On the momentum-dependence of K−K^{-}-nuclear potentials

The momentum dependent $K^{-}$-nucleus optical potentials are obtained based on the relativistic mean-field theory. By considering the quarks coordinates of $K^-$ meson, we introduced a momentum-dependent "form factor" to modify the coupling vertexes. The parameters in the form factors are determined by fitting the experimental $K^{-}$-nucleus scattering data. It is found that the real part of the optical potentials decrease with increasing $K^-$ momenta, however the imaginary potentials increase at first with increasing momenta up to $P_k=450\sim 550$ MeV and then decrease. By comparing the calculated $K^-$ mean free paths with those from $K^-n$/$K^-p$ scattering data, we suggested that the real potential depth is $V_0\sim 80$ MeV, and the imaginary potential parameter is $W_0\sim 65$ MeV.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

The hyperon mean free paths in the relativistic mean field

The $\Lambda$- and $\Xi^-$-hyperon mean free paths in nuclei are firstly calculated in the relativistic mean field (RMF) theory. The real parts of the optical potential are derived from the RMF approach, while the imaginary parts are obtained from those of nucleons with the relations: $U^{\mathrm{IY}}_{\mathrm{S}} = \alpha_{\sigma \mathrm{Y}}\cdot U_{\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{IN}}$ and $U^{\mathrm{IY}}_{\mathrm{V}} = \alpha_{\omega \mathrm{Y}}\cdot U_{\mathrm{V}}^{\mathrm{IN}}$ . With the assumption, the depth of the imaginary potential for $\Xi^-$ is $W_{\Xi}\simeq-$ 3.5 MeV, and for $\Lambda$ is $W_{\Lambda}\simeq-$ 7 MeV at low incident energy. We find that, the hyperon mean free path decreases with the increase of the hyperon incident energies, from 200 MeV to 800 MeV; and in the interior of the nuclei, the mean free path is about $2\sim 3$ fm for $\Lambda$, and about $4\sim 8$ fm for $\Xi^-$, depending on the hyperon incident energy.Comment: 5 figures, 6 page

FreeROI: an integrated toolbox for region of interest definition and visualization

With the increasing knowledge for the topography of brain function, neuroimaging studies are moving away from traditional brain mapping towards investigating the response properties of specific brain regions. As a result, region of interest (ROI) approach, which allows one to ask how a region responds to a range of situations and tasks, become an important methodology in neuroimaging. The FreeROI is designed to help ROI analysis by providing versatile tools for defining/manipulating ROIs and calculating a summary time course from the region data. A pipeline for handling big dataset is also included

Multi-locus genome-wide association studies reveal novel alleles for flowering time under vernalisation and extended photoperiod in a barley MAGIC population

Optimal flowering time has a major impact on grain yield in crop species, including the globally important temperate cereal crop barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Understanding the genetics of flowering is a key avenue to enhancing yield potential. Although bi-parental populations were used intensively to map genes controlling flowering, their lack of genetic diversity requires additional work to obtain desired gene combinations in the selected lines, especially when the two parental cultivars did not carry the genes. Multi-parent mapping populations, which use a combination of four or eight parental cultivars, have higher genetic and phenotypic diversity and can provide novel genetic combinations that cannot be achieved using bi-parental populations. This study uses a Multi-parent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) population from four commercial barley cultivars to identify genes controlling flowering time in different environmental conditions. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed using 5,112 high-quality markers from Diversity Arrays Technology sequencing (DArT-seq), and Kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) genetic markers were developed. Phenotypic data were collected from fifteen different field trials for three consecutive years. Planting was conducted at various sowing times, and plants were grown with/without additional vernalisation and extended photoperiod treatments. This study detected fourteen stable regions associated with flowering time across multiple environments. GWAS combined with pangenome data highlighted the role of CEN gene in flowering and enabled the prediction of different CEN alleles from parental lines. As the founder lines of the multi-parental population are elite germplasm, the favourable alleles identified in this study are directly relevant to breeding, increasing the efficiency of subsequent breeding strategies and offering better grain yield and adaptation to growing conditions

Effect of Wine Closures on the Aroma Properties of Chardonnay Wines after Four Years of Storage

The effects of wine closures on the sensory properties and aroma profiles of fresh Chardonnay wines wereevaluated after four years of bottle storage. Natural cork closure, technical cork closure, Nomacorc light,Nomacorc classic and Nomacorc premium were investigated. Among these wines sealing with differentclosures, the physicochemical parameters of the wine samples showed no significant differences, exceptthat of the free and total sulphur dioxide. Nomacorc light with the highest OTR (oxygen transition rate)had the least residual free sulphur dioxide. Most of volatiles were generally stable, and seven compounds(acetoin, 1-butanol, 2-phenylethanol, 1-pentanol, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, 2-nonanol and ethyl decanoate) weresignificantly affected by the wine closures. The sensory analysis revealed that cork closures preserved morefruity/flowery characters of the fresh wines after four years’ storage, as well as cork-tainted off-flavour.Two synthetic closures (Nomacorc light, Nomacorc classic) imparted some grilled attributes to the wines.Nomacorc premium highly reserved the fruity/flowery flavour without cork contamination or oxidisedtoasted characters

