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In this study, using laser cladding technology, three different coatings with varying contents of spherical tungsten boride (WB) were completed on the EH40 steel substrate. These coatings included the Co coating, Co+15%WB coating, and Co+45%WB coating. The electrochemical corrosion performance of these three coatings was investigated in a low-temperature environment. The findings indicated that the phases present in the WB-reinforced Co-based coatings are mostly Cr23C6 and Cr7C3, WB, and WO3, as well as γ-Co. The study showed that as the amount of tungsten boride in the coatings rose, their corrosion resistance increased and gradually dropped. Among them, the Co+15%WB coating exhibited the best corrosion resistance in a neutral solution. In the low-temperature (–20°C) immersion test, the main corrosion products for the Co+45%WB coating in simulated seawater solution were Co(OH)2 and Co3O4, along with the presence of WO2 and WO3 oxides. Overall, the spherical tungsten boride coatings significantly enhanced the corrosion resistance of the EH40 steel substrate, providing an effective approach to improving the steel's performance in low-temperature environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This objective of this study was to use empirical data to assess cross-sectional variation singular and changes over time in community efficacy for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) management (COEN) and to examine individual factors associated with changes in COEN. This was a longitudinal observational study. Participants with hypertension and diabetes were randomly selected from 12 communities from three cities in eastern China, and a baseline survey and a 1-year follow-up were conducted. The COEN scale has five dimensions: community physical environment (CPE), behavioral risk factors (BRF), mental health and social relationships (MHSR), community health management (CHM), and community organisations and activities (COA). Mixed-effects models were used to investigate the change in COEN over time and the association between individual factors and changes in COEN. COEN scores showed significant variation singular among the 12 communities (P < 0.001) at the baseline. In the mixed-effects model, CPE (β coefficient: 1.62, P < 0.001), BRF (0.90, P < 0.001), MHSR (0.86, P < 0.001), CHM (0.46, P < 0.001), and total scores (β = 3.57, P < 0.001) increased significantly over time. The changes in COEN were associated with individual characteristics (e.g., older, men, more educated). Cross-sectional variations and changes over time in COEN demonstrated the utility of a sensitive instrument. Factors such as age, gender, marriage, education level, and employment may affect the financial and social resources assignment for NCD management. Our findings suggest that further high-quality studies are needed to better evaluate the effect of community empowerment on the prevention and control of NCDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using detailed nevus anatomical site data from the Brisbane Twin Nevus Study (BTNS) we aimed to identify a proxy anatomical site that best captures total nevus count (TNC) and explore its correlation with melanoma risk. The medial arm is defined as the skin visible to the nurse when the participant stands facing forward with arms rotated so the palms also face forward. [Extracted from the article]

With developing the shipbuilding industry, aluminium alloys are using widely in hull parts because of their excellent strength, corrosion resistance, and weldability. Marine engineering equipment needs regular maintenance. In this paper, we selected a green and pollution-free laser cleaning technology to clean the aluminium alloy surface. The corrosion resistance and friction and wear performance of the 5A12 aluminium alloy surface after laser cleaning were studied. The research found the laser has the best removal effect on the surface of the aluminium alloy when the laser power is 80 W. When the laser power is 120 W, the MgO and MgAl2O4 oxides on the aluminium alloy surface was removed, and a new Al2O3 oxide film formed, which makes the corrosion performance improves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Removal of infertile eggs could increase the efficiency of commercial hatcheries by saving space, ensuring the hatching rate, and decreasing costs. In this study, an LED-based candling system was designed to automatically judge egg fertility by measuring photo-resistance, which was converted into the relative absorptivity (RA) of light through the egg. In the first experiment, 85 eggs were used to test LEDs of six different colors (red, yellow, green, blue, warm white, and cold white) during days 0 to 13 of incubation. In the second experiment, 170 eggs were detected with warm white LEDs during days 0 to 10 of incubation to further study whether egg parameters (weight, dimensions, and shell color) affected the accuracy of logistic regression. The detection results of the first experiment indicated that the RA of fertile eggs increased rapidly throughout the first 13 days of incubation, while the RA of infertile eggs increased little. Comparing the detection results for all LEDs, it was found that the warm white LEDs achieved the best results, with an accuracy of 94.9% on day 7. The second experiment showed that the RA was negatively correlated with the L* value (lightness or darkness) and positively correlated with the a* value (color in the red or green direction). Furthermore, on most days of incubation, the results of logistic regression combined with the egg parameters produced higher accuracy than the results without egg parameters. The accuracy was 100% on day 10. This study provides an automatic and non-destructive method to discriminate fertile eggs from infertile eggs for current hatcheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, it is shown that a sortable ideal I is Freiman if and only if its sorted graph is chordal. This characterization is used to give a complete classification of Freiman principal Borel ideals and of Freiman Veronese-type ideals with constant bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study on the stability of a mine entry of an innovative approach to non-pillar coal mining—gob-side entry retaining using cantilever beam theory (GERMC). This method is on the rise in China and it has shown to increase the coal seam rate of recycling and mining productivity. The method utilizes the caved-in material resulting from the mining activities to fill the gob area and ensure the stability of the roof of the already mined area. The caved-in material will form the gob-side wall of the retained entry. This characteristic is unique to this method. Thus, there are not many studies that analyze the stability of the filling material and of the gob-side entry wall under these circumstances, which is a vital element for the safety of the mining operations. This paper studies the stability of the gob-side retained entry of the Hongjingta underground coal mine in China. The authors perform the analysis using a discrete fracture network (DFN) model developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), GEOFRAC, in combination with the discrete-element method (DEM) software UDEC. GEOFRAC estimates the rock blocks (fracture networks) in the filling body, from fracture traces measured along the gob-side wall of