Triple Flares within Five Years in ztf18aanlzzf: An Enhanced Tidal Disruption Rate in ULIRGs?

We present a noteworthy transient event in the optical light curves of ztf18aanlzzf (SDSS J161259.83+421940.3), identified as a Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) exhibiting merging patterns in the optical image. The 16-year long-term archived light curve revealed that this target stays in a steady state, while three flares occurred within the past 5 years with time separations ranging from 1 year to 3.5 years. The flare patterns of rapid brightening and slow decline following the peak, coupled with distinctive spectral features with strong He {\sc ii} and rare appearance of Bowen fluorescence line emissions, indicate at least two Tidal Eruption Event (TDE) flares in ztf18aanlzzf with a time separation of 3.5 years. We also apply TiDE light curve modeling and yield a Black Hole (BH) mass of $\sim 10^{6}\ M_{\odot}$, which is consistent with the BH mass measured from single-epoch spectra. Besides, the observed time lags $3.90_{-2.00}^{+2.06}$ days between the g and r bands strongly disagree with the prediction of the standard accretion disk model, highlighting the intricate interaction in the inner region related to the TDE. The reoccurrence gap of these TDEs, surpassing the previously reported repeated TDEs, can be attributed to binary star tidal disruption by a binary SMBH. Notably, the frequent TDE flares observed in this ULIRG-like target align with findings in a previous report for another ULIRG, suggesting a potentially elevated TDE rate in ULIRGs. Systematic variability studies of ULIRGs may help verify whether ULIRGs indeed have higher TDE rates.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitte

Analysing Efficiency of Waste to Energy Systems: Using Data Envelopment Analysis in Municipal Solid Waste Management

In our day-to-day living, a simple underlying principle is to consume resources in one form or another. This consumption generates waste, which needs to be dealt with in a responsible, efficient and effective manner. Waste is mostly collected and disposed by municipalities. This presents a challenge for these municipalities in dealing with ever increasing amounts of waste to be managed. This is particularly critical in cities, where the demand for these services is increasing. Management of municipal solid waste (MSW) continues to be one of the top priorities for human communities in the 21st century. The model of integrated solid waste management, reduction of waste right at the source points before it enters the chain of waste stream, reuse of generated wastes for recovery by recycling, and disposal through environmentally sound combustion facilities and landfills that meet policy standards are being used by communities as they evolve. Solid waste management is known to be an important contributor to various environmental problems, for example climate change (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions from landfills), disturbing multiple ecosystems (e.g. heavy metal emissions into air, soil and surface water), and improper use of resources leading to depletion (e.g. inexistent or inefficient recycling processing methods for a few particular key minerals or metals) among others. The formidable rise in solid waste generation require suitable management systems, which methodically handle these environmental issues and eventually contribute to move towards a more environmentally sustainable society. This paper presents a method based on Data Envelopment Analysis to analyse the efficiency of Waste to Energy systems, looking not only at maximising the positive outputs (e.g. Energy), but also minimising the negative ones (e.g. emissions). The results provide a benchmark for municipalities to aim in the operation of their Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM)

Integrated catalytic adsorption steam gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed for enhanced H2 production: perspective of design and pilot plant experiences

It is important to build knowledge about the design of an integrated catalytic adsorption (ICA) steam gasification process in a bubbling fluidized bed, which can reduce CO2 content with enhanced hydrogen production. The value of this study is its presentation of detailed design considerations for the performance evaluation of an ICA system using palm oil waste as feedstock. The main advantage of using ICA gasification systems is the CO2 adsorption through a carbonation reaction (using CaO), which helps the water gas shift reaction to move forward. The activity of a catalyst improves steam methane reforming in parallel, which not only produces additional hydrogen but also releases CO to enhance the activity of the water gas shift reaction. The performance of the developed system has shown <1% of temperature variation inside the reactor, which suggested a positive role for exothermic reactions between reactive bed material (CaO) and CO2 in the product gas. The low pressure drop in the gasifier (100–130 mbar) further strengthens the design strategy for the ICA gasification system for hydrogen production. Challenges encountered during the pilot plant operations, and their potential solutions, are discussed to optimize the operation, especially for downstream equipment and auxiliaries

The Litsea genome and the evolution of the laurel family

The laurel family within the Magnoliids has attracted attentions owing to its scents, variable inflorescences, and controversial phylogenetic position. Here, we present a chromosome-level assembly of the Litsea cubeba genome, together with low-coverage genomic and transcriptomic data for many other Lauraceae. Phylogenomic analyses show phylogenetic discordance at the position of Magnoliids, suggesting incomplete lineage sorting during the divergence of monocots, eudicots, and Magnoliids. An ancient whole-genome duplication (WGD) event occurred just before the divergence of Laurales and Magnoliales; subsequently, independent WGDs occurred almost simultaneously in the three Lauralean lineages. The phylogenetic relationships within Lauraceae correspond to the divergence of inflorescences, as evidenced by the phylogeny of FUWA, a conserved gene involved in determining panicle architecture in Lauraceae. Monoterpene synthases responsible for production of specific volatile compounds in Lauraceae are functionally verified. Our work sheds light on the evolution of the Lauraceae, the genetic basis for floral evolution and specific scents

