscopic galaxy survey data sets listed above are consistent with constraints obtained from the CMB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/Aim of the Study: Wnt/β-catenin signaling was reported to be activated in pulmonary fibrosis, and was focused on as a target for antifibrotic therapy. However, the mechanism how the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling ameliorate pulmonary fibrosis has not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study is to explore the target cells of Wnt/β-catenin inhibition in pulmonary fibrosis and to examine the antifibrotic effect of the novel inhibitor PRI-724 specifically disrupting the interaction of β-catenin and CBP. Materials and Methods: The effect of C-82, an active metabolite of PRI-724, on the expression of TGF-β1 and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) was examined on fibroblasts and macrophages. We also examined the effects of PRI-724 in mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Results: The activation and increased accumulation of β-catenin in the canonical pathway were detected in lung fibroblasts as well as macrophages stimulated by Wnt3a using Western blotting. Treatment with C-82 reduced CBP protein and increased p300 protein binding to β-catenin in the nucleus of lung fibroblasts. In addition, C-82 inhibited the expression of SMA in lung fibroblasts treated with TGF-β, indicating the inhibition of myofibroblast differentiation. In the fibrotic lungs induced by bleomycin, β-catenin was stained strongly in macrophages, but the staining of β-catenin in alveolar epithelial cells and fibroblasts was weak. The administration of PRI-724 ameliorated pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin in mice when administered with a late, but not an early, treatment schedule. Analysis of bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF) showed a decreased number of alveolar macrophages. In addition, the level of TGF-β1 in BALF was decreased in mice treated with PRI-724. C-82 also inhibited the production of TGF-β1 by alveolar macrophages. Conclusions: These results suggest that the β-catenin/CBP inhibitor PRI-724 is a potent antifibrotic agent that acts by modulating the activity of macrophages in the lungs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is reported to promote airway remodeling in asthmatics, which is the main histological change that causes complex and severe symptoms in asthmatics. However, little is known about whether EMT also plays a role in acute exacerbations of asthma evoked by respiratory tract infections. Methods A human lung adenocarcinoma line, A549, was incubated with TGF-β1 at 10 ng/ml to induce EMT. Then the cells were stimulated with CpG ODN. Expression of surface and intracellular molecules was analyzed by flow cytometry. IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 in the culture supernatant were measured by Cytometric Bead Assay, and the expression of mRNA was quantitated by real-time PCR. CpG ODN uptake was analyzed by flow cytometry. Results The culture supernatant levels of IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 and the expression of mRNA for these cytokines in CpG ODN-stimulated A549 cells that had undergone EMT was significantly higher compared to those that had not. Addition of ODN H154, a TLR9-inhibiting DNA, significantly suppressed the CpG ODN-induced production of those cytokines. However, flow cytometry found the level of TLR9 expression to be slightly lower in A549 cells that had undergone EMT compared to those that had not. On the other hand, CpG ODN uptake was increased in cells that had undergone EMT. Conclusions EMT induction of A549 cells enhanced CpG ODN uptake and CpG ODN-induced production of IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1. These results suggest that EMT plays an important role in exacerbation in asthmatics with airway remodeling by enhancing sensitivity to extrinsic pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In quadratic-order degenerate higher-order scalar–tensor (DHOST) theories compatible with gravitational-wave constraints, we derive the most general Lagrangian allowing for tracker solutions characterized by ϕ ˙ / H p = constant , where ϕ ˙ is the time derivative of a scalar field ϕ , H is the Hubble expansion rate, and p is a constant. While the tracker is present up to the cubic-order Horndeski Lagrangian L = c 2 X − c 3 X (p − 1) / (2 p) □ ϕ , where c 2 , c 3 are constants and X is the kinetic energy of ϕ , the DHOST interaction breaks this structure for p ≠ 1. Even in the latter case, however, there exists an approximate tracker solution in the early cosmological epoch with the nearly constant field equation of state w ϕ = − 1 − 2 p H ˙ / (3 H 2). The scaling solution, which corresponds to p = 1 , is the unique case in which all the terms in the field density ρ ϕ and the pressure P ϕ obey the scaling relation ρ ϕ ∝ P ϕ ∝ H 2. Extending the analysis to the coupled DHOST theories with the field-dependent coupling Q (ϕ) between the scalar field and matter, we show that the scaling solution exists for Q (ϕ) = 1 / (μ 1 ϕ + μ 2) , where μ 1 and μ 2 are constants. For the constant Q , i.e., μ 1 = 0 , we derive fixed points of the dynamical system by using the general Lagrangian with scaling solutions. This result can be applied to the model construction of late-time cosmic acceleration preceded by the scaling ϕ -matter-dominated epoch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly characterized grapevine MYB transcription factor regulates proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in a highly regulated spatiotemporal manner with closely related MYB transcription factors.A new regulator of proanthocyanidin (PA) biosynthesis in grapes was found by screening genes coordinately expressed with PA accumulation under different light conditions using a substantially improved method of serial analysis of gene expression (SuperSAGE). This R2R3-MYB transcription factor, VvMYBPAR, shows high protein sequence similarity with PA biosynthesis-regulating plant MYBs, such as VvMYBPA2 and TRANSPARENT TESTA2. Its transcript levels were relatively high in the skins of young berries, whereas the levels were higher in the seeds and at a maximum around veraison. In addition to its response to modified light conditions, the gene responded to abscisic acid application in the skins of cultured berries. Among the PA-specific branch genes, this transcript profile was not correlated with that of VvANR and VvLAR1 but was closely related to that of VvLAR2, suggesting different regulation of PA-specific branch genes from that of a known PA regulator, VvMYBPA2. The PA-specific regulation of VvMYBPAR was confirmed by VvMYBPAR constitutive expression in Arabidopsis in which the transgene specifically induced PA biosynthetic genes and resulted in PA accumulation in plants grown on sucrose-supplemented media to induce anthocyanin synthesis. A transient reporter assay using grapevine cells showed that VvMYBPAR activated the promoters on PA-specific branch genes and candidate genes associated with modification and transport of monomeric PA precursors, as well as the promoters of VvCHS3 and VvF3′5′Hd in the common flavonoid pathway, but not that of VvUFGT on the anthocyanin-specific branch. This new factor suggests the polygenic regulation of PA biosynthesis in grapes by closely related MYB transcription factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study cosmic microwave background (CMB) constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity in Dirac–Born–Infeld (DBI) galileon models in which an induced gravity term is added to the DBI action. In this model, the non-Gaussianity of orthogonal shape can be generated. We provide a relation between theoretical parameters and orthogonal/equilateral nonlinear parameters using the Fisher matrix approach for the CMB bispectrum. In doing so, we include the effect of the CMB transfer functions and experimental noise properties by employing the recently developed second order non-Gaussianity code. The relation is also shown in the language of effective theory so that it can be applied to general single-field models. Using the bispectrum Fisher matrix and the central values for equilateral and orthogonal non-Gaussianities found by the Planck temperature survey, we provide forecasts on the theoretical parameters of the DBI galileon model. We consider the upcoming Planck polarization data and the proposed post-Planck experiments Cosmic Origins Explore (COrE) and Polarized Radiation Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (PRISM). We find that Planck polarization measurements may provide a hint for a non-canonical sound speed at the 68% confidence level. COrE and PRISM will not only confirm a non-canonical sound speed but also exclude the conventional DBI inflation model at more than the 95% and 99% confidence level respectively, assuming that the central values will not change. This indicates that improving constraints on non-Gaussianity further by future CMB experiments is invaluable to constrain the physics of the early universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]