the entry. Statistical methods are used to estimate the fracture intensity and the mean fracture areas, which are inputs to the DFN. The generated fracture networks are then inputted into the DEM code, UDEC, to evaluate the stability of the mine-retained entry. For this study, we developed two types of models in UDEC, one considering the fractures generated by the DFN model and another considering the gob-filling material as a continuum. This methodology—combined DFN–DEM—is unique and provides a more realistic representation of the gob-filling material by considering the fractures in the filling body and by estimating those fractures (interfaces between rock blocks) using field data. In addition to this, we also considered the effects of uncertainties that are associated with estimating three-dimensional (3-D) fractures' networks/rock blocks from two-dimensional (2-D) field data. Finally, the results of the simulations were compared with the measurements from the mine and are in good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physico-chemical instability is commonly associated with the amorphous state, and the understanding of instability mechanisms (e.g. the glass transition) involved is essential in designing pharmaceutical products. The glass transition of bulk water might occur at 210 K [Oguni et al., J. Phys. Chem. B115 (2011) 14023] but it was recently proposed the glass transition of water could happen around 121 K [C. R. Hill et al., Phys. Rev. Lett.116 (2016) 215501]. Note that molecular self-inclusions in a glassy water show relaxation features that are characteristically different from those observed in thermodynamically stable, crystalline solids with inclusions. Here we point out some doubtful results and calculations in Hill et al.'s work [C. R. Hill et al., Phys. Rev. Lett.116 (2016) 215501] which was based on the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. We also made some remarks about the possible mistakes in their previous works [C. Mitterdorfer, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.16 (2014) 16013] considering the calculation of the specific surface area. The latter is crucial to the doubtful fixing of the glass transition temperature in Hill et al.'s work [C. R. Hill et al., Phys. Rev. Lett.116 (2016) 215501]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have synthesized and studied a series of composite silver-polymer photonic metamaterials with composition-tunable electric response. The dielectric constants of metamaterials, derived from the transmittance and reflectance spectra, were compared against several effective medium models. The demonstrated value of the real part of the dielectric constant [variant_greek_epsilon]′=12.8 at λ=2.4 μm is one of the highest in the near-to-midinfrared spectral range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO nanotubes were fabricated by vapor-phase transport using the mixture of ZnO and graphite powders in air. A self-catalyzed growth mechanism was proposed based on microstructure analysis by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Raman scattering, integrated photoluminescence, and time-resolved photoluminescence were employed to explore the optical properties and the dynamic process. Combing with crystal structure and the spectral characteristics of the ZnO nanotubes, the charge carrier transport process was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have observed Stokes and anti-Stokes emission of Au nanoparticles suspended in methanol and rhodamine 6G dye solution. Photoluminescence of Au nanoparticles is a three-step process involving single-photon or three-photon excitation of electron-hole pairs, relaxation of excited electrons and holes, and emission from electron-hole recombination, possibly enhanced by surface plasmons. In the presence of dye, the excitation of anti-Stokes emission of gold involves two-photon absorption in rhodamine 6G molecules followed by the energy transfer to Au nanoparticles with simultaneous absorption of one pumping photon by Au. This mechanism significantly enhances anti-Stokes emission of gold nanoparticles in the presence of dye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in plasmonic-based metamaterials show that the magnetic component of an optical field can be strongly affected by the material’s properties and geometry of metallic nanostructures, leading to such interesting effects as negative magnetic permeability and magnetic resonance in the optical range. To probe such effects experimentally, systems containing Eu3+ ions can be used as spectroscopic tools. The study of the magnetic dipole-related transition at ∼590 nm in comparison with the electric dipole-related transition at ∼615 nm can reveal information on the relative distribution of magnetic and electric fields as well as effective permeability and permittivity. We report the development of such systems, demonstrating very high emission efficiency, and the first experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating asymmetric circle and circle GaN microdisks are fabricated by using standard semiconductor techniques. Unidirectional ultraviolet whispering gallery mode lasing results from floating asymmetric circle GaN microdisks under optical pumping conditions at room temperature. The characteristics of the unidirectional whispering gallery mode lasing, including the lasing emission direction, threshold, emission intensity, and lasing mode number, are studied. A 2D finite difference time domain simulation on optical field distribution confirmed the resonance mechanism of whispering gallery mode lasing. This work is crucial for enhancing collection efficiency and facilitating the coupling of the electronic and photonic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tritrophic ‘plants–herbivores–natural enemies’ systems, there are relatively few reports concerning the role(s) of kairomones in pupal parasitism. Chouioia cunea Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), an endoparasitic chalcid wasp, parasitizes pupae of the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea Drury). The role of host-related kairomones was investigated using electroantennogram (EAG) and behavioral techniques. Chemicals from some host stages (pupae) and host by-products (frass), induced arrestment behavior of female parasitoids, while chemicals from prepupae, were inactive. