Hyperon polarization in e^-p --> e^-HK with polarized electron beams

We apply the picture proposed in a recent Letter for transverse hyperon polarization in unpolarized hadron-hadron collisions to the exclusive process e^-p --> e^-HK such as e^-p-->e^-\Lambda K^+, e^-p --> e^-\Sigma^+ K^0, or e^-p--> e^-\Sigma^0 K^+, or the similar process e^-p\to e^-n\pi^+ with longitudinally polarized electron beams. We present the predictions for the longitudinal polarizations of the hyperons or neutron in these reactions, which can be used as further tests of the picture.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures. submitted to Phys. Rev.

The NLO corrections of HTCΠ0H_{TC} \Pi ^0and Π+Π−\Pi ^ + \Pi ^ - pair production at the ILC in the TC2 model

As well known, if the Higgs boson were not observed at LHC, the technicolor model would be the most favorable candidate responsible for the symmetry breaking. To overcome some defects in the previous model, some extended versions have been proposed. In the TC2 model typical signature is existence of heavy $H_{TC}$ and technipion $\Pi$. A direct proof of validity of the model is to produce them at accelerator. Thus we study the production rates of $e^ + e^ - \to H_{TC} \Pi ^0$ and $e^ + e^ - \to \Pi ^ + \Pi ^ -$ at ILC in the topcolor-assisted technicolor (TC2) model. In fact, there is a flood of models belonging to new physics which can result in products with characteristics similar to $H_{TC}+\Pi$ of the TC2 model. Therefore to distinguish this model from others one may need to investigate some details by calculating the cross section to NLO. We indeed find that the NLO corrections are significant, namely the ratio $\delta \equiv (\sigma_{NLO} - \sigma_{LO})/\sigma_{LO}$ in $e^ + e^ - \to H_{TC} \Pi ^0$ exceeds 100% within a plausible parameter space.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, 2 table

Study on the One-Proton Halo Structure in 23^{23}Al

The Glauber theory has been used to investigate the reaction cross section of proton-rich nucleus $^{23}$Al. A core plus a proton structure is assumed for $^{23}$Al. HO-type density distribution is used for the core while the density distribution for the valence proton is calculated by solving the eigenvalue problem of Woods-Saxon potential. The transparency function in an analytical expression is obtained adopting multi-Gaussian expansion for the density distribution. Coulomb correction and finite-range interaction are introduced. This modified Glauber model is apt for halo nuclei. A dominate s-wave is suggested for the last proton in $^{23}$Al from our analysis which is possible in the RMF calculation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Spin alignment of vector meson in e+e- annihilation at Z0 pole

We calculate the spin density matrix of the vector meson produced in e+e- annihilation at Z^0 pole. We show that the data imply a significant polarization for the antiquark which is created in the fragmentation process of the polarized initial quark and combines with the fragmenting quark to form the vector meson. The direction of polarization is opposite to that of the fragmenting quark and the magnitude is of the order of 0.5. A qualitative explanation of this result based on the LUND string fragmentation model is given.Comment: 15 pages, 2 fgiures; submitted to Phys. Rev.

Increased Activity Imbalance in Fronto-Subcortical Circuits in Adolescents with Major Depression

BACKGROUND: A functional discrepancy exists in adolescents between frontal and subcortical regions due to differential regional maturational trajectories. It remains unknown how this functional discrepancy alters and whether the influence from the subcortical to the frontal system plays a primacy role in medication naïve adolescent with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Eighteen MDD and 18 healthy adolescents were enrolled. Depression and anxiety severity was assessed by the Short Mood and Feeling Questionnaire (SMFQ) and Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) respectively. The functional discrepancy was measured by the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of resting-state functional MRI signal. Correlation analysis was carried out between ALFF values and SMFQ and SCARED scores. Resting brain activity levels measured by ALFF was higher in the frontal cortex than that in the subcortical system involving mainly (para) limbic-striatal regions in both HC and MDD adolescents. The difference of ALFF values between frontal and subcortical systems was increased in MDD adolescents as compared with the controls. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The present study identified an increased imbalance of resting-state brain activity between the frontal cognitive control system and the (para) limbic-striatal emotional processing system in MDD adolescents. The findings may provide insights into the neural correlates of adolescent MDD

Geo-spatial Hotspots of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome and Genetic Characterization of Seoul Variants in Beijing, China

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is caused by Hantaviruses, the enzootic viruses with a worldwide distribution. In China, HFRS is a significant public health problem with more than 10,000 human cases reported annually and the endemic areas of the disease have extended from rural to urban areas and even to central cities in recent years. The HFRS incidence has increased recently and the morbidity seemed to be considerably diverse in different areas in Beijing, the capital of China. With the aim of gaining more information to control this disease, we carried out a spatial analysis of HFRS based on the data from human cases during 2004–2006 and investigated the genetic features of complete S and partial L segment sequences of Seoul virus from natural infected rodent hosts and patients. We found three geo-spatial clusters, i.e., “hotspots” of HFRS in Beijing, where intervention should be enhanced. Our data indicated that the genetic variation and recombination of SEOV might be related to the high risk areas of HFRS in Beijing, which was worthy of further investigation