CARM1 Mediates Modulation of Sox2

Sox2 is a key component of the transcription factor network that maintains the pluripotent state of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Sox2 is regulated by multiple post-translational modifications, including ubiquitination, sumoylation, acetylation and phosphorylation. Here we report that Sox2 is in association with and methylated by coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1), a protein arginine methyltransferase that plays a pivotal role in ESCs. We found that CARM1 facilitates Sox2-mediated transactivation and directly methylates Sox2 at arginine 113. This methylation event enhances Sox2 self-association. Furthermore, the physiological retention of Sox2 on chromatin restricts the Sox2 methylation level. Our study reveals the direct regulation of Sox2 by CARM1 that sheds lights on how arginine methylation signals are integrated into the pluripotent transcription factor network

Rare Codons Cluster

Most amino acids are encoded by more than one codon. These synonymous codons are not used with equal frequency: in every organism, some codons are used more commonly, while others are more rare. Though the encoded protein sequence is identical, selective pressures favor more common codons for enhanced translation speed and fidelity. However, rare codons persist, presumably due to neutral drift. Here, we determine whether other, unknown factors, beyond neutral drift, affect the selection and/or distribution of rare codons. We have developed a novel algorithm that evaluates the relative rareness of a nucleotide sequence used to produce a given protein sequence. We show that rare codons, rather than being randomly scattered across genes, often occur in large clusters. These clusters occur in numerous eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes, and are not confined to unusual or rarely expressed genes: many highly expressed genes, including genes for ribosomal proteins, contain rare codon clusters. A rare codon cluster can impede ribosome translation of the rare codon sequence. These results indicate additional selective pressures govern the use of synonymous codons, and specifically that local pauses in translation can be beneficial for protein biogenesis

Clozapine for Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of clozapine for treatment-resistant bipolar disorder (TRBD). Methods A systematic review of randomized controlled studies, open-label prospective studies, and retrospective studies of patients with TRBD was carried out. Interventions included clozapine monotherapy or clozapine combined with other medications. Outcome measures were efficacy and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Results Fifteen clinical trials with a total sample of 1,044 patients met the inclusion criteria. Clozapine monotherapy or clozapine combined with other treatments for TRBD was associated with improvement in: (i) symptoms of mania, depression, rapid cycling, and psychotic symptoms, with many patients with TRBD achieving a remission or response; (ii) the number and duration of hospitalizations, the number of psychotropic co-medications, and the number of hospital visits for somatic reasons for intentional self-harm/overdose; (iii) suicidal ideation and aggressive behavior; and (iv) social functioning. In addition, patients with TRBD showed greater clinical improvement in long-term follow-up when compared with published schizophrenia data. Sedation (12%), constipation (5.0%), sialorrhea (5.2%), weight gain (4%), and body ache/pain (2%) were the commonly reported ADRs; however, these symptoms but did not usually require drug discontinuation. The percentage of severe ADRs reported, such as leukopenia (2%), agranulocytosis (0.3%), and seizure (0.5%), appeared to be lower than those reported in the published schizophrenia literature. Conclusion The limited current evidence supports the concept that clozapine may be both an effective and a relatively safe medication for TRBD

A multi-targeted approach to suppress tumor-promoting inflammation

Cancers harbor significant genetic heterogeneity and patterns of relapse following many therapies are due to evolved resistance to treatment. While efforts have been made to combine targeted therapies, significant levels of toxicity have stymied efforts to effectively treat cancer with multi-drug combinations using currently approved therapeutics. We discuss the relationship between tumor-promoting inflammation and cancer as part of a larger effort to develop a broad-spectrum therapeutic approach aimed at a wide range of targets to address this heterogeneity. Specifically, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, cyclooxygenase-2, transcription factor nuclear factor-κB, tumor necrosis factor alpha, inducible nitric oxide synthase, protein kinase B, and CXC chemokines are reviewed as important antiinflammatory targets while curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, lycopene, and anthocyanins are reviewed as low-cost, low toxicity means by which these targets might all be reached simultaneously. Future translational work will need to assess the resulting synergies of rationally designed antiinflammatory mixtures (employing low-toxicity constituents), and then combine this with similar approaches targeting the most important pathways across the range of cancer hallmark phenotypes

Isolation of Flow and Nonflow Correlations by Two- and Four-Particle Cumulant Measurements of Azimuthal Harmonics in sNN=\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} = 200 GeV Au+Au Collisions

A data-driven method was applied to measurements of Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}} =$ 200 GeV made with the STAR detector at RHIC to isolate pseudorapidity distance $\Delta\eta$-dependent and $\Delta\eta$-independent correlations by using two- and four-particle azimuthal cumulant measurements. We identified a component of the correlation that is $\Delta\eta$-independent, which is likely dominated by anisotropic flow and flow fluctuations. It was also found to be independent of $\eta$ within the measured range of pseudorapidity $|\eta|<1$. The relative flow fluctuation was found to be $34\% \pm 2\% (stat.) \pm 3\% (sys.)$ for particles of transverse momentum $p_{T}$ less than $2$ GeV/$c$. The $\Delta\eta$-dependent part may be attributed to nonflow correlations, and is found to be $5\% \pm 2\% (sys.)$ relative to the flow of the measured second harmonic cumulant at $|\Delta\eta| > 0.7$