An improved method to test the Distance--Duality relation

Many researchers have performed cosmological-model-independent tests for the distance duality (DD) relation. Theoretical work has been conducted based on the results of these tests. However, we find that almost all of these tests were perhaps not cosmological-model-independent after all, because the distance moduli taken from a given type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) compilation are dependent on a given cosmological model and Hubble constant. In this Letter, we overcome these defects and by creating a new cosmological-model-independent test for the DD relation. We use the original data from the Union2 SNe Ia compilation and the angular diameter distances from two galaxy cluster samples compiled by De Filippis et al. and Bonamente et al. to test the DD relation. Our results suggest that the DD relation is compatible with observations, and the spherical model is slightly better than the elliptical model at describing the intrinsic shape of galaxy clusters if the DD relation is valid. However, these results are different from those of previous work.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, published on ApJ

Does political conflict affect bilateral trade or vice versa? Evidence from Sino-U.S. relations

This paper investigates the dynamic causal relationship between Sino-U.S. political conflict and bilateral trade using a time-varying (bootstrap) Granger full-sample causality test and sub-sample rolling window estimation. The result indicates that Sino-U.S. political conflict and bilateral trade may interact in various ways. Bilateral trade has both positive and negative effects on political conflict in several sub-phases, and in turn, political conflict has the same impacts on bilateral trade. In general, the relationship between Sino-U.S. political conflict and bilateral trade is not always consistent with the model of Polachek, which states bilateral trade has significantly reduced political conflict. In the face of a severe economic situation, China and the U.S. government should strengthen trade cooperation and seek common ground of economic interests in order to expand the improvement of political relations

Viewing Angle Constraints on S190425z and S190426c and the Joint Gravitational-wave/Gamma-Ray Detection Fractions for Binary Neutron Star Mergers

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo scientific collaboration (LVC) detected two binary neutron star (BNS) merger candidates, S190425z and S190426c. The Fermi-Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) observed 55.6% (for S190425z) and 100% (for S190426c) of the probability regions of both events at the respective merger times, but no gamma-ray burst (GRB) was detected in either case. The derived luminosity upper limits suggest that a short GRB similar to GRB 170817A would not be detectable for both cases due to their distances, which are larger than that of GW170817. Assuming that the jet profile obtained from GW170817/GRB 170817A is quasi-universal for all BNS–GRB associations, we derive that the viewing angles of S190425z and S190426c should be... (see abstract in full article)

Efficacy of apparent diffusion coefficient in predicting aggressive histological features of papillary thyroid carcinoma

PURPOSE:We aimed to evaluate preoperative diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) for predicting aggressive histological features in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).METHODS:This prospective study included 141 PTC patients, who underwent DWI prior to thyroidectomy; 88 patients with 88 PTC lesions were finally analyzed. Multiple comparisons of mean and minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values (ADCmean and ADCmin) and ADC of the solid component (ADCsolid) between the lowly aggressive PTC, highly aggressive PTC without hobnail, and hobnail variant PTC groups were performed by one-way ANOVA or the Welch test. The nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to assess lesion size differences. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was also performed.RESULTS:ADC values in the lowly aggressive PTC group were found to be significantly higher than those in the highly aggressive PTC without hobnail group (ADCmean: 1.35±0.20×10-3 mm2/s vs. 1.16±0.17×10-3 mm2/s, P = 0.003; ADCmin: 1.10±0.17×10-3 mm2/s vs. 0.88±0.16×10-3 mm2/s, P 0.05). Lesion sizes in the hobnail variant PTC group was significantly elevated compared with the lowly aggressive PTC group (2.19±1.21 cm vs. 0.93±0.37 cm, P < 0.001). Areas under the curves (AUCs) for ADCmean, ADCmin, and ADCsolid between the lowly aggressive PTC and highly aggressive PTC group without hobnail were 0.758, 0.851, and 0.787, respectively. The AUC for size between the lowly aggressive and hobnail variant PTC group was 0.896.CONCLUSION:ADCmin from DWI could potentially provide quantitative information to differentiate lowly aggressive PTC from highly aggressive PTC lesions without hobnail variants

Identification of Interleukin-9 Producing Immune Cells in Endometrial Carcinoma and Establishment of a Prognostic Nomogram

