Proton Elastic Scattering and Neutron Distribution of Unstable Nuclei

We study theoretically how we can determine the neutron density distributions of unstable nuclei from proton elastic scattering. We apply the relativistic impulse model to study the sensitivities of the observables to the density distributionswhich are expressed in Woods-Saxon form. We find that the both radius and diffuseness of densities can be determined from restricted elastic scattering data in principle. We think this result is helpful to design future experiments.Comment: 22 pages, 9 ps figures, Late

Production of Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth. for reforestation in southern Benin

The viability of Acacia auriculiformis production system in southern Benin was studied from an analytical perspective combining the production techniques and the financial profitability. The driving research question was as follows: "Will the nurseries be able to supply the seedlings suited to successful reforestation programmes?" A survey was carried out among nursery holders in the Atlantique Department. The snowball sampling method enabled to survey 55 nursery holders, based on semi-structured interviews. Respondents provided data on the organisation of production, production techniques, production costs, and sales revenues. There were two types of nurseries: individual nurseries and collective nurseries. The stages of acacia seedlings production were as follows: seed collection, dormancy breaking, sowing, and cares for young seedlings. Overall, the production techniques used by nursery holders were effective. The net revenue for 1000 seedlings ranged between XOF 9000 and 26000. Collective nurseries had lower production costs, hence higher revenues, compared to individual nurseries. It is essential to support nursery holders through capacity strengthening training and the availability of good quality seeds

Síntesis, caracterización y evaluación de 1-monoacilgliceroles de ácidos grasos insaturados como potenciales lípidos bioactivos

The synthesis of 1-monoacylglycerols of selected unsaturated fatty acids and their antimicrobial and cytotoxicity activity is reported in the present study. The monoacylglycerols of fatty acids like undecenoic, oleic, linoleic and erucic acids were prepared by chemical esterification with solketal followed by deprotection. Fatty acids like alpha linolenic, gamma linolenic and ricinoleic acids were initially isolated from natural sources and further enriched in their respective methyl ester forms. The monoacylglycerols of ricinoleic and linolenic acid methyl esters were prepared by enzymatic transesterification with solketal using lipase from Candida antarctica followed by deprotection. The synthesized 1-monoacylglycerols were purified and characterized by spectral studies. The antimicrobial activity revealed that the monoacylglycerol of gamma linolenic acid was the most effective antibacterial followed by the monoacylglycerols of undecenoic and alpha linolenic acids. In the cytotoxicity assay against five cell lines, all the monoacylglycerols exhibited moderate activity but the activity was best against MCF7 Human Breast Adenocarcinoma cell lines.La síntesis de 1-monoacilgliceroles de ácidos grasos insaturados seleccionados y su actividad antimicrobiana y citotoxicidad se describen en el presente estudio. Los monoacilgliceroles de ácidos grasos como los ácidos undecenoico, oleico, linoleico y erúcico se prepararon mediante esterificación química con solketal seguido de desprotección. Los ácidos grasos como el alfa-linolénico, gamma-linolénico y ricinoleico se aislaron inicialmente de fuentes naturales y se enriquecieron aún más en sus respectivos ésteres metílicos. Los monoacilgliceroles de los ésteres metílicos de los ácidos ricinoleico y linolénico se prepararon mediante transesterificación enzimática con solketal utilizando lipasa de Candida antárctica seguido de desprotección. Los 1-monoacilgliceroles sintetizados se purificaron y caracterizaron mediante estudios espectrales. La actividad antimicrobiana mostró que el monoacilglicerol del ácido gamma-linolénico fue el antibacteriano más eficaz seguido del monoacilglicerol de los ácidos undecenoico y alfa-linolénico. En el ensayo de citotoxicidad contra cinco líneas celulares, todos los monoacilgliceroles mostraron una actividad moderada, pero la actividad fue mejor contra las líneas celulares de adenocarcinoma de mama humano MCF7

Brd4 and JMJD6-Associated Anti-Pause Enhancers in Regulation of Transcriptional Pause Release

