Quintessential Quartic Quasi-topological Quartet

We construct the quartic version of generalized quasi-topological gravity, which was recently constructed to cubic order in arXiv: 1703.01631. This class of theories includes Lovelock gravity and a known form of quartic quasi-topological gravity as special cases and possess a number of remarkable properties: (i) In vacuum, or in the presence of suitable matter, there is a single independent field equation which is a total derivative. (ii) At the linearized level, the equations of motion on a maximally symmetric background are second order, coinciding with the linearized Einstein equations up to a redefinition of Newton's constant. Therefore, these theories propagate only the massless, transverse graviton on a maximally symmetric background. (iii) While the Lovelock and quasi-topological terms are trivial in four dimensions, there exist four new generalized quasi-topological terms (the quartet) that are nontrivial, leading to interesting higher curvature theories in $d \geq 4$ dimensions that appear well suited for holographic study. We construct four dimensional black hole solutions to the theory and study their properties. A study of black brane solutions in arbitrary dimensions reveals that these solutions are modified from the `universal' properties these solutions have. This result may lead to interesting consequences for the dual CFTs.Comment: 46 pages, 1 figure. Discussion of black branes added to section

Co-application of ACC deaminase-producing rhizobial bacteria and melatonin improves salt tolerance in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) through ion homeostasis

Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).A comprehensive body of scientific evidence indicates that rhizobial bacteria and melatonin enhance salt tolerance of crop plants. The overall goal of this research was to evaluate the ability of Rhizobium leguminoserum bv phaseoli to suppress salinity stress impacts in common bean treated with melatonin. Treatments included bacterial inoculations (inoculated (RI) and non-inoculated (NI)), different salinity levels (non-saline (NS), 4 (S1) and 8 (S2) dS m−1 of NaCl) and priming (dry (PD), melatonin (PM100) and hydro (PH) priming) with six replications in growing media containing sterile sand and perlite (1:1). The results showed that the bacterial strain had the ability to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), ACC deaminase and siderophore. Plants exposed to salinity stress indicated a significant decline in growth, yield, yield components, nitrogen fixation and selective transport (ST), while showed a significant increase in sodium uptake. However, the combination of PM100 and RI treatments by improving growth, photosynthesis rate and nitrogen fixation positively influenced plant performance in saline conditions. The combined treatment declined the negative impacts of salinity by improving the potassium translocation, potassium to sodium ratio in the shoot and root and ST. In conclusion, the combination of melatonin and ACC deaminase producing rhizobium mitigated the negative effects of salinity. This result is attributed to the increased ST and decreased sodium uptake, which significantly reduced the accumulation of sodium ions in shoot.Peer reviewe

Yield and yield components of common bean as influenced by wheat residue and nitrogen rates under water deficit conditions

Incorporation of crop residues into agricultural system has become a worldwide efficient practice for enhancing crop production. The main objectives of this experiment was to investigate the major role of incorporating wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) residues and nitrogen (N) fertilizers rates under different water requirements (WR) on growth, seed yield and yield components of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The results showed that seed yield under 80% WR in retained crop residue plots was & SIM;11% higher than WR treatment with no residue incorporation. Seed yield was not significantly different between residue retention and removal treatments in 2016, whereas it was higher (12% and 17%) under residue retained plots compared to removed ones in subsequent years. Seed yields responded to N up to 170 and 225 kg ha(-1) in removed and retained residue treatments, respectively in 2017 and 2018. Annual increment of seed yield in residue retained plots (36%) was 2.11 times higher than the residue removed ones (17%). There was higher soil N content in 50% residue retention with 225 kg N ha(-1) under both water deficit treatments in all years. The highest soil organic carbon (SOC) was achieved with normal irrigation in retained residue plots with 225 kg N ha(-1) in all years. Overall, wheat residue incorporation into the soil and N-supply substantially contributed to counteracting yield declines of common bean under water deficit conditions.& nbsp;(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Peer reviewe

Effect of high-dose vitamin D supplementation on antibody titers to heat shock protein 27 in adolescent girls

