NaI (Tl) Calorimeter Calibration and Simulation for Coulomb Sum Rule Experiment in Hall-A at Jefferson Lab

A precision measurment of inclusive electron scattering cross sections was carried out at Jefferson Lab in the quasi-elastic region for ${^4}$He, ${^{12}}$C, ${^{56}}$Fe and ${^{208}}$Pb targets. Longitudinal ($R_{L}$) and transverse ($R_{T}$) response functions of nucleon were extracted in the momentum transfer range 0.55 GeV/c$\le$$|q|$$\le$1.0 GeV/c. To achieve the above goal, a NaI (Tl) calorimeter was used to distinguish good electrons from background including pions and low energy electrons rescattered from walls of the spectrometer magnets. Due to a large set of kinematics and changes in HV settings, a number of calibrations were performed for the NaI (Tl) detector. Corrections for a few blocks of NaI (Tl) with bad or no signal were applied. The resolution of NaI (Tl) detector after calibration reached $\frac{\delta E}{\sqrt{E}} \approx 3\%$ at E=1 GeV. The performance of NaI (Tl) detector was compared with a simulation

Method for Evaluation of Foxtail Millet Cooking and Edible Quality

Foxtail millet, a high-quality coarse cereal, is generally used to cook porridge. Cooked foxtail millet is another food product of this cereal. However, a systematic evaluation method for the eating quality of cooked foxtail millet has not yet been established. In this study, heater type, millet-to-water mass ratio, water type, and soaking time affecting the edible quality of cooked foxtail millet (Variety: Zhangzagu 13) were investigated. The hardness viscometer, colorimeter and sensory evaluation were used to comprehensively evaluate the edible quality of millet. The optimal cooking method was determined as follows: Firstly, put 300 g of millet in an electric cooker and wash twice with deionized water quickly. Secondly, add deionized water in a mass ratio of millet to water 1.0∶2.0 and soak for 30 min. Finally, cook millet for about 45 minutes in the essence rice mode. After cooking, stir well and stew for 20 min. This research provides an important scientific basis for foxtail millet cooking and edible quality evaluation

Complete sequence and organization of Antheraea pernyi nucleopolyhedrovirus, a dr-rich baculovirus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The completion and reporting of baculovirus genomes is extremely important as it advances our understanding of gene function and evolution. Due to the large number of viral genomes now sequenced it is very important that authors present significantly detailed analyses to advance the understanding of the viral genomes. However, there is no report of the <it>Antheraea pernyi </it>nucleopolyhedrovirus (AnpeNPV) genome.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The genome of AnpeNPV, which infects Chinese tussah silkworm (<it>Antheraea pernyi</it>), was sequenced and analyzed. The genome was 126,629 bp in size. The G+C content of the genome, 53.4%, was higher than that of most of the sequenced baculoviruses. 147 open reading frames (ORFs) that putatively encode proteins of 50 or more amino acid residues with minimal overlap were determined. Of the 147 ORFs, 143 appeared to be homologous to other baculovirus genes, and 4 were unique to AnpeNPV. Furthermore, there are still 29 and 33 conserved genes present in all baculoviruses and all lepidopteran baculoviruses respectively. In addition, the total number of genes common to all lepidopteran NPVs is sill 74, however the 74 genes are somewhat different from the 74 genes identified before because of some new sequenced NPVs. Only 6 genes were found exclusively in all lepidopteran NPVs and 12 genes were found exclusively in all Group I NPVs. AnpeNPV encodes <it>v-trex</it>(Anpe115, a 3' to 5' repair exonuclease), which was observed only in CfMNPV and CfDEFNPV in Group I NPVs. This gene potentially originated by horizontal gene transfer from an ancestral host. In addition, AnpeNPV encodes two <it>conotoxin</it>-like gene homologues (<it>ctls</it>), <it>ctl1 </it>and <it>ctl2</it>, which were observed only in HycuNPV, OpMNPV and LdMNPV. Unlike other baculoviruses, only 3 typical homologous regions (<it>hr</it>s) were identified containing 2~9 repeats of a 30 bp-long palindromic core. However, 24 perfect or imperfect direct repeats (<it>dr</it>s) with a high degree of AT content were found within the intergenic spacer regions that may function as non-<it>hr</it>, <it>ori</it>-like regions found in GrleGV, CpGV and AdorGV. 9 <it>dr</it>s were also found in intragenic spacer regions of AnpeNPV.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>AnpeNPV belongs to Group I NPVs and is most similar to HycuNPV, EppoNPV, OpMNPV and CfMNPV based on gene content, genome arrangement, and amino acid identity. In addition, analysis of genes that flank <it>hr</it>s supported the argument that these regions are involved in the transfer of sequences between the virus and host.</p

