50 research outputs found

    Effect of Molecular Charge Asymmetry on Even-to-odd Ratio of High-order Harmonic Generation

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    Recently, asymmetric molecules, such as HeH2+_2^+, CO, OCS, HCl, have been evolved much attention since its rich information in the high-order harmonic generation (HHG), whose ratio of adjacent even and odd harmonics characterizes the asymmetry of molecules. In this paper, we study the dependence of even-to-odd ratio on the asymmetric parameters, in particular, the nuclear-charge ratio, and the permanent dipole, by exploiting a simple but general model of asymmetric molecules Z1Z2Z_1Z_2 subjected to an intense laser pulse. The HHG is simulated by the numerical method of solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We find out that this even-to-odd ratio strongly depends on the nuclear-charge ratio. In particular, the even-to-odd ratio reaches its maximum when the nuclear-charge ratio is about from 0.5 to 0.7. Besides, the dependence on the permanent dipole of the even-to-odd ratio has a non-trivial law. To explain, we calculate the analytical ratio of the transition dipole according to the emission of even and odd harmonics, and this ratio is well consistent with the even-to-odd ratio of the HHG

    Using Bioinformatics to predict potential targets of Microrna-144 in osteoarthritis

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    MicroRNAs are short endogenous non-coding RNA molecules, typically 19-25 nucleotides in length, which negatively regulate gene expression through binding to 3’UTR of target mRNAs, leading to repression of protein translation or target mRNA degradation. MicroRNA-144 (miR-144) was found as an abnormal expression in various diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). We have identified increased microRNA-144 expression in early phase and end stage of OA. However, the molecular mechanism of this increase has not been yet to be determined yet. Using bioinformatics tools, we found more than 4,000 mRNAs that are predicted to be potential direct targets of miR-144, including mRNAs involved in the critical signaling pathways in OA e.g. TGFβ/Smad2/3 and WNT/β-catenin. Results from this research provide information for future ex periments to validate miR-144 potential targets

    Assessment of physical land suitability by GIS-based fuzzy AHP for rubber plantation at the Nam Dong district, Thua Thien Hue province

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    This research was conducted to determine the main influences and physical factors of land suitability for rubber plantation in the Nam Dong district, Thua Thien Hue province. Six factors such as soil type, soil texture, soil thickness, slope, soil pH and soil organic matter content were considered. Results indicate that soil thickness is has the highest role on the land suitability analysis while soil pH has the lowest. The physical land suitability of rubber plantation was divided into 4 levels: very suitable (10.1%), suitable (15.5%), slightly suitable (3.6%), and currently not suitable (70,8%). This research provides important information for rubber cultivation in projected agricultural land use planning of the Nam Dong district.Nghiên cứu này được thực hiện nhằm xác định sự ảnh hưởng của các yếu tố tự nhiên đến sự thích nghi đất đai của loại hình sử dụng đất trồng cây cao su trên địa bàn huyện Nam Đông, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế. Có 6 yếu tố được xem xét trong nghiên cứu này bao gồm: loại đất, thành phần cơ giới, tầng dày canh tác, độ dốc, độ chua và hàm lượng mùn trong đất. Kết quả nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng tầng dày canh tác là yếu tố có ảnh hưởng lớn nhất đến việc sử dụng đất trồng cây cao su, trong khi đó độ chua là yếu tố có ảnh hưởng ít nhất. Sự thích nghi tự nhiên của loại hình sử dụng đất trồng cây cao su được chia thành 4 mức độ bao gồm rất thích nghi (10,1%), thích nghi (15,5%), tương đối thích nghi (3,6%) và hiện taị không thích nghi (70,8%). Nghiên cứu này cung cấp những thông tin cần thiết và hữu ích cho việc quy hoạch sử dụng đất trồng cây cao su trên địa bàn huyện Nam Đông

    The responsibility of C-terminal domain in the thermolabile haemolysin activity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and inhibition treatments by Phellinus sp. extracts

