B-meson Semi-inclusive Decay to 2−+2^{-+} Charmonium in NRQCD and X(3872)

The semi-inclusive B-meson decay into spin-singlet D-wave $2^{-+}$ charmonium, $B\to \eta_{c2}+X$, is studied in nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD). Both color-singlet and color-octet contributions are calculated at next-to-leading order (NLO) in the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s$. The non-perturbative long-distance matrix elements are evaluated using operator evolution equations. It is found that the color-singlet $^1D_2$ contribution is tiny, while the color-octet channels make dominant contributions. The estimated branching ratio $B(B\to \eta_{c2}+X)$ is about $0.41\,\times10^{-4}$ in the Naive Dimensional Regularization (NDR) scheme and $1.24\,\times10^{-4}$ in the t'Hooft-Veltman (HV) scheme, with renormalization scale $\mu=m_b=4.8$\,GeV. The scheme-sensitivity of these numerical results is due to cancelation between ${}^1S_0^{[8]}$ and ${}^1P_1^{[8]}$ contributions. The $\mu$-dependence curves of NLO branching ratios in both schemes are also shown, with $\mu$ varying from $\frac{m_b}{2}$ to $2m_b$ and the NRQCD factorization or renormalization scale $\mu_{\Lambda}$ taken to be $2m_c$. Comparison of the estimated branching ratio of $B\to \eta_{c2}+X$ with the observed branching ratio of $B \to X(3872)+K$ may lead to the conclusion that X(3872) is unlikely to be the $2^{-+}$ charmonium state $\eta_{c2}$.Comment: Version published in PRD, references added, 26 pages, 9 figure

Prognostic impact of serum albumin levels on the recurrence of stage I non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: Patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer who have undergone complete surgical resection harbor a 30% risk for tumor recurrence. Thus, the identification of factors that are predictive for tumor recurrence is urgently needed. The aim of this study was to test the prognostic value of serum albumin levels on tumor recurrence in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent complete surgical resection of the primary tumor at Zhejiang Hospital were analyzed in this study. Serum albumin levels were measured before surgery and once again after surgery in 101 histologically diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer patients. Correlations between the pre- and post-operative serum albumin levels and various clinical demographics and recurrence-free survival rates were analyzed. Results: Patients with pre-operative hypoalbuminemia

IsoTree: A New Framework for De novo Transcriptome Assembly from RNA-seq Reads

High-throughput sequencing of mRNA has made the deep and efficient probing of transcriptome more affordable. However, the vast amounts of short RNA-seq reads make de novo transcriptome assembly an algorithmic challenge. In this work, we present IsoTree, a novel framework for transcripts reconstruction in the absence of reference genomes. Unlike most of de novo assembly methods that build de Bruijn graph or splicing graph by connecting $k-mers$ which are sets of overlapping substrings generated from reads, IsoTree constructs splicing graph by connecting reads directly. For each splicing graph, IsoTree applies an iterative scheme of mixed integer linear program to build a prefix tree, called isoform tree. Each path from the root node of the isoform tree to a leaf node represents a plausible transcript candidate which will be pruned based on the information of paired-end reads. Experiments showed that in most cases IsoTree performs better than other leading transcriptome assembly programs. IsoTree is available at https://github.com/Jane110111107/IsoTree

HRTEM Study on Resistive Switching ZrO2 Thin Films and Their Micro-Fabricated Thin Films

For the next-generation nonvolatile memory material, the most promising candidate is resistive random access memory (RRAM) which is nonvolatile memory with high density, high speed, and low power consumption. Resistive switching (RS) behavior had been reported in various films including transition metal oxides, perovskite, and chalcogenide. For further application, it is still a challenge to fabricate nanostructures of RS material. Micro-fabrication method involves traditional lithography, chemical etching, electron beam direct writing, nano-imprint, and so on. However, the procedure and the cost of these methods are relatively complex and high for semiconductors process. In this chapter, we demonstrate a method for fabricating sub-micro ZrO2 lattice by using sol-gel method combined with laser interference lithography and micro-analysis with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)

Iron promotes oxidative cell death caused by bisretinoids of retina

Intracellular Fe plays a key role in redox active energy and electron transfer. We sought to understand how Fe levels impact the retina, given that retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are also challenged by accumulations of vitamin A aldehyde adducts (bisretinoid lipofuscin) that photogenerate reactive oxygen species and photodecompose into damaging aldehyde- and dicarbonyl-bearing species. In mice treated with the Fe chelator deferiprone (DFP), intracellular Fe levels, as reflected in transferrin receptor mRNA expression, were reduced. DFP-treated albino Abca4−/− and agouti wild-type mice exhibited elevated bisretinoid levels as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography or noninvasively by quantitative fundus autofluorescence. Thinning of the outer nuclear layer, a parameter indicative of the loss of photoreceptor cell viability, was also reduced in DFP-treated albino Abca4−/−. In contrast to the effects of the Fe chelator, mice burdened with increased intracellular Fe in RPE due to deficiency in the Fe export proteins hephaestin and ceruloplasmin, presented with reduced bisretinoid levels. These findings indicate that intracellular Fe promotes bisretinoid oxidation and degradation. This interpretation was supported by experiments showing that DFP decreased the oxidative/degradation of the bisretinoid A2E in the presence of light and reduced cell death in cell-based experiments. Moreover, light-independent oxidation and degradation of A2E by Fenton chemistry products were evidenced by the consumption of A2E, release of dicarbonyls, and generation of oxidized A2E species in cell-free assays

To investigate the reasons and nursing strategies of postoperative return to ICU in patients with severe valvular disease

目的  探讨重症瓣膜置换病人术后再次非计划性返回ICU的重返率及原因。根据原因分析建立最佳护理模式及干预策略，通过护理干预手段降低重返率，提高治愈率及患者术后康复质量。方法  回顾性分析2010年6月—2015年6月间150例重症瓣膜置患者术后重返ICU患者的临床资料、分析重返的原因。结果  150例重症瓣膜置换患者术后非计划重返ICU的患者有17例，重返率为11.3%。重返的主要原因是呼吸困难、恶性心律失常、低心排、循环负荷过重、家属照护压力大主动要求重返ICU等。结论  制定合理的转出标准；合理配置人力资源，动态监测，密切观察患者生命体征、出入量平衡、电解质平衡；提供个性化健康指导提高患者及家属的遵医行为是降低ICU重返率的有效措施。Objective: To investigate the return rate and causes of postoperative non - planned return to ICU in patients with severe valve replacement. According to the analysis of the reasons, establish the best nursing model and intervention strategies, through the nursing intervention to reduce the return rate, and improve the cure rate and postoperative rehabilitation quality. Methods: Retrospective analysis of clinical data of 150 cases of severe valvular replacement patients who returned to ICU in June, June 2010, and the reasons for the return of ~2015. Results: 150 cases of patients with severe heart valve replacement patients, among them 150 cases had no plan to return to ICU, the return rate was 11.3%. The main reason to return to ICU is the difficulty of breathing, malignant arrhythmia, low cardiac output, overweight, family care pressure and so on n. Conclusion: To establish a reasonable standard of transfer; the rational allocation of human resources, dynamic monitoring, close observation of vital signs of patients, access to balance, electrolyte balance; providing personalized health guidance to improve the compliance behavior of patients and their families are the effective measures to reduce the ICU readmission rate.