Empirical metallicity-dependent calibrations of effective temperature against colours for dwarfs and giants based on interferometric data

We present empirical metallicity-dependent calibrations of effective temperature against colours for dwarfs of luminosity classes IV and V and for giants of luminosity classes II and III, based on a collection from the literature of about two hundred nearby stars with direct effective temperature measurements of better than 2.5 per cent. The calibrations are valid for an effective temperature range 3,100 - 10,000 K for dwarfs of spectral types M5 to A0 and 3,100 - 5,700 K for giants of spectral types K5 to G5. A total of twenty-one colours for dwarfs and eighteen colours for giants of bands of four photometric systems, i.e. the Johnson ($UBVR_{\rm J}I_{\rm J}JHK$), the Cousins ($R_{\rm C}I_{\rm C}$), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS, $gr$) and the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS, $JHK_{\rm s}$), have been calibrated. Restricted by the metallicity range of the current sample, the calibrations are mainly applicable for disk stars ([Fe/H]$\,\gtrsim\,-1.0$). The normalized percentage residuals of the calibrations are typically 2.0 and 1.5 per cent for dwarfs and giants, respectively. Some systematic discrepancies at various levels are found between the current scales and those available in the literature (e.g. those based on the infrared flux method IRFM or spectroscopy). Based on the current calibrations, we have re-determined the colours of the Sun. We have also investigated the systematic errors in effective temperatures yielded by the current on-going large scale low- to intermediate-resolution stellar spectroscopic surveys. We show that the calibration of colour ($g-K_{\rm s}$) presented in the current work provides an invaluable tool for the estimation of stellar effective temperature for those on-going or upcoming surveys.Comment: 28 pages, 19 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA

Chinese Herbal Medicine for Postinfectious Cough: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Chinese herbal medicine has been commonly used in the treatment of postinfectious cough. The aim of this review is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for postinfectious cough. An extensive search for RCTs was performed using multiple electronic databases, supplemented with a manual search. All studies included were confirmed with specific inclusion criteria. Methodological quality of each study was examined according to the Cochrane risk of bias assessment. Quality of evidence was evaluated using rating approach developed by GRADE working group. The literature search yielded 352 results, of which 12 RCTs satisfied the inclusion criteria, offering moderate-to-high levels of evidence. Methodological quality was considered high in three trials, while in the other nine studies the unclear risk of bias was in the majority. Findings suggested that, compared with western conventional medicine or placebo, Chinese herbal medicine could effectively improve core symptoms of postinfectious cough, act better and have earlier antitussive effect, and enhance patients’ quality of life. No serious adverse event was reported

Galactic Disk Bulk Motions as Revealed by the LSS-GAC DR2

We report a detailed investigation of the bulk motions of the nearby Galactic stellar disk, based on three samples selected from the LSS-GAC DR2: a global sample containing 0.57 million FGK dwarfs out to $\sim$ 2 kpc, a local subset of the global sample consisting $\sim$ 5,400 stars within 150 pc, and an anti-center sample containing $\sim$ 4,400 AFGK dwarfs and red clump stars within windows of a few degree wide centered on the Galactic anti-center. The global sample is used to construct a three-dimensional map of bulk motions of the Galactic disk from the solar vicinity out to $\sim$ 2 kpc with a spatial resolution of $\sim$ 250 pc. Typical values of the radial and vertical components of bulk motion range from $-$15 km s$^{-1}$ to 15 km s$^{-1}$, while the lag behind the circular speed dominates the azimuthal component by up to $\sim$ 15 km s$^{-1}$. The map reveals spatially coherent, kpc-scale stellar flows in the disk, with typical velocities of a few tens km s$^{-1}$. Bending- and breathing-mode perturbations are clearly visible, and vary smoothly across the disk plane. Our data also reveal higher-order perturbations, such as breaks and ripples, in the profiles of vertical motion versus height. From the local sample, we find that stars of different populations exhibit very different patterns of bulk motion. Finally, the anti-center sample reveals a number of peaks in stellar number density in the line-of-sight velocity versus distance distribution, with the nearer ones apparently related to the known moving groups. The "velocity bifurcation" reported by Liu et al. (2012) at Galactocentric radii 10--11 kpc is confirmed. However, just beyond this distance, our data also reveal a new triple-peaked structure.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figures, Accepted for publication in a special issue of Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics on LAMOST science

Effects of different starch sources on Bacillus spp. in intestinal tract and expression of intestinal development related genes of weanling piglets