论文以我校为共同通讯单位，刘文教授为共同第一和通讯作者。论文对去甲基化酶蛋白家族中的成员JMJD6在基因转录中的新颖分子作用机制进行了阐述。研究表明JMJD6和另一热门表观遗传学调控子Brd4通过一种全新的“远程调控”模式调节RNA聚合酶II(PolII)在基因启动子附近停顿后重新激活(promoter-proximal　pause　release)和基因转录延伸过程（transcriptional　elongation）。文章首次将相关的远程调控基因组增强子序列命名为“抗停顿增强子”(Anti-pause　enhancers)。值得一提的是，JMJD6和Brd4与多种人类癌症和其它疾病紧密相联，例如乳腺癌的发生发展。研究成果极大地提高了对基因转录延伸机制的理解，同时也为治疗癌症等相关疾病提供了新的理论依据和思路指导，在理论研究及应用方面意义重大。 　　刘文教授是药学院2013年重点引进的优秀人才，因其出色的学术能力和科研潜力，经学院申报，入选当年的中组部“青年千人计划”和“闽江学者”。刘文教授一直致力于从事表观遗传学调控子以及核受体的分子作用机制及其在癌症等重大疾病发生发展中的应用研究，论文多次发表在Nature，Cell,CancerCell，MolecularCell,PNAS等国际权威科学期刊。Distal enhancers characterized by the H3K4me mark play critical roles in developm ental and transcriptional programs. However, potential roles of specific distal regulatory elements in regulating RNA polymerase II (Pol II) promoter-proximal pause release remain poor lyinves tigated . Here, we report that a unique cohort of jumo njiC-domain-con taining protein 6 (JMJD 6) and bromodomain-containing protein 4 (Brd4) cobound distal enhancers , termed a ntip ause e nhance rs (A-PEs), regulate promoter-proximal pause release of a large subset of transcription units via long-range in teractions. Brd4-dependent JMJD6 recruitment on A-PEs mediates erasure of H4R3me, which is directly read by 7SK snR NA,and decappi ng/demet hylation of 7SK snR NA,ensurin g the dis missal of the 7SK snRNA/HEXIM inhibitory complex. The interactions of both JMJD6 and Brd4 with the P-TEFb complex permit its activation and pause release of regulated coding genes.The functions of JM JD6/Brd4-associated dual histone and RNA demethylase activity on anti-pause enhancers have intriguing implications for these proteins in development, homeostasis, and disease

Specific crosslinking effects of poly(epichlorohydrin)-triol on urethane polymer matrix of castor seed oil-based coatings

The contributions of castor seed oil (CSO) as a useful, nontoxic, and sustainable base material for coating systems cannot be overemphasized. This paper took advantage of the predominant fatty acid composition in CSO (i.e., ricinoleic acid). It blended a synthesized crosslinker, poly(epichlorohydrin-triol) (PECH-triol), in percentages within its polymeric matrix. Physicochemical and spectroscopic (FTIR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR) examinations were carried out on the polyols. Thermal stability, hydrophobicity, anticorrosion, mechanical, and antibacterial properties of the prepared polyurethane (PU) coatings were examined. The 20% PECH-triol–CSO-PU film having its TON and TEND at 230.5 and 511.0°C, respectively, showed improved thermal stability when compared with the pristine film (CSO-PU). The derivative of TGA reveals a three-stage degradation step. Hydrophobicity was seen to increase from 73.3° to 92.2°, a reflection of the crosslinking effect of PECH-triol within the urethane matrix. The improved adhesion of 20% PECH-triol–CSO-PU coating on mild steel gave a better chemical resistance

Sensitivities of the Proton-Nucleus Elastical Scattering Observables of 6He and 8He at Intermediate Energies

We investigate the use of proton-nucleus elastic scattering experiments using secondary beams of 6He and 8He to determine the physical structure of these nuclei. The sensitivity of these experiments to nuclear structure is examined by using four different nuclear structure models with different spatial features using a full-folding optical potential model. The results show that elastic scattering at intermediate energies (<100 MeV per nucleon) is not a good constraint to be used to determine features of structure. Therefore researchers should look elsewhere to put constraints on the ground state wave function of the 6He and 8He nuclei.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev.