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of volatiles collected from pupae, frass and prepupae using solid-phase microextration revealed seven compounds with carbon chain lengths ranging from C4 to C20. All of the chemicals elicited significant EAG responses in C. cunea. Y-tube olfactometer bioassays demonstrated a significant positive response of mated female C. cunea to 1-dodecene. These data provide a better understanding of the host location mechanisms of pupal parasitoid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The envelope model allows efficient estimation in multivariate linear regression. In this paper, we propose the sparse envelope model, which is motivated by applications where some response variables are invariant with respect to changes of the predictors and have zero regression coefficients. The envelope estimator is consistent but not sparse, and in many situations it is important to identify the response variables for which the regression coefficients are zero. The sparse envelope model performs variable selection on the responses and preserves the efficiency gains offered by the envelope model. Response variable selection arises naturally in many applications, but has not been studied as thoroughly as predictor variable selection. In this paper, we discuss response variable selection in both the standard multivariate linear regression and the envelope contexts. In response variable selection, even if a response has zero coefficients, it should still be retained to improve the estimation efficiency of the nonzero coefficients. This is different from the practice in predictor variable selection. We establish consistency and the oracle property and obtain the asymptotic distribution of the sparse envelope estimator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an adaptive fuzzy control approach to the problem of control of electrostatically actuated MEMS, which is based on differential flatness theory and which uses exclusively output feedback. It is shown that the model of the electrostatically actuated MEMS is a differentially flat one and this permits to transform it to the so-called linear canonical form. For the new description of the system's dynamics the transformed control inputs contain unknown terms which depend on the system's parameters. To identify these terms an adaptive fuzzy approximator is used in the control loop. Thus an adaptive fuzzy control scheme is implemented in which the unknown or unmodeled system dynamics is approximated by neurofuzzy networks and next this information is used by a feedback controller that makes the electrostatically activated MEMS converge to the desirable motion setpoints. This adaptive control scheme is exclusively implemented with the use of output feedback, while the state vector elements which are not directly measured are estimated with the use of a state observer that operates in the control loop. The learning rate of the adaptive fuzzy system is suitably computed from Lyapunov analysis, so as to assure that both the learning procedure for the unknown system's parameters, the dynamics of the observer and the dynamics of the control loop will remain stable. The Lyapunov stability analysis depends on two Riccati equations, one associated with the feedback controller and one associated with the state observer. Finally, it is proven that for the control scheme that comprises the feedback controller, the state observer and the neurofuzzy approximator, an H-infinity tracking performance can be achieved. The functioning of the control loop has been evaluated through simulation experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mg-RE alloys containing long period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases usually exhibit excellent mechanical properties while the effect of LPSO phases on mechanical properties is still in dispute. To clarify the intrinsic effect of LPSO phases in Mg-RE alloys, we investigated two selected Mg-RE alloys through microstructure manipulation. The experimental results indicate that the LPSO phases can not only inhibit the coarsening of predominant strengthening β′ phase with a c -axis base-centred orthogonal ( cbco ) structure, but also accommodate basal dislocations during plastic deformation. Therefore, smart alloy design by incorporating the LPSO and β′ phases synergistically has great potential to achieve optimized mechanical properties with high strength, high ductility and high creep resistance in Mg-RE based alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to study the change of chip morphology with increasing cutting speed by considering the role of microstructure evolution in chip root. The orthogonal cutting experiments of AISI 1045 steel showed that the chip morphology would be changed from continuous chip to discontinuous serrated chip as the microstructure softening events occurred in the secondary shear zone with the increasing cutting speed. Based on the principle of cutting force balance and the concept of equilibrium shear angle ( ϕ), the influence of the dynamic behavior of deformation and recrystallization in chip material on chip morphology was analyzed and modeled. Three types of chip morphology would be characterized corresponding to the sliding, only severe deformation and dynamic recrystallization behaviors, respectively, in the secondary shear zone. It was concluded that the physical mechanism of the serrated chip morphology is the variation of ϕ controlled by the mechanical properties of workpiece material in the secondary shear zone, which is related to dynamic deformation behavior of material as influenced by microstructural softening events, such as recrystallization or phase transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acceleration of tool crater wear in high-speed cutting is usually attributed to the high tool–chip interface temperature increasing diffusion coefficient( D E f f ), where the role of microstructure is ignored. The main purpose of this paper is to study the influence of microstructure evolution at second shear zone on tool element diffusion ability and crater wear with increasing cutting speed, which establishes the base for the research of tool wear evolution forecast. Based on the Orthogonal turning experiment of AISI1045 steel, the effect of cutting speed( V ) on crater wear and microstructure of second shear zone was notable: (1) the crater wear increased drastically at 361 m min −1 < V < 560 m min −1 , in which the change to lower or higher cutting speed was relatively flat; (2)the images obtained by field-emission scanning electron microscopy showed dramatically microstructure evolution occurred at second shear zone, and extremely refined dynamic recrystallization grain, with 80 nm to 300 nm grain size, was formed as cutting speed increased. The very fine dynamic recrystallization grain significantly increased the fraction of high-diffusion channel (grain boundary area), and thus the diffusion coefficient was enhanced. Based on this idea, the impact of dynamic recrystallization grain, coupled with tool–chip interface temperature calculated by Oxley model, on diffusion coefficient was explored by Hart equation. The analysis has shown that the influence of dynamic recrystallization grain on tool crater wear was significant by increasing D E f f . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclohexane+1,2-ethylene dichloride can form azeotropic mixture that contains 46% 1,2-ethylene dichloride on mole fraction and the azeotropic temperature is 348.41 K. In this study, isobaric vapour-liquid equilibria data for the cyclohexane+1,2-ethylene dichloride binary system and the cyclohexane+1,2-ethylene dichloride+1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ternary system were measured in a double circulating vapour-liquid equilibrium still at 101.3 kPa. It was found that the azeotropic point of cyclohexane+1,2-ethylene dichloride was shifted upwards after adding 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride to the system. The more the IL added to the system, the greater shift could be reached. When the mass fraction of cyclohexane+1,2-ethylene dichloride reached 40%, azeotropic point of the binary system was eliminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines varied at pollen abortive phenotypes (PAP) have been used effectively for production of hybrid seeds in rice. To investigate the relationship between PAP of CMS lines and CMS-specific mitochondrial genes or structures in rice, CMS lines varied at PAP developed on 18 cytoplasmic sources were examined with seven PCR primers specific to three CMS-specific mitochondrial regions. The 18 CMS lines were classified into stained abortive (SA) and typical abortive (TA) types according to their PAP. Two CMS cytoplasms-specific PCR fragments, by which genotypes between the CMS lines and their maintainers were distinguished, were identified with primer LD29 or LD30. Furthermore, it was discovered that phenotypes of SA-CMS and TA-CMS were related to CMS-specific mitochondrial genes or structures, LD- orf310, atp6- orf79-like, and orf288-like structures. The results suggested that CMS phenotypes were mainly controlled by cytoplasmic genes, and it could be speculated that the SA-CMS phenotype was related to LD- orf310 and atp6- orf79-like structure, while TA-CMS phenotype was related to WA352. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anew hot-stamping steel that is alloyed with chromium and manganese and does not contain boron additions has been developed. The effect of reheating temperature and cooling rates on the mechanical properties and structure of the steel is determined. Atreatment regime that increases the ductility of the steel without a noticeable decrease in its strength is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginseng serves as a potential candidate for the treatment of aging-related memory decline or memory loss. However, the related mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, we applied an intraperitoneal injection of ginsenoside Rg1, an active compound from ginseng in middle-aged mice and detected memory improvement and the underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that a period of 30-day administration of ginsenoside Rg1 enhanced long-term memory in the middle-aged animals. Consistent with the memory improvement, ginsenoside Rg1 administration facilitated weak theta-burst stimulation (TBS)-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) in acute hippocampal slices from middle-aged animals. Ginsenoside Rg1 administration increased the dendritic apical spine numbers and area in the CA1 region. In addition, ginsenoside Rg1 administration up-regulated the expression of hippocampal p-AKT, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), proBDNF and glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1), but not p-ERK. Interestingly, the phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) inhibitor (bpV) mimicked the ginsenoside Rg1 effects, including increasing p-AKT expression, promoting hippocampal basal synaptic transmission, LTP and memory. Taken together, our data suggest that ginsenoside Rg1 treatment improves memory in middle-aged mice possibly through regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway, altering apical spines and facilitating hippocampal LTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Interventional treatment for overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE), includes non-absorbable disaccharides, neomycin, rifaximin, L-ornithine-L-aspartate and branched chain amino acids (BCAA). However, the optimum regimen remains inconclusive. Aim To compare interventions in terms of patients' adverse events and major clinical outcomes. Methods Literature search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library studies published up to July 31 2014. RCTs of above interventions in OHE patients were included. Network meta-analysis combined direct and indirect evidence to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and mean difference (MD) between treatments and the probabilities of ranking for treatment based on clinical outcomes. Results Twenty eligible RCTs were included. When compared with observation, only L-ornithine-L-aspartate (OR 3.71, P < 0.001) and BCAA (OR 3.37, P < 0.001) improved clinical efficacy significantly. However, when L-ornithine-L-aspartate was compared with BCAA, non-absorbable disaccharides and neomycin, there was a trend suggesting that L-ornithine-L-aspartate may be the most effective intervention with respect to clinical improvement (OR 1.10), rifaximin (OR 1.31), non-absorbable disaccharides (OR 2.75), neomycin (OR 2.22). In addition, L-ornithine-L-aspartate (MD 20.18, 95% CI 40.12 to 0.27) provided a significant reduction in blood ammonia concentration compared with observation. Neomycin appeared to be associated with more adverse events in comparison with non-absorbable disaccharides (OR 10.15), rifaximin (OR 17.31), L-ornithine-L-aspartate (OR 3.16) or BCAA (OR 7.69). Conclusions L-ornithine-L-aspartate treatment may show a trend in superiority for clinical efficacy among standard interventions for OHE. Rifaximin shows the greatest reduction in blood ammonia concentration, and treatment with neomycin demonstrates a higher probability in causing adverse effects among the five compared interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By employing vapor-phase transport method, ZnO microrods are fabricated and directly assembled on p-GaN substrate to form a heterostructural microlaser array, which avoids of the relatively complicated etching process comparing previous work. Under applied forward bias, whispering gallery mode ZnO ultraviolet lasing is obtained from the as-fabricated heterostructural microlaser array. The device's electroluminescence originates from three distinct electron-hole recombination processes in the heterojunction interface, and whispering gallery mode ultraviolet lasing is obtained when the applied voltage is beyond the lasing threshold. This work may present a significant step towards future fabrication of a facile technique for micro/nanolasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon coated Co3O4 (Co3O4@C) composite with hierarchical architecture is synthesised by hydrothermal and subsequent CH4 chemical vapour deposition method. Based on the results obtained from morphology and structure characterisation, the possible formation process of the hierarchical Co3O4@C has been proposed. As an anode material for lithium ion batteries, Co3O4@C shows an improved electrochemical performance in the initial coulombic efficiency (63%), reversible capacity (775 mAh g−1 at 30th cycle) and cycling stability (83% capacity retention after 30 cycles). The performance is much better than the results obtained from hierarchical Co3O4 particles. The excellent electrochemical performance of Co3O4@C can be attributed to the thin carbon layers formed over each Co3O4 particle, which enhances the ionic/electrical conductivity, and serves as a buffering agent to absorb the volume expansion during the charge/discharge cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), a molecular chaperone widely elevated in human cancers, is critical for endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein folding, stress signaling and PI3K/AKT activation. Genetic knockout models of GRP78 revealed that GRP78 maintains homeostasis of metabolic organs, including liver, pancreas and adipose tissues. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CC) are the most common liver cancers. There is a lack of effective therapeutics for HCC and CC, highlighting the need to further understand liver tumorigenic mechanisms. PTEN (phosphatase and tenson homolog deleted on chromosome 10), a tumor suppressor that antagonizes the PI3K/AKT pathway, is inactivated in a wide range of tumors, including 40-50% of human liver cancers. To elucidate the role of GRP78 in liver cancer, we created a mouse model with biallelic liver-specific deletion of Pten and Grp78 mediated by Albumin-Cre-recombinase (cPf/f78f/f). Interestingly, in contrast to PTEN, deletion of GRP78 was progressive but incomplete. At 3 months, cPf/f78f/f livers showed hepatomegaly, activation of lipogenic genes, exacerbated steatosis and liver injury, implying that GRP78 protects the liver against PTEN-null-mediated pathogenesis. Furthermore, in response to liver injury, we observed increased proliferation and expansion of bile duct and liver progenitor cells in cPf/f78f/f livers. Strikingly, bile duct cells in cPf/f78f/f livers maintained wild-type (WT) GRP78 level, whereas adjacent areas showed GRP78 reduction. Analysis of signaling pathways revealed selective JNK activation, β-catenin downregulation, along with PDGFRα upregulation, which was unique to cPf/f78f/f livers at 6 months. Development of both HCC and CC was accelerated and was evident in cPf/f78f/f livers at 8-9 months, coinciding with intense GRP78 expression in the cancer lesions, and GRP78 expression in adjacent normal areas reverted back to the WT level. In contrast, c78f/f livers showed no malignancy even at 14 months. These studies reveal that GRP78 is a novel regulator for PTEN-loss-mediated liver injury and cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Major adjuvant therapies for biliary tract cancer (BTC) include fluorouracil, gemcitabine and chemoradiation ( CRT), but the optimum regimen remains inconclusive. Aim To compare these therapies in terms of patient survival rates after resection and toxic effects. Methods We searched PubMed for controlled trials comparing the above three therapies with each other or observation alone until 31 January 2014. We estimated the hazard ratios ( HRs) for death and odds ratios ( ORs) for toxic effects among different therapies. Subgroup analyses based on positive lymph node or resection margin were also performed. Results Twelve eligible articles were included. Gemcitabine improved 5-year survival ( HR 2.12, 95% CI, confidence interval 1.23-4.02, P = 0.01), whereas fluorouracil ( HR 1.61, 95% CI 0.74-3.67) and CRT ( HR 1.55, 95% CI 0.82-3.32) provided a poorer survival outcome compared with gemcitabine after 1 year. Similarly, for 5-year survival rates, although differing, CRT did not provide a significant improvement in survival ( HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.20-0.97) compared with gemcitabine. Fluorouracil did not appear to provide benefit over gemcitabine ( HR 1.56, 95% CI 0.77-3.35). CRT was ranked highest for toxic effects including haematological ( OR 5.45, 95% CI 0.01-483.85) and nonhaematological ( OR 5.77, 95% CI 0.01-3807.40). Conclusions Chemotherapy with gemcitabine is the optimum adjuvant treatment with a balanced benefit-toxicity ratio for resected biliary tract cancer. Chemoradiation was more likely to cause toxic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on direct measurements of half-hourly canopy evapotranspiration (ET; Wm-2) using the eddy covariance (EC) system and daily soil evaporation (E; mmday-1) using microlysimeters over a crop ecosystem in arid northwestern China from 27 May to 14 September in 2013, a Bayesian method was used to simultaneously parameterize the soil surface and canopy resistances in the Shuttleworth-Wallace (S-W) model. Four of the six parameters showed relatively larger uncertainty reductions (> 50 %), and their posterior distributions became approximately symmetric with distinctive modes. There was a moderately good agreement between measured and simulated values of halfhourly ET and daily E with a linear regression being y = 0.84x +0.18(R² = 0.83) and y = 1.01x +0.01(R² = 0.82), respectively. The causes of underestimations of ET by the S-W model was possibly attributed to the microscale advection, which can contribute an added energy in the form of downward sensible heat fluxes to the ET process. Therefore, the advection process should be taken into account in simulating ET in heterogeneous land surfaces. Also, underestimations were observed on or shortly after rainy days, which may be due to direct evaporation of liquid water intercepted in the canopy. Thus, the canopy interception model should be coupled to the S-W model in the long-term ET simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Melanoma is one of the most common malignancies during pregnancy. There is debate regarding the impact of pregnancy on the prognosis of melanoma. Recent large population‐based studies from the United States are lacking. Objectives: To determine the characteristics and survival of women with pregnancy‐associated melanoma. Methods: This population‐based, retrospective cohort study used California Cancer Registry data linked with state‐wide hospitalization and ambulatory surgery data to identify 15–44‐year‐old female patients diagnosed with melanoma in 1994–2015, including pregnant patients. Multivariable logistic regression compared demographic and clinical characteristics between pregnant and non‐pregnant women with melanoma. Multivariable cox proportional hazards regression models assessed melanoma‐specific and overall survival. Results: We identified 13 108 patients, of which 1406 were pregnant. Pregnancy‐associated melanoma was more frequent in Hispanic compared to non‐Hispanic White women. Melanoma occurring post‐partum was associated with greater tumour thickness (2.01–4.00 vs. 0.01–1.00 mm, odds ratio 1.75, 95% confidence interval: 1.03–2.98). There were otherwise no significant differences between pregnant and non‐pregnant women. Worse survival was associated with Asian, Black and Native American race/ethnicity (vs. non‐Hispanic White), lower neighbourhood socio‐economic status, public insurance, tumour site, greater tumour thickness and lymph node involvement, but not pregnancy. Conclusions: Melanoma occurring post‐partum was associated with greater tumour thickness, but pregnancy status did not affect survival after melanoma. Race/ethnicity, socio‐economic status and health insurance impacted survival, emphasizing the importance of reducing health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent or metastatic malignant salivary gland tumors (R/M MSGTs) of the head and neck portend a poor prognosis, and therapeutic options are currently limited. Surufatinib is a potent, small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that selectively targets VEGF receptors (VEGFR) 1, 2, and 3, FGFR 1, and CSF-1R. Recent studies have demonstrated encouraging efficacy of small molecule antiangiogenic inhibitors in head and neck cancer. This study was therefore conducted to investigate the antitumor activity and safety of surufatinib in R/M MSGT patients. Patients aged 18-75 years with incurable and progressive R/M MSGTs received surufatinib at a dose of 300 mg once daily until intolerance or disease progression occurred. Based on a Simon's two-stage minimax design, 13 patients would be enrolled in stage 1; if 1 or more responses were observed, the trial would proceed to stage 2 in which an additional 14 patients would be enrolled, for a total sample size of 32 patients. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) as assessed by RECIST 1.1 criteria, and secondary endpoints included disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. This study was prospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04910854). From May 2019 to March 2023, 12 patients were enrolled and received at least one dose of treatment. The median age was 45.5 years (range 27-60), 83.3% were female, and 41.7% had an ECOG performance status of 2. The most common histological tumor types were adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC, 41.7%) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC, 41.7%). The most frequent metastatic sites were the lungs (83.3%). 5 patients (41.7%) had previous chemotherapy, and 4 (33.3%) had previous antiangiogenic therapy. 6 patients (50.0%) had two or more prior lines of treatment before enrollment. As of the September 2023 data cutoff, 2 patients achieved a partial response (PR), 9 had stable disease (SD), yielding a confirmed objective response rate (ORR) of 16.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.1-48.4%), and a disease control rate (DCR) of 91.7% (95% CI: 61.5-99.8%). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.57 months (95% CI 4.76-11.33), with 3-month and 6-month PFS rates of 83.3% (95% CI: 51.6-97.9%) and 41.7% (95% CI 15.2-72.3%), respectively. Median overall survival (OS) was immature. Most treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were grade 1-2, including hyperuricemia (58.3%), hypertension (41.7%). The most common grade ≥3 AEs were hypertension (25.0%), proteinuria (25.0%), and nephrotic syndrome (8.3%). There were no treatment-related deaths. This trial demonstrated that surufatinib showed promising antitumor activity in patients with R/M MSGTs. The safety profile observed in this study aligned with prior clinical studies, requiring continued monitoring and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of grain size on plasticity was investigated based on the theories of dislocation pile-up and Frank–Read (FR) source activation in ultrafine grained materials. The possible reason of the experimental phenomena of decrease in plasticity as grain size refined in ultrafine grained materials was theoretically analyzed and the critical grain size for plasticity decrease was proposed. The results predicted that there was a critical grain size of about 4–5μm with the present parameters of X80 microalloyed steel where the plasticity would shift from increase to decrease as grain refined, which well agreed with the experimental data described in the references in ultrafine grained materials. The mechanism of decreasing in plasticity as grain size refined was dominantly due to the decrease of probability of activation of FR source. The modeling for predicting the critical grain size has been built up which would be very helpful to optimize microstructure for obtaining excellent combination of strength and plasticity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recently, the terahertz (THz) photon-assisted tunneling (PAT) through a two-level InAs quantum dot (QD) has been successfully realized in experiment [Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 077401 (2012)]. The Coulomb interaction in this device is comparable with the energy difference between the two energy levels. We theoretically show that the main peaks of the experiment can be well derived by our model analysis. Furthermore, we find additional peaks, which were not addressed in the InAs QD experiment and may be further identified in experiments. In particular, we show that, to observe the interesting photon-induced excited state resonance in InAs QD, the Coulomb interaction should be larger than the THz photon frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiologic studies have shown a strong association between gastroesophageal reflux ( GER) and asthma, especially in children. Diagnosing GER can be difficult in some patients when GER presents solely with asthma. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between GER and asthma with animal model. Sixty rats were randomly divided into six equal groups, GER group, GER-associated-asthma group, allergic asthma group, and their control groups. The cytokine levels and concentration of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage ( BAL) were determined. The BAL of the rats with allergic asthma contained higher concentration of Interleukin-5 ( IL-5) and more eosinophils than those of rats with GER-associated-asthma. This demonstrates that assaying the concentrations of IL-5 and inflammatory cells in BAL may be an effective method of distinguishing GER-associated asthma from allergic asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the relationship between the genetic polymorphism of growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) genes and the litter size in 384 individuals of five breeds of black goats. Four pairs of primers were designed to detect single nucleotide polymorphism of GDF9 gene in goats by PCR-SSCP. The least square was used to analyze the relation between different genotypes and the litter size. The results showed that the PCR products from primer pair 1 (P1) displayed polymorphisms in three genotypes (AA, AB and BB) in big foot (BF) and Jintang (JT) black goats. For primer pairs of P2, P3 and P4, there was no polymorphism. The sequencing results revealed that there was a single nucleotide mutation (A792→G) in exon 2 of GDF9 gene in BF and JT black goats, and this mutation resulted in an amino acid change: valine→isoleucine. In BF and JT black goats, the average litter size in the third parity was significantly higher in genotype AA than both genotypes of AB and BB while the average little size of genotype AB was higher than that of genotype BB in the same parity. GDF9 gene could be therefore considered as a candidate gene for marker-assisted selection of litter size trait in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the potential application of pteridine fluorescence in determining the age of adult Boettcherisca peregrina (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) Robineau-Desvoidy and further for the postmortem interval, the age-dependent changes of pteridine fluorescence were investigated for the adults maintained at five constant temperatures. From the results, significant linear relationships were found between pteridine fluorescence and the age of the adults maintained at 16, 20, 24, 28 or 32 °C ( P < 0.001, r2 > 0.85). In addition, the relationships between the rate of pteridine accumulation and temperature were well described using linear equations for adult females and males. Then for each cohort of the flies at the ambient temperature, a calendar was constructed and used to determine the ages of females and males, respectively, in which was recorded in reverse time order the amount of pteridine accumulated per hour by the flies and their expected pteridine level when they emerged at the specified time. A significant linear relationship between estimated ages and chronological ages was observed for female or male adults, with the mean errors of the estimated ages of ±1.82 days for females and ±1.58 days for males. It is suggested that pteridine fluorescence analysis has a potential value in determining the age of adult B. peregrina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The current study systematically investigated the anisotropy of fracture behavior in commercial API X100 pipeline steel. The experimental results showed that the temperature for transition from ductile to brittle fracture was significantly