Probing the nature of high- z short GRB 090426 with its early optical and X-ray afterglows

GRB 090426 is a short-duration burst detected by Swift (  s in the observer frame and  s in the burst frame at z = 2.609 ). Its host galaxy properties and some gamma-ray-related correlations are analogous to those seen in long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are believed to be of a massive star origin (so-called Type II GRBs). We present the results of its early optical observations with the 0.8-m Tsinghua University–National Astronomical Observatory of China Telescope (TNT) at Xinglong Observatory and the 1-m LOAO telescope at Mt Lemmon Optical Astronomy Observatory in Arizona. Our well-sampled optical afterglow light curve covers from to 10 4  s after the GRB trigger. It shows two shallow decay episodes that are likely due to energy injection, which end at and 7100 s, respectively. The decay slopes after the injection phases are consistent with each other ( ). The X-ray afterglow light curve appears to trace the optical, although the second energy-injection phase was missed due to visibility constraints introduced by the Swift orbit. The X-ray spectral index is without temporal evolution. Its decay slope is consistent with the prediction of the forward shock model. Both X-ray and optical emission are consistent with being in the same spectral regime above the cooling frequency ( ). The fact that is below the optical band from the very early epoch of the observation provides a constraint on the burst environment, which is similar to that seen in classical long-duration GRBs. We therefore suggest that death of a massive star is the possible progenitor of this short burst.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79209/1/j.1365-2966.2010.17419.x.pd

Probing the Nature of High-z Short GRB 090426 with Its Early Optical and X-ray Afterglows

GRB 090426 is a short duration burst detected by Swift ($T_{90}\sim 1.28$ s in the observer frame, and $T_{90}\sim 0.33$ s in the burst frame at $z=2.609$). Its host galaxy properties and some $\gamma$-ray related correlations are analogous to those seen in long duration GRBs, which are believed to be of a massive-star origin (so-called Type II GRBs). We present the results of its early optical observations with the 0.8-m TNT telescope at Xinglong observatory, and the 1-m LOAO telescope at Mt. Lemmon Optical Astronomy Observatory in Arizona. Our well-sampled optical afterglow lightcurve covers from $\sim 90$ seconds to $\sim 10^4$ seconds post the GRB trigger. It shows two shallow decay episodes that are likely due to energy injection, which end at $\sim 230$ seconds and $\sim 7100$ seconds, respectively. The decay slopes post the injection phases are consistent with each other ($\alpha\simeq 1.22$). The X-ray afterglow lightcurve appears to trace the optical, although the second energy injection phase was missed due to visibility constraints introduced by the {\em Swift} orbit. The X-ray spectral index is $\beta_X\sim 1.0$ without temporal evolution. Its decay slope is consistent with the prediction of the forward shock model. Both X-ray and optical emission is consistent with being in the same spectral regime above the cooling frequency ($\nu_c$). The fact that $\nu_c$ is below the optical band from the very early epoch of the observation provides a constraint on the burst environment, which is similar to that seen in classical long duration GRBs. We therefore suggest that death of a massive star is the possible progenitor of this short burst.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figures, 2 tables, revised version, MNRAS, in pres

Proteomic analyses in diverse populations improved risk prediction and identified new drug targets for type 2 diabetes

Objective: Integrated analyses of plasma proteomics and genetic data in prospective studies can help assess the causal relevance of proteins, improve risk prediction and discover novel protein drug targets for T2D. Research Design and Methods: We measured plasma levels of 2923 proteins using OLINK Explore among ~2000 randomly selected participants from CKB without prior diabetes at baseline. Cox regression assessed associations of individual protein with incident T2D (n=92 cases). Proteomic-based risk models were developed with discrimination, calibration, reclassification assessed using AUC, calibration plots and NRI, respectively. Two-sample MR analyses using cis-pQTLs identified in GWAS of CKB and UKB for specific proteins were conducted to assess their causal relevance for T2D, along with colocalization analyses to examine shared causal variants between proteins and T2D. Results: Overall 33 proteins were significantly associated (FDR0.6) of shared genetic variants of LPL and PON3 with T2D. Conclusion: Proteomic analyses in Chinese adults identified novel associations of multiple proteins with T2D with strong genetic evidence supporting their causal relevance and potential as novel drug targets for prevention and treatment of T2D