Resting-State Brain Organization Revealed by Functional Covariance Networks

BACKGROUND: Brain network studies using techniques of intrinsic connectivity network based on fMRI time series (TS-ICN) and structural covariance network (SCN) have mapped out functional and structural organization of human brain at respective time scales. However, there lacks a meso-time-scale network to bridge the ICN and SCN and get insights of brain functional organization. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We proposed a functional covariance network (FCN) method by measuring the covariance of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in BOLD signals across subjects, and compared the patterns of ALFF-FCNs with the TS-ICNs and SCNs by mapping the brain networks of default network, task-positive network and sensory networks. We demonstrated large overlap among FCNs, ICNs and SCNs and modular nature in FCNs and ICNs by using conjunctional analysis. Most interestingly, FCN analysis showed a network dichotomy consisting of anti-correlated high-level cognitive system and low-level perceptive system, which is a novel finding different from the ICN dichotomy consisting of the default-mode network and the task-positive network. CONCLUSION: The current study proposed an ALFF-FCN approach to measure the interregional correlation of brain activity responding to short periods of state, and revealed novel organization patterns of resting-state brain activity from an intermediate time scale

Genome-Wide Association Study of Copy Number Variants Suggests LTBP1 and FGD4 Are Important for Alcohol Drinking

Alcohol dependence (AD) is a complex disorder characterized by psychiatric and physiological dependence on alcohol. AD is reflected by regular alcohol drinking, which is highly inheritable. In this study, to identify susceptibility genes associated with alcohol drinking, we performed a genome-wide association study of copy number variants (CNVs) in 2,286 Caucasian subjects with Affymetrix SNP6.0 genotyping array. We replicated our findings in 1,627 Chinese subjects with the same genotyping array. We identified two CNVs, CNV207 (combined p-value 1.91E-03) and CNV1836 (combined p-value 3.05E-03) that were associated with alcohol drinking. CNV207 and CNV1836 are located at the downstream of genes LTBP1 (870 kb) and FGD4 (400 kb), respectively. LTBP1, by interacting TGFB1, may down-regulate enzymes directly participating in alcohol metabolism. FGD4 plays a role in clustering and trafficking GABAA receptor and subsequently influence alcohol drinking through activating CDC42. Our results provide suggestive evidence that the newly identified CNV regions and relevant genes may contribute to the genetic mechanism of alcohol dependence

The association between hantavirus infection and selenium deficiency in mainland China

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by hantaviruses and transmitted by rodents is a significant public health problem in China, and occurs more frequently in selenium-deficient regions. To study the role of selenium concentration in HFRS incidence we used a multidisciplinary approach combining ecological analysis with preliminary experimental data. The incidence of HFRS in humans was about six times higher in severe selenium-deficient and double in moderate deficient areas compared to non-deficient areas. This association became statistically stronger after correction for other significant environment-related factors (low elevation, few grasslands, or an abundance of forests) and was independent of geographical scale by separate analyses for different climate regions. A case-control study of HFRS patients admitted to the hospital revealed increased activity and plasma levels of selenium binding proteins while selenium supplementation in vitro decreased viral replication in an endothelial cell model after infection with a low multiplicity of infection (MOI). Viral replication with a higher MOI was not affected by selenium supplementation. Our findings indicate that selenium deficiency may contribute to an increased prevalence of hantavirus infections in both humans and rodents. Future studies are needed to further examine the exact mechanism behind this observation before selenium supplementation in deficient areas could be implemented for HFRS prevention

Abnormalities of White Matter Microstructure in Unmedicated Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Changes after Medication

BACKGROUND: Abnormalities of myelin integrity have been reported in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using multi-parameter maps of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). However, it was still unknown to what degree these abnormalities might be affected by pharmacological treatment. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the abnormalities of white matter microstructure including myelin integrity exist in OCD and whether they are affected by medication. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Parameter maps of DTI, including fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD) and mean diffusivity (MD), were acquired from 27 unmedicated OCD patients (including 13 drug-naïve individuals) and 23 healthy controls. Voxel-based analysis was then performed to detect regions with significant group difference. We compared the DTI-derived parameters of 15 patients before and after 12-week Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) therapies. Significant differences of DTI-derived parameters were observed between OCD and healthy groups in multiple structures, mainly within the fronto-striato-thalamo-cortical loop. An increased RD in combination with no change in AD among OCD patients was found in the left medial superior frontal gyrus, temporo-parietal lobe, occipital lobe, striatum, insula and right midbrain. There was no statistical difference in DTI-derived parameters between drug-naive and previously medicated OCD patients. After being medicated, OCD patients showed a reduction in RD of the left striatum and right midbrain, and in MD of the right midbrain. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary findings suggest that abnormalities of white matter microstructure, particularly in terms of myelin integrity, are primarily located within the fronto-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit of individuals with OCD. Some abnormalities may be partly reversed by SSRI treatment