different in samples with different orientations, defined as anisotropy of fracture behavior in this paper. The inhomogeneity distribution of microstructure (grain size) and the crystallographic texture were systematically analyzed. The difference in grain size of the samples with different orientations can be reasonably ignored in this study. Therefore, the anisotropy of fracture behavior is attributed to the crystallographic textures in which the deformation and transformation texture components were included. The effect of crystallographic texture on the anisotropy of ductile to brittle fracture transition temperature was theoretically interpreted based on the relationship among yield strength, fracture strength, and their average orientation factor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Extraction and catalytic oxidative desulfurization (ECODS) could successfully integrate phosphomolybdic acid (H3PMo12O4026H2O, PMo12), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([bmim]BF4) into a single efficient system that was manipulated to facilitate the separation and oxidation of sulfur compounds. The peroxometal complex was formed rapidly as PMo12 was oxidized by H2O2 and it could be solubilized in hydrophilic ionic liquid. The experimental results showed high sulfur removal up to 99.4% under the optimized desulfurization system. Kinetics of the ECODS system of dibenzothiophene was pseudo first order with the apparent activation energy of 53.8 kJ·mol−1. The catalytic reaction system could be recycled eight times without a significant decrease in reaction activity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on the easily controllable radio frequency magnetron sputtering, n-ZnO and i-MgO thin films were fabricated on p-GaN substrate to construct heterojunctional light-emitting diodes for ultraviolet emission from the near band edge exciton recombination of ZnO. Effects of the insulator MgO layer on the electroluminescent performance of the n-ZnO/ i-MgO/p-GaN light-emitting diodes have been investigated. It was found that the light-emitting diode presented stronger near band-edge emission with blue shift emission peak under the lower working current when i-MgO layer was inserted. The fabrication process, characteristics and the mechanism were discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The usual formulation of the BCS ansatz for superconductivity in the grand canonical ensemble makes the handling of the Pauli exclusion principle between paired electrons straightforward. It however masks that many-body effects between Cooper pairs interacting through the reduced BCS potential are entirely controlled by this exclusion. To show it up, one has to work in the canonical ensemble. The proper handling of Pauli blocking between a fixed number of composite bosons is however known to be quite difficult. To do it, we here develop a commutator formalism for Cooper pair condensate, along the line we used for excitons. We then rederive, within the N-pair subspace, a few results of BCS superconductivity obtained in the grand canonical ensemble, to evidence their Pauli blocking origin. We end by reconsidering what should be called “Cooper pair wave function” and conclude differently from usual understanding. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

SUMMARY The introduction of new treatments for esophageal cancer including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of these modalities has not only improved patient survival, but may also increase the risk of the second primary cancers. The available evidence is conflicting with most risk estimates based on sparse numbers. Here we estimated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of second cancer among 24,557 esophageal cancer survivors (at least 2 months) in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program between 1973 and 2007, who had been followed up for median 6.5 years (range 2 months-29.3 years). Second cancer risk was statistically significantly elevated (SIR = 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 1.25-1.42) among the survivors compared with the general population; the SIRs for cancers of oral and pharynx, stomach, small intestine, larynx, lung and bronchus, thyroid and prostate cancer were 8.64 (95% CI = 7.36-10.07), 2.87 (95% CI = 2.10-3.82), 3.80 (95% CI = 1.82-7.00), 3.19 (95% CI = 2.12-4.61), 1.68 (95% CI = 1.46-1.93), 2.50 (95% CI = 1.25-4.47), and 0.77 (95% CI = 0.65-0.90), respectively. Radiotherapy raised cancer risk of larynx (SIR = 3.98, 95% CI = 2.43-6.14) and thyroid (SIR = 3.57, 95% CI = 1.54-7.03) among all esophageal cancer survivors. For patients who had 5-9 years of follow up after radiotherapy, the SIR for lung cancer was 3.46 (95% CI = 2.41-4.82). Patients with esophageal cancer are at increased risks of second cancers of oral and pharynx, larynx, lung, and thyroid, while at a decreased risk for prostate cancer. These findings indicate that radiotherapy for esophageal cancer patients may increase risk of developing second cancers of larynx, lung, and thyroid. Thus, randomized clinical trials to address the association of radiotherapy and the risk of secondary cancer are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S. L. Rankin, G. Zhu and S. J. Baker (2012) Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 38, 254-270 Insights gained from modelling high-grade glioma in the mouse High-grade gliomas (HGGs) are devastating primary brain tumours with poor outcomes. Advances towards effective treatments require improved understanding of pathogenesis and relevant model systems for preclinical testing. Mouse models for HGG provide physiologically relevant experimental systems for analysis of HGG pathogenesis. There are advantages and disadvantages to the different methodologies used to generate such models, including implantation, genetic engineering or somatic gene transfer approaches. This review highlights how mouse models have provided insights into the contribution of specific mutations to tumour initiation, progression and phenotype, the influence of tumour micro-environment, and the analysis of cell types that can give rise to glioma. HGGs are a heterogeneous group of tumours, and the complexity of diverse mutations within common signalling pathways as well as the developmental and cell-type context of transformation contributes to the overall diversity of glioma phenotype. Enhanced understanding of the mutations and cell types giving rise to HGG, along with the ability to design increasingly complex mouse models that more closely simulate the process of human gliomagenesis will continue to provide improved experimental systems for dissecting mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and for preclinical testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) is associated with colon cancer progression and metastasis, whereas the molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here, we show that downregulation of PAK1 in colon cancer cells reduces total β-catenin level, as well as cell proliferation. Mechanistically, PAK1 directly phosphorylates β-catenin proteins at Ser675 site and this leads to more stable and transcriptional active β-catenin. Corroborating these results, PAK1 is required for full Wnt signaling, and superactivation of β-catenin is achieved by simultaneous knockdown of adenomatous polyposis coli protein and activation of PAK1. Moreover, we show that