Objective: Although vitamin D deficiency is associated with several inflammatory conditions, there have been few studies on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of high dose vitamin D supplementation on heat shock protein 27 antibody (anti-Hsp27) titres in adolescent girls. Methods: Five hundred and fifty adolescent girls received vitamin D3 at a dose of 50,000 IU/week for 9 weeks. Demographic, clinical, biochemical markers including serum fasting blood glucose, lipid profile and anti-Hsp27 titers as well as hematological parameters including white blood cell count (WBC), and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) were determined in all the subjects at baseline and at the end of the study. Results: Serum vitamin D increased significantly, from 6.4 (4.2-9.6) ng/mL to 35.6 (25.8-47.5) ng/mL (P <0.001) following the intervention. Furthermore, serum anti-Hsp27 titers were significantly lower after the 9 week vitamin D administration period [0.22(0.12-0.33) OD vs. 0.19(0.11-0.31) OD; P=0.002]. A significant correlation was found between serum anti-Hsp27 and RDW (r=0.13, p=0.037). The reduction in RDW values after intervention were particularly evident in subjects with the greatest increase in serum vitamin D levels. Conclusions: High-dose vitamin D supplementation was found to reduce antibody titers to Hsp 27. Further randomized placebo-controlled trials are warranted to determine the long time effect of vitamin D administration on the inflammatory process especially that associated with chronic disease

A new MEFV gene mutation in an Iranian patient with familial Mediterranean fever.

Familial mediterranean fever (FMF) is an inherited autoinflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and painful inflammation involving the intra-abdominal organs, the lungs and the joints, which is highly prevalent in specific ethnic groups including the Iranians. We report a 12-year-old boy from Iran, with a clinical history of recurrent fever. Based on the suggestive clinical data, mutational analysis revealed the presence of the novel c.1945C>T heterozygous variant in exon 10, which leads to a leucine to phenylalanine change at position 649 of the protein. The mutation was inherited from the mother. This novel mutation lies in exon 10 of the MEFV gene, which encodes for a domain called B30.2-SPRY, located in the C-terminal region of the pyrin protein and contains the most frequent mutations associated with FMF. The present report expands the spectrum of MEFV gene mutations associated with FMF. The uniqueness of this study, compared with other published case reports, consists in the new mutation found in the MEFV gene. In fact, new mutations in this gene are of high interest, in order to better understand the role of this gene in autoinflammation

On RR couplings on D-branes at order O(α′2)O(\alpha'^2)

Recently, it has been found that there are couplings of the RR field strength $F^{(p)}$ and the B-field strength $H$ on the world volume of D$_p$-branes at order ${\cal O}(\alpha'^2)$. These couplings which have both world-volume and transverse indices, are invariant under the linear T-duality transformations. Consistency with the nonlinear T-duality indicates that the RR field strength $F^{(p)}$ in these couplings should be replaced by ${\cal F}^{(p)}=d{\cal C}^{(p-1)}$ where ${\cal C}=e^{B}C$. This replacement, however, reproduces some non-gauge invariant terms. On the other hand, the nonlinear terms are invariant under the linear T-duality transformations at the level of two B-fields. This allows one to remove some of the nonlinear terms in ${\cal F}^{(p)}$. We fix this by comparing the nonlinear couplings with the S-matrix element of one RR and two NSNS vertex operators. Our results indicate that in the expansion of ${\cal F}^{(p)}$ one should keep only the B-field gauge invariant terms, e.g. $B\wedge dC^{(p-3)}$ where both indices of B-field lie along the brane. Moreover, in this case one should replace $B$ with $B+2\pi\alpha'f$ to have the $B$-field gauge invariance.Comment: 23 pages, Latex file, 1 figure; v2:typos corrected, to appear in JHE

Age at first childbirth and oral contraceptive use are associated with risk of androgen receptor-negative breast cancer: the Malmö Diet and Cancer Cohort.

Risk factors for breast cancer vary according to breast cancer subtype. This study analyzes the impact of potential risk factors in breast cancer by androgen receptor (AR) status