Solubility isotope effects in aqueous solutions of methane

The isotope effect on the Henry's law coefficients of methane in aqueous solution (H/D and C-12/C-13 substitution) are interpreted using the statistical mechanical theory of condensed phase isotope effects. The missing spectroscopic data needed for the implementation of the theory were obtained either experimentally (infrared measurements), by computer simulation (molecular dynamics technique), or estimated using the Wilson's GF matrix method. The order of magnitude and sign of both solute isotope effects can be predicted by the theory. Even a crude estimation based on data from previous vapor pressure isotope effect studies of pure methane at low temperature can explain the inverse effect found for the solubility of deuterated methane in water. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics

Autophagy Inhibitor Chloroquine Downmodulates Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation and Liver Damage in Bile-Duct-Ligated Mice

Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation via the autophagy pathway is a critical factor in liver fibrogenesis. This study tests the hypothesis that chloroquine (CQ) treatment can prevent autophagy and HSC activation in vitro and in vivo in bile-duct-ligated (BDL) mice. Sham-operated and BDL mice were treated with either PBS or CQ in two 60 mg/kg doses the day (D) before and after surgery. On day 2 (2D), HSCs were isolated, and their biological activities were evaluated by measuring intracellular lipid content, alpha-sma/collagen, and expression of autophagy lc3, sqstm1/p62 markers. The treatment efficacy on liver function was evaluated with serum albumin, transaminases (AST/ALT), and hepatic histology. Primary HSCs were treated in vitro for 24 h with CQ at 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 30, and 50 mu M. Autophagy and HSC activation were assessed after 2D of treatment. CQ treatment improved serum AST/ALT, albumin, and bile duct proliferation in 2D BDL mice. This is associated with a suppression of HSC activation, shown by higher HSC lipid content and collagen I staining, along with the blockage of HSC autophagy indicated by an increase in p62 level and reduction in lc3 staining. CQ 5 mu M inhibited autophagy in primary HSCs in vitro by increasing p62 and lc3 accumulation, thereby suppressing their in vitro activation. The autophagy inhibitor CQ reduced HSC activation in vitro and in vivo. CQ improved liver function and reduced liver injury in BDL mice

Interference Mitigation for the GPS Receiver Utilizing the Cyclic Spectral Analysis and RR-MSWF Algorithm

A method utilizing the cyclic spectral analysis (CSA) and reduced-rank multistage Wiener filtering (RR-MSWF) algorithm to mitigate the interference for the GPS receiver is proposed. In many cases, interference from adjacent channel or from cochannel overlaps on the weak global positioning system (GPS) signal in both time and frequency domains, and it is hard to mitigate this kind of strong interference with the conventional filtering techniques. While with the proposed method given in the paper, we can mitigate the interference effectively. The general process of the proposed method is that first we get the cyclic frequencies (CFs) of the strong interference by CSA of the received GPS signal. And then with the obtained CFs of the interference, we use the blind adaptive frequency shift (BA-FRESH) filter to get the principal process of mitigating the strong interference and separating the weak GPS signal. Finally by utilizing the efficient RR-MSWF algorithm to implement the BA-FRESH filtering, we can mitigate the strong interference effectively and hence improve the performance of the GPS receiver

Electroencephalographic connectivity predicts clinical response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with insomnia disorder

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which generally decreases cortical excitability and remodels plastic connectivity, improves sleep quality in patients with insomnia disorder. However, the effects of rTMS vary substantially across individuals and treatment is sometimes unsatisfactory, calling for biomarkers for predicting clinical outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether functional connectivity of the target network in electroencephalography is associated with the clinical response to low frequency rTMS in patients with insomnia disorder. Methods: Twenty-five patients with insomnia disorder were subjected to 10 sessions of treatment with 1 Hz rTMS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Resting-state electroencephalography was collected before rTMS. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Mini-Mental State Exam were performed before and after rTMS treatment, with a follow-up after one month. Electroencephalographic connectivity was measured by the power envelope connectivity at the source level. Partial least squares regression identified models of connectivity that maximally accounted for the rTMS response. Results: Scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale were decreased after rTMS and one-month later. Baseline weaker connectivity of a network in the beta and alpha bands between a brain region approximating the stimulated right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and areas located in the frontal, insular, and limbic cortices was associated with a greater change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale following rTMS. Conclusions: Low frequency rTMS could improve sleep quality and depressive moods in patients with insomnia disorder. Moreover, electroencephalographic functional connectivity would potentially be a robust biomarker for predicting the therapeutic effects.Xue Shi, Yi Guo, Lin Zhu, Wei Wu, Brenton Hordacre, Xiaolin Su, Qian Wang, Xiaoxia Chen, Xiaoyong Lan, Ge Dan