Background: Interleukin-9 (IL9) plays a critical role in immunity and the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer (EC), especially endometrioid EC (EEC). This study aimed to identify the IL9+ immune cell subsets and their pleiotropic functions and establish an optimized prognostic nomogram towards the promotion of personalized treatment of EEC. Methods: 1,417 EC patients were involved in the present study. 143 patients from the tertiary gynecology centers in Shanghai between 2013 and 2019 were recruited, and the study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital. The genomic data of the other 1,274 patients were extracted from the TCGA and the MSKCC datasets, respectively. Immune and stromal scores were calculated using the ESTIMATE R tool, and the tumor infiltration of immune cells was analyzed using the TIMER platform. Metascape and GEPIA datasets were used for bioinformatic analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism and R studio. Results: 552 genes that were correlated with leukocyte infiltration, lymphocyte activation, and regulation of innate immune response were up-regulated in the high immune score group. More IL9+ cell infiltration was detected in the highly and moderately differentiated EC (p = 0.04). High IL9+ lymphocyte infiltration was related to a better overall survival (p = 0.0027). IL9 positive cell clusters included ILC2s, Vδ2 γδT cells, mast cells, macrophages, and Th9 cells. Parameters such as FIGO stage, IL9 score, Vδ2 + γδT cell infiltration, classification of differentiation, and diabetes mellitus were assigned a weighted number of points in the nomogram for a specific predicted 3-, 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS). IL9–IL9R axis played a vital role in EEC, IL9R positive cell subgroups were also identified, and the related function was analyzed in the present study. Additionally, PR (Progesterone Receptor, or PGR) expression was relevant to a higher density of IL9+ lymphocyte infiltration. However, PGRMC1 (Progesterone Receptor Membrane Component 1) was negatively relevant to IL9R (p = 4.26e-8). Conclusion: We observed a significant infiltration of IL9+ cells and the overrepresentation of IL-9R in tissue specimens of patients in EC cases. The nomogram incorporating the IL9 could accurately predict individualized survival probability in EEC. Additionally, this study not only established a prognostic nomogram but also assist in the firmer understanding of the relevance of the IL9-IL9R axis and IL9-producing cells in EC immunity

Kilonovae and Optical Afterglows from Binary Neutron Star Mergers. II. Optimal Search Strategy for Serendipitous Observations and Target-of-opportunity Observations of Gravitational Wave Triggers

In the second work of this series, we explore the optimal search strategy for serendipitous and gravitational-wave-triggered target-of-opportunity (ToO) observations of kilonovae and optical short-duration gamma-ray burst (sGRB) afterglows from binary neutron star (BNS) mergers, assuming that cosmological kilonovae are AT2017gfo-like (but with viewing-angle dependence) and that the properties of afterglows are consistent with those of cosmological sGRB afterglows. A one-day cadence serendipitous search strategy with an exposure time of ∼30 s can always achieve an optimal search strategy of kilonovae and afterglows for various survey projects. We show that the optimal detection rates of the kilonovae (afterglows) are ∼0.3/0.6/1/20 yr−1 (∼50/60/100/800 yr−1) for Zwicky the Transient Facility (ZTF)/Multi-channel Photometric Survey Telescope (Mephisto)/Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST)/Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), respectively. A better search strategy for SiTian than the current design is to increase the exposure time. In principle, a fully built SiTian can detect ∼7(2000) yr−1 kilonovae (afterglows). Population properties of electromagnetic (EM) signals detected by serendipitous observations are studied in detail. For ToO observations, we predict that one can detect ∼11 yr−1 BNS gravitational wave (GW) events during the fourth observing run (O4) by considering an exact duty cycle of the third observing run. The median GW sky localization area is expected to be ∼10 deg2 for detectable BNS GW events. For O4, we predict that ZTF/Mephisto/WFST/LSST can detect ∼5/4/3/3 kilonovae (∼1/1/1/1 afterglows) per year, respectively. The GW detection rates, GW population properties, GW sky localizations, and optimistic ToO detection rates of detectable EM counterparts for BNS GW events at the Advanced Plus, LIGO Voyager, and ET&CE eras are detailedly simulated in this paper

Insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in low-birth-weight goat kids

Low birth weight (LBW) impairs the development and health of livestock by affecting postnatal growth performance and metabolic health in adulthood. Previous studies on indigenous goats in southwest China showed that LBW goat kids had higher mortality and morbidity rates, including hepatic dyslipidemia and liver damage. However, the mechanism of insulin resistance affecting lipid metabolism under LBW conditions remains unclear. In this study, we conducted in vivo glucose-insulin metabolic studies, measured biochemical parameters, and analyzed related regulatory pathways. Both glucose tolerance tests and insulin tolerance tests indicated insulin resistance in LBW goat kids compared to controls (p &lt; 0.05). The marker of insulin resistance, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), was 2.85-fold higher in LBW than in control goats (p &lt; 0.01). Additionally, elevated levels of free fatty acids in both plasma and skeletal muscle were observed in LBW goats compared to normal birth weight (NBW) goats (p &lt; 0.05). Transcriptome analysis revealed impairments in lipid metabolism and insulin signaling in LBW goats. The observed lipid accumulation was associated with the upregulation of genes linked to fatty acid uptake and transport (FABP3), fatty acid oxidation (PPARA), triacylglycerol synthesis (LPIN1 and DGAT1), oxidative stress (ANKRD2), and insulin resistance (PGC1α). Furthermore, the insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) was lower in the liver of LBW goat kids (p &lt; 0.05). While there was no change in insulin function in skeletal muscle, LBW may lead to lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle by interfering with insulin function in the liver. These findings collectively impact the health and growth performance of livestock