Efficacy of Manual Hemostasis for Percutaneous Axillary Artery Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump Removal

Background. The prevalence of peripheral vascular disease has led to the re-emergence of percutaneous axillary vascular access as a suitable alternative access site to femoral artery. We sought to investigate the efficacy and safety of manual hemostasis in the axillary artery. Methods. Data were collected from a prospective internal registry of patients who had a Maquet® (Rastatt, Germany) Mega 50 cc intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP) placed in the axillary artery position. They were anticoagulated with weight-based intravenous heparin to maintain an activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) of 50-80 seconds. Anticoagulation was discontinued 2 hours prior to the device explantation. Manual compression was used to achieve the hemostasis of the axillary artery. Vascular and bleeding complications attributable to manual hemostasis were classified based on the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 (VARC-2) and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium-2 (BARC-2) classifications, respectively. Results. 29 of 46 patients (63%) achieved axillary artery homeostasis via manual compression. The median duration of IABP implantation was 12 days (range 1-54 days). Median compression time was 20 minutes (range 5-60 minutes). There were no major vascular or bleeding complications as defined by the VARC-2 and BARC-2 criteria, respectively. Conclusion. Manual compression of the axillary artery appears to be an effective and safe method for achieving hemostasis. Large prospective randomized control trials may be needed to corroborate these findings

The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Trichosporonosis at King Abdulaziz University Hospital

Ghassan J Alboloshi,1 Asif A Jiman-Fatani,2,3 Dalya Attallah,3 Jawahir A Mokhtar,2– 4 Nabeela Abdullah Al-Abdullah,5,6 Khalil Alkuwaity,4,7 Reham Kaki,6,8 Mohammed W Al-Rabia,2 Abdelbagi Alfadil,2,9 Karem Ibrahem,2 Addisu D Teklemariam,10,11 Steve Harakeh12,13 1Department of Medical Laboratories, King Abdullah Medical Complex Jeddah, Ministry of Health, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Clinical and Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 4Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Public Health, College of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Infection Control and Environmental Health, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 8Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 9Center of Research Excellence for Drug Research and Pharmaceutical Industries, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 10Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia; 11Department of MIVP, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 12King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 13Yousef Abdul Latif Jameel Scientific Chair of Prophetic Medicine Application, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Abdelbagi Alfadil, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80205, King Abdulaziz University, 21589, Saudi Arabia, Tel +96612 6952000 Ext 21062, Email [email protected]: Fungal infections, especially those caused have emerged as a significant medical concern over the past three decades, particularly among immunocompromised patients. However, recent studies have highlighted the increasing prevalence of fungal infections resembling yeast other than Candida, such as trichosporonosis, especially among immunosuppressed individuals worldwide. Trichosporon has been identified as a significant contributor to superficial and invasive infections. Invasive trichosporonosis, primarily affecting immunocompromised patients, poses a significant threat with high mortality rates.Purpose: The current study aimed to explore the clinical epidemiology of Trichosporon spp at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This retrospective study aimed to assess the clinical epidemiology of Trichosporon spp. infections in microbiology cultures obtained from KAUH in Saudi Arabia. The study analyzed data from patients over a five-year period, focusing on demographic, clinical, and microbiological characteristics.Results: This study encompassed 21 participants, categorized into four distinct age groups. Moreover, this study indicated T. asahii as the predominant species isolated, accounting for 90.5% of infections, followed by T. mucoides (9.5%). ICU hospitalization, diabetes mellitus, taking immunosuppressive drugs, and antifungal drugs, and the use of invasive medical equipment were identified as prominent risk factors for trichosporonosis. Urinary tract infections were the most common clinical presentation, particularly among male and elderly patients. Mortality rates were high, especially among older individuals.Conclusion: This study contributes valuable epidemiological insights into trichosporonosis, highlighting the need for enhanced surveillance and preventive strategies in healthcare settings. Further research is warranted to optimize treatment approaches and infection control measures, ultimately reducing the burden of Trichosporon infections on patient outcomes.Keywords: fungal infection, trichosporonosis, Trichosporon spp, Trichosporon asahii, invasive, risk factor