Probing the nature of high-z short GRB 090426 with its early optical and X-ray afterglows MNRAS 410

ABSTRACT GRB 090426 is a short-duration burst detected by Swift (T 90 ∼ 1.28 s in the observer frame and T 90 ∼ 0.33 s in the burst frame at z = 2.609). Its host galaxy properties and some gamma-rayrelated correlations are analogous to those seen in long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are believed to be of a massive star origin (so-called Type II GRBs). We present the results of its early optical observations with the 0.8-m Tsinghua University-National Astronomical Observatory of China Telescope (TNT) at Xinglong Observatory and the 1-m LOAO telescope at Mt Lemmon Optical Astronomy Observatory in Arizona. Our wellsampled optical afterglow light curve covers from ∼90 to 10 4 s after the GRB trigger. It shows two shallow decay episodes that are likely due to energy injection, which end at ∼230 and 7100 s, respectively. The decay slopes after the injection phases are consistent with each other (α 1.22). The X-ray afterglow light curve appears to trace the optical, although the second energy-injection phase was missed due to visibility constraints introduced by the Swift orbit. The X-ray spectral index is β X ∼ 1.0 without temporal evolution. Its decay slope is consistent with the prediction of the forward shock model. Both X-ray and optical emission are consistent with being in the same spectral regime above the cooling frequency (ν c ). The fact that ν c is below the optical band from the very early epoch of the observation provides a constraint on the burst environment, which is similar to that seen in classical long-duration GRBs. We therefore suggest that death of a massive star is the possible progenitor of this short burst

Mechanism of endothelial progenitor cell recruitment into neo-vessels in adjacent non-tumor tissues in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Background We investigated the distribution and clinical significance of mobilized endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found that many more EPCs were recruited to nonmalignant liver tissue (especially into adjacent non-tumor tissues (AT)) than to tumor vessels. These results suggest that the mechanism underlying the recruitment of EPCs into microvessels in AT merits further investigation Methods Angiogenic factors were detected in three tissue microarrays comprising normal liver, paired tumor tissue (TT) and AT from 105 patients (who had undergone hepatectomy for HCC) using immunohistochemistry. Also, the number of EPCs (positive for Sca-1, Flk-1 and c-Kit) in the blood and liver of cirrhotic mice were determined by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. The distribution of these labeled EPCs in tumor and non-tumor tissues was then studied. Results The results from the tissue microarrays showed that the expression levels of VEGF-A, bFGF, TGF-β, MCP-1, TSP-1, MMP-9, TIMP-2, and endostatin were significantly higher in AT than in either normal liver or TT (p Conclusions Both liver cirrhosis and HCC led to increased expression of pro-angiogenic factors, which resulted in the recruitment of EPCs into AT. Also, EPCs were mobilized, recruited and homed to cirrhotic liver. The unique pathology of HCC coupled with liver cirrhosis may, therefore, be associated with the distribution and function of EPCs.</p

Use of MicroRNA Let-7 to Control the Replication Specificity of Oncolytic Adenovirus in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Highly selective therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains an unmet medical need. In present study, we found that the tumor suppressor microRNA, let-7 was significantly downregulated in a proportion of primary HCC tissues (12 of 33, 36.4%) and HCC cell lines. In line with this finding, we have engineered a chimeric Ad5/11 fiber oncolytic adenovirus, SG7011let7T, by introducing eight copies of let-7 target sites (let7T) into the 3′ untranslated region of E1A, a key gene associated with adenoviral replication. The results showed that the E1A expression (both RNA and protein levels) of the SG7011let7T was tightly regulated according to the endogenous expression level of the let-7. As contrasted with the wild-type adenovirus and the control virus, the replication of SG7011let7T was distinctly inhibited in normal liver cells lines (i.e. L-02 and WRL-68) expressing high level of let-7 (>300 folds), whereas was almost not impaired in HCC cells (i.e. Hep3B and PLC/PRF/5) with low level of let-7. Consequently, the cytotoxicity of SG7011let7T to normal liver cells was successfully decreased while was almost not attenuated in HCC cells in vitro. The antitumor ability of SG7011let7T in vivo was maintained in mice with Hep3B xenograft tumor, whereas was greatly decreased against the SMMC-7721 xenograft tumor expressing a high level of let-7 similar with L-02 when compared to the wild-type adenovirus. These results suggested that SG7011let7T may be a promising anticancer agent or vector to mediate the expression of therapeutic gene, broadly applicable in the treatment for HCC and other cancers where the let-7 gene is downregulated

Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version published in European Physical Journal