Rac1 functions upstream of PAK1 in colon cancer cells and contributes to β-catenin phosphorylation and accumulation. We conclude that a Rac1/PAK1 cascade controls β-catenin S675 phosphorylation and full activation in colon cancer cells. Supporting this conclusion, overexpression of PAK1 is observed in 70% of colon cancer samples and is correlated with massive β-catenin accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been almost no overlap between behavior genetics and consumer behavior research, despite each field's importance in understanding society. In particular, both have neglected to study genetic influences on consumer adoption and usage of new technologies — even technologies as important as the mobile phone, now used by 5.8 out of 7.0 billion people on earth. To start filling this gap, we analyzed self-reported mobile phone use, intelligence, and personality traits in two samples of Australian teenaged twins (mean ages 14.2 and 15.6 years), totaling 1,036 individuals. ACE modeling using Mx software showed substantial heritabilities for how often teens make voice calls (.60 and .34 in samples 1 and 2, respectively) and for how often they send text messages (.53 and. 50). Shared family environment – including neighborhood, social class, parental education, and parental income (i.e., the generosity of calling plans that parents can afford for their teens) — had much weaker effects. Multivariate modeling based on cross-twin, cross-trait correlations showed negative genetic correlations between talking/texting frequency and intelligence (around –.17), and positive genetic correlations between talking/texting frequency and extraversion (about .20 to .40). Our results have implications for assessing the risks of mobile phone use such as radiofrequency field (RF) exposure and driving accidents, for studying adoption and use of other emerging technologies, for understanding the genetic architecture of the cognitive and personality traits that predict consumer behavior, and for challenging the common assumption that consumer behavior is shaped entirely by culture, media, and family environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partially fluorinated poly(fluorenyl ether ketone)s with different degree of sulfonation were successfully synthesized by the sulfonation of the designed parent polymer. The sulfonation took place only at the specific (2, 7)-position on the fluorenyl groups due to the positions adjacent to the ether bond occupied by methyl groups. The sulfonated polymers are soluble in common organic solvents and can readily be cast into tough and smooth films from their solutions. The properties of proton conductivity, water uptake, thermal and oxidative stability for the membranes were investigated. It was found that the oxidative stability of the membrane decreased with increasing the degree of sulfonation. However, the partially fluorinated membrane with high degree of sulfonation exhibited better oxidative stability compared to the non-fluorinated analogy with low degree of sulfonation. The proton conductivity of the membranes increased with increasing the degree of sulfonation and temperature. Moreover, the membranes also showed good thermal and hydrolytic stabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThree cognitive constructs are risk factors for eating disorders: undue influence of weight and shape, concern about weight and shape, and body dissatisfaction (BD). Undue influence, a diagnostic criterion for eating disorders, is postulated to be closely associated with self-esteem whereas BD is postulated to be closely associated with body mass index (BMI). We understand less about the relationships with concern about weight and shape. The aim of the current investigation was examine the degree of overlap across these five phenotypes in terms of latent genetic and environmental risk factors in order to draw some conclusions about the similarities and differences across the three cognitive variables.MethodA sample of female Australian twins (n=1056, including 348 complete pairs), mean age 35 years (s.d.=2.11, range 28–40), completed a semi-structured interview about eating pathology and self-report questionnaires. An independent pathways model was used to investigate the overlap of genetic and environmental risk factors for the five phenotypes.ResultsIn terms of variance that was not shared with other phenotypes, self-esteem emerged as being separate, with 100% of its variance unshared with the other phenotypes, followed by undue influence (51%) and then concern (34%), BD (28%) and BMI (32%).ConclusionsIn terms of shared genetic risk, undue influence and concern were more closely related than BD, whereas BMI and BD were found to share common sources of risk. With respect to environmental risk factors, concern, BMI and BD were more closely related to each other than to undue influence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

crownlike zinc oxide crystal composed of a hexagonal cap and a towerlike shaft was synthesized by vapor-phase transport method. Based on vapor-liquid-solid and vapor-solid mechanism, the growth model of the crystal was proposed. Under the excitation of pulse laser with 1150-nm wavelength, strong ultraviolet emission at 388 nm was observed. The peak position and the relationship between the emission intensity and excitation intensity demonstrated that the ultraviolet photoluminescence was induced by three-photon absorption. The photoluminescence characteristic of the sample was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoelectric properties of dense bulk polycrystalline In4Se3-x (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.65, and 0.8) compounds are investigated. A peak dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of about I is achieved for x = 0.65 and 0.8. The peak ZT is about 50% higher than the previously reported highest value for polycrystalline ln4Se3-x compounds. Our In4Se3-x samples were prepared by ball milling and hot pressing. We show that it is possible to effectively control the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity by controlling selenium (Se) deficiency x. The ZT enhancement is mainly attributed to the thermal conductivity reduction due to the increased phonon scattering by Se deficiency, defects, and nanoscale inclusions in the ball-milled and hot-pressed dense bulk In4Se3-x samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a many-body formalism for Cooper pairs which has similarities to the one we recently developed for composite boson excitons (coboson in short). Its Shiva diagram representation evidences that N Cooper pairs differ from N single pairs through electron exchange only: no direct coupling exists due to the very peculiar form of the reduced BCS potential. As a first application, we here use this formalism to derive Richardson's equations for the exact eigenstates of N Cooper pairs. This derivation gives hints on why the $N(N-1)$ dependence of the N-pair ground state energy we recently obtained by solving Richardson's equations analytically in the low density limit, stays valid up to the dense regime. No higher order dependence exists under large overlap, a surprising result hard to accept at first. We also briefly question the BCS wave function ansatz compared to Richardson's exact form, in the light of our understanding of coboson many-body effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]