Nouveauté or Cliché? Assessment on island ecological vulnerability to Tourism: Application to Zhoushan, China

In comparison with coastal zones, islands are even more vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance, especially to tourism and tourism-induced activities. Despite a great number of studies on either island tourism or island vulnerability reviewed in this paper, knowledge and practice of the impact from tourism upon island ecological vulnerability (IEV) still needs to be expanded. In this contribution, the IEV of four administrative regions in Zhoushan, China is assessed between 2012 and 2017 based on an “exposure (E)-sensitivity (S)-adaptive capacity (A)” framework and by means of coupling coordination degree modeling (CCDM) for determination of the overall development level of E-S-A subsystems in each region. The assessment results show that: (1) An index system consisting of 1 objective, 3 sub-objectives, 7 elements, and 20 indicators can be established and tested to reflect the IEV to tourism; (2) As the most attractive tourist destinations, Shengsi and Putuo inevitably have the highest IEV values; (3) Dinghai's moderate low level of IEV comes as a surprise, due to its direct connectivity to its neighboring coastal city of Ningbo; (4) The more balanced the coupling coordination degree (CCD) values among E-S-A subsystems are, the higher the IEV values in the four tourist destinations of Zhoushan. In conclusion, tourism can be a double-edged sword for islands, the overall benefits of which outweigh the negative impacts upon island ecological conditions

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays threshold in Randers-Finsler space

Kinematics in Finsler space is used to study the propagation of ultra high energy cosmic rays particles through the cosmic microwave background radiation. We find that the GZK threshold is lifted dramatically in Randers-Finsler space. A tiny deformation of spacetime from Minkowskian to Finslerian allows more ultra-high energy cosmic rays particles arrive at the earth. It is suggested that the lower bound of particle mass is related with the negative second invariant speed in Randers-Finsler space

The Heine-Stieltjes correspondence and the polynomial approach to the standard pairing problem

A new approach for solving the Bethe ansatz (Gaudin-Richardson) equations of the standard pairing problem is established based on the Heine-Stieltjes correspondence. For $k$ pairs of valence nucleons on $n$ different single-particle levels, it is found that solutions of the Bethe ansatz equations can be obtained from one (k+1)x(k+1) and one (n-1)x(k+1) matrices, which are associated with the extended Heine-Stieltjes and Van Vleck polynomials, respectively. Since the coefficients in these polynomials are free from divergence with variations in contrast to the original Bethe ansatz equations, the approach thus provides with a new efficient and systematic way to solve the problem, which, by extension, can also be used to solve a large class of Gaudin-type quantum many-body problems and to establish a new efficient angular momentum projection method for multi-particle systems.Comment: ReVTeX, 4 pages, no figur

Quantum size effects on the perpendicular upper critical field in ultra-thin lead films

We report the thickness-dependent (in terms of atomic layers) oscillation behavior of the perpendicular upper critical field $H_{c2\perp}$ in the ultra-thin lead films at the reduced temperature ($t=T/T_c$). Distinct oscillations of the normal-state resistivity as a function of film thickness have also been observed. Compared with the $T_c$ oscillation, the $H_{c2\perp}$ shows a considerable large oscillation amplitude and a $\pi$ phase shift. The oscillatory mean free path caused by quantum size effect plays a role in $H_{c2\perp}$ oscillation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Association of LEP G2548A and LEPR Q223R Polymorphisms with Cancer Susceptibility: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

__Background:__ Numerous epidemiological studies have examined associations of genetic variations in LEP (G2548A, -2548 nucleotide upstream of the ATG start site) and LEPR (Q223R, nonsynonymous SNP in exon 6) with cancer susceptibility; however, the findings are inconsistent. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate such associations. __Methods:__ We searched published literature from MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and CBM for eligible publications. We also assessed genotype-based mRNA expression data from HapMap for rs7799039 (G2548A) and rs1137101 (Q223R) in normal cell lines derived from 270 subjects with different ethnicities. __Results:__ The final analysis included 16 published studies of 6569 cases and 8405 controls for the LEP G2548A and 19 studies of 7504 cases and 9581 controls for the LEPR Q223R. Overall, LEP G2548A was statistically significantly associated with an increased risk of overall cancer (AA vs. GG: OR=1.27, 95% CI=1.05-1.54; recessive model: OR=1.19, 9

A minimum single-band model for low-energy excitations in superconducting Kx_xFe2_2Se2_2

We propose a minimum single-band model for the newly discovered iron-based superconducting K$_x$Fe$_2$Se$_2$. Our model is found to be numerically consistent with the five-orbital model at low energies. Based on our model and the random phase approximation, we study the spin fluctuation and the pairing symmetry of superconducting gap function. The $(\pi/2,\pi/2)$ spin excitation and the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing symmetry are revealed. All of the results can well be understood in terms of the interplay between the Fermi surface topology and the local spin interaction, providing a sound picture to explain why the superconducting transition temperature is as high as to be comparable to those in pnictides and some cuprates. A common origin of superconductivity is elucidated for this compound and other high-T$_c$ materials.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Gravitational deflection of light in Rindler-type potential as a possible resolution to the observations of Bullet Cluster 1E0657-558

The surface density $\Sigma$-map and the convergence $\kappa$-map of Bullet Cluster 1E0657-558 show that the center of baryonic matters separates from the center of gravitational force, and the distribution of gravitational force do not possess spherical symmetry. This hints that a modified gravity with difference to Newtonian inverse-square law at large scale, and less symmetry is worth investigating. In this paper, we study the dynamics in Randers-Finsler spacetime. The Newtonian limit and gravitational deflection of light in a Rindler-type potential is focused in particular. It is shown that the convergence in Finsler spacetime could account for the observations of Bullet Cluster.Comment: 11 page

The complete mitochondrial genome of Fejervarya kawamurai (Anura: Dicroglossidae) and its phylogeny

The mitochondrial genome of Fejervarya kawamurai is a circular molecule of 17,650 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 23 tRNA genes (including an extra tRNA-Met), and the control region. The AT content of the whole genome is 56.9%. In Bayesian inference (BI) and Maximum likelihood (ML) analyses, we found that F. kawamurai is a sister clade to F. multistriata and F. limnocharis. The monophyly of Fejervarya, Quasipaa, Nanorana was well supported (1.00 in BI and 100% in ML)

IVSPlat 1.0: an integrated virtual screening platform with a molecular graphical interface

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The virtual screening (VS) of lead compounds using molecular docking and pharmacophore detection is now an important tool in drug discovery. VS tasks typically require a combination of several software tools and a molecular graphics system. Thus, the integration of all the requisite tools in a single operating environment could reduce the complexity of running VS experiments. However, only a few freely available integrated software platforms have been developed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A free open-source platform, IVSPlat 1.0, was developed in this study for the management and automation of VS tasks. We integrated several VS-related programs into a molecular graphics system to provide a comprehensive platform for the solution of VS tasks based on molecular docking, pharmacophore detection, and a combination of both methods. This tool can be used to visualize intermediate and final results of the VS execution, while also providing a clustering tool for the analysis of VS results. A case study was conducted to demonstrate the applicability of this platform.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>IVSPlat 1.0 provides a plug-in-based solution for the management, automation, and visualization of VS tasks. IVSPlat 1.0 is an open framework that allows the integration of extra software to extend its functionality and modified versions can be freely distributed. The open source code and documentation are available at <url>http://kyc.nenu.edu.cn/IVSPlat/.</url></p