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different starch sources on Bacillus spp. in intestinal tract and expression of intestinal development related genes of weanling piglets. Twenty-eight PIC male piglets were divided into four homogeneous groups according to initial body weight (similar birth and parity, weaned at 21 ± 1.5 days). Diets for the four treatments consisted of corn starch, wheat starch, tapioca starch and pea starch with the determined ratio for amylose to amylopectin of 0.21, 0.24, 0.12 and 0.52 respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was applied to: (1) detect genomic DNA of Bacillus and to quantify the number of Bacillus in the intestinal tract chyme of piglets with the primers and probe which designed based on the 16S rRNA sequences of maximum species of Bacillus on GenBank; (2) measure the mRNA level of glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2), insulin-like growth factors 1 (IGF-1) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Results showed that the number of Baciilus and the percentage based on all bacteria in the whole intestinal content of piglets fed pea starch was highest in all groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant differance on copy numbers for all bacteria and Bacillus in the whole intestinal tract of piglets between the corn starch group and wheat starch group (P > 0.05). In addition, the expression level of GLP-2, IGF-1 mRNA in jejunum and ileum of pea starch treatment (the high amylose/amylopectin ratio) were increased while the tapioca starch decreased their mRNA level significantly compared to other three treatments (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference for the mRNA level of EGF in each group. The present study revealed that high amylose/amylopectin ratio of starches significantly enhanced the numbers of Bacillus in all segments of intestine and the mRNA level of intestinal development related genes

Wall‐following – Phylogenetic context of an enhanced behaviour in stygomorphic Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) cavefishes

With 75 known species, the freshwater fish genus Sinocyclocheilus is the largest cavefish radiation in the world and shows multiple adaptations for cave‐dwelling (stygomorphic adaptations), which include a range of traits such as eye degeneration (normal‐eyed, micro‐eyed and eyeless), depigmentation of skin, and in some species, the presence of “horns”. Their behavioural adaptations to subterranean environments, however, are poorly understood. Wall‐following (WF) behaviour, where an organism remains in close contact with the boundary demarcating its habitat when in the dark, is a peculiar behaviour observed in a wide range of animals and is enhanced in cave dwellers. Hence, we hypothesise that wall‐following is also present in Sinocyclocheilus, possibly enhanced in eyeless species compared to eye bearing (normal‐/micro‐eyed species). Using 13 species representative of Sinocyclocheilus radiation and eye morphs, we designed a series of assays, based on pre‐existing methods for Astyanax mexicanus behavioural experiments, to examine wall‐following behaviour under three conditions. Our results indicate that eyeless species exhibit significantly enhanced intensities of WF compared to normal‐eyed species, with micro‐eyed forms demonstrating intermediate intensities in the WF distance. Using a mtDNA based dated phylogeny (chronogram with four clades A–D), we traced the degree of WF of these forms to outline common patterns. We show that the intensity of WF behaviour is higher in the subterranean clades compared to clades dominated by normal‐eyed free‐living species. We also found that eyeless species are highly sensitive to vibrations, whereas normal‐eyed species are the least sensitive. Since WF behaviour is presented to some degree in all Sinocyclocheilus species, and given that these fishes evolved in the late Miocene, we identify this behaviour as being ancestral with WF enhancement related to cave occupation. Results from this diversification‐scale study of cavefish behaviour suggest that enhanced wall‐following behaviour may be a convergent trait across all stygomorphic lineages

Electrocatalysis of Oxygen Reduction on Te-Modified Platinum Stepped Crystal Surfaces

Te-modified platinum single-crystal surfaces in the [011̅] zone have been used as model electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The results clearly show that (1) except for Pt(111), all other electrodes display enhanced ORR activity when Te is deposited on the surface; (2) the intrinsic ORR activity for Pt(hkl) decreases in the order of Pt(322) > Pt(755) > Pt(977) > Pt(111) > Pt(311) > Pt(100), while the enhancement factor for ORR with Te modification decreases in the order of Pt(100) > Pt(311) > Pt(977) > Pt(755) > Pt(322); (3) metallic Te and its charge transfer to Pt as well as the consequent lower d-band center and OHad binding energy are probably the reasons for the enhanced electrocatalysis for ORR with Te modification; and (4) the inhibition of Te at Pt(111) as well as the smaller extent for the enhancement of Te at Pt(S)-[n(111) × (100)] with longer terraces in the kinetic region for ORR are a result of partial oxidation of Te. The weaker electronic interaction of Te with the Pt substrate is probably the origin of its facile oxidation at lower potential. Our results imply that modification of Pt with species that can transfer electrons to Pt may be an efficient strategy to enhance the ORR activity.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22172151, 21972131, and 21832004). E.H. gratefully acknowledged the International Professorship by USTC and financial support from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (project PID2022–137350NB-I00)

Immunologic Changes during Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, China

We analyzed changes in immunologic values over time for 28 hospitalized patients with pandemic (H1N1) 2009. Levels of interleukin-6, interferon-γ, and interleukin-10 increased 1 day after illness onset and then decreased to baseline levels. Levels of virus-specific antibody were undetectable 1 day after illness onset and peaked 36 days later