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

Causal Pathways from Enteropathogens to Environmental Enteropathy: Findings from the MAL-ED Birth Cohort Study

Background Environmental enteropathy (EE), the adverse impact of frequent and numerous enteric infections on the gut resulting in a state of persistent immune activation and altered permeability, has been proposed as a key determinant of growth failure in children in low- and middle-income populations. A theory-driven systems model to critically evaluate pathways through which enteropathogens, gut permeability, and intestinal and systemic inflammation affect child growth was conducted within the framework of the Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) birth cohort study that included children from eight countries. Methods Non-diarrheal stool samples (N = 22,846) from 1253 children from multiple sites were evaluated for a panel of 40 enteropathogens and fecal concentrations of myeloperoxidase, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and neopterin. Among these same children, urinary lactulose:mannitol (L:M) (N = 6363) and plasma alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) (N = 2797) were also measured. The temporal sampling design was used to create a directed acyclic graph of proposed mechanistic pathways between enteropathogen detection in non-diarrheal stools, biomarkers of intestinal permeability and inflammation, systemic inflammation and change in length- and weight- for age in children 0–2 years of age. Findings Children in these populations had frequent enteric infections and high levels of both intestinal and systemic inflammation. Higher burdens of enteropathogens, especially those categorized as being enteroinvasive or causing mucosal disruption, were associated with elevated biomarker concentrations of gut and systemic inflammation and, via these associations, indirectly associated with both reduced linear and ponderal growth. Evidence for the association with reduced linear growth was stronger for systemic inflammation than for gut inflammation; the opposite was true of reduced ponderal growth. Although Giardia was associated with reduced growth, the association was not mediated by any of the biomarkers evaluated. Interpretation The large quantity of empirical evidence contributing to this analysis supports the conceptual model of EE. The effects of EE on growth faltering in young children were small, but multiple mechanistic pathways underlying the attribution of growth failure to asymptomatic enteric infections had statistical support in the analysis. The strongest evidence for EE was the association between enteropathogens and linear growth mediated through systemic inflammation