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    The thermolabile haemolysin (tlh) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vptlh) from V. parahaemolyticus is a multiple-function enzyme, initially describes as a haemolytic factor activated by lecithin and phospholipase A2 enzymatic activity (Shinoda, 1991; Vazquez-Morado, 2021; Yanagase et al., 1970). Until now, the tlh structure has hypothesized including N-terminal and C-terminal domain, but what domain of the Vptlh structure does the haemolytic activity has not been refined yet. In this study, a 450-bp VpTLH nucleotide sequence of the entire Vptlh gene encoded the C-terminal domain cloned firstly to examine its responsibility in the activity of the Vptlh. The C-terminal domain fused with a 6-His-tag named the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain was expressed successfully in soluble form in the BL21 (DE3) PlysS cell. Remarkably, both expression and purification results confirmed a high agreement in the molecular weight of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain was 47 kDa. This work showed the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain lysed the erythrocyte membranes in the blood agar and the phosphate buffered saline (0.9%) media without adding the lecithin substrate of the phospholipase enzyme. Haemolysis occurred at all tested diluted concentrations of His-tag-VpC-terminal domain (p < 0.05), providing evidence for the independent haemolytic activity of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain. The content of 100 μg of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain brought the highest haemolytic activity of 80% compared to that in the three remaining contents. Significantly, the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain demonstrated not to involve the phospholipase activity in Luria-Bertani agar supplemented with 1% (vol/vol) egg yolk emulsion. All results proved the vital responsibility of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain in causing the haemolytic activity without the required activation by the phospholipase enzyme. Raw extracts of Phellinus igniarus and Phellinus pipi at 10-1 mg/mL inhibited the haemolytic activity of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain from 67.7% to 87.42%, respectively. Hence applying the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain as a simple biological material to evaluate quickly potential derivatives against the Vptlh in vivo conditions will accessible and more advantageous than using the whole of the Vptlh

    Changing epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of bloodstream infections at a Vietnamese infectious diseases hospital (2010–2020)

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    Bloodstream infection (BSI) poses a global health problem, with diverse organisms and rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Here, we characterized trends in BSI prevalence, AMR, and antibiotic use at a Vietnamese infectious diseases hospital from 2010 to 2020. Among 108,303 cultured blood samples, 8.8% were positive, yielding 7995 pathogens. Of 7553 BSI cases, 86.4% were community-acquired. BSI prevalence varied from 17 to 35 cases/1000 admissions/year, highest in HIV/hepatitis wards and patients >60. The in-hospital mortality or hospice discharge outcome was 21.3%. The top three pathogens, E. coli (24%), K. pneumoniae (8.7%) and S. aureus (8.5%) exhibited increasing prevalence and multidrug resistance. Pathogens like Cryptococcus neoformans (8.4%), Talaromyces marneffei (6.7%), and Salmonella enterica (6.5%) declined. E. coli and K. pneumoniae were prevalent in older adults with community-acquired BSIs. Antibiotic use reached 842.6 DOT/1000 PD and significantly reduced after an antibiotic control policy. Enhanced surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship are crucial for managing BSIs in Vietnam

    Studying Magnetic Fields and Dust in M17 Using Polarized Thermal Dust Emission Observed by SOFIA/HAWC

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    We report on the highest spatial resolution measurement to date of magnetic fields (B-fields) in M17 using thermal dust polarization measurements taken by SOFIA/HAWC+ centered at a wavelength of 154 μm. Using the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method, in which the polarization angle dispersion calculated using the structure function technique is the quantity directly observed by SOFIA/HAWC+, we found the presence of strong B-fields of 980 ± 230 and 1665 ± 885 μG in the lower-density M17-N and higher-density M17-S regions, respectively. The B-field morphology in M17-N possibly mimics the fields in gravitationally collapsing molecular cores, while in M17-S the fields run perpendicular to the density structure. M17-S also displays a pillar feature and an asymmetric large-scale hourglass-shaped field. We use the mean B-field strengths to determine Alfvénic Mach numbers for both regions, finding that B-fields dominate over turbulence. We calculate the mass-to-flux ratio, λ, finding λ = 0.07 for M17-N and 0.28 for M17-S. These subcritical λ values are consistent with the lack of massive stars formed in M17. To study dust physics, we analyze the relationship between dust polarization fraction, p, emission intensity, I, gas column density, N(H2), polarization angle dispersion function, S, and dust temperature, T d. p decreases with intensity as I −α with α = 0.51. p tends to first increase with T d, but then decreases at higher T d. The latter feature, seen in M17-N at high T d when N(H2) and S decrease, is evidence of the radiative torque disruption effect

    Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

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    Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

    The potential of electricity generation from the major agricultural wastes in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam

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    Agricultural activities produce a large quantity of waste each year in the Mekong Delta. For example, appropriately 26.86 million tons of rice straw, 5.37 million tons of rice husks, 1.33 million tons of bagasse and 0.59 million tons of corn straw were produced in 2016. Despite such a huge quantity of agricultural waste, the waste has been rarely used effectively. Around 54.1 - 98.0% of rice straw is normally burnt on the field; only 20 - 50% of rice husk is used for pellet or energy purposes; a few sugar-cane factories apply bagasse feeding to steam cookers, and a small quantity of corn straw is used as livestock feeding. If this biomass source is used for electricity generation, in theory, for the period of 2006 - 2020, it is estimated that this source can potentially generate 1203 million MWh/year from rice straw, 236 million MWh/year from rice husk, 45 million MWh/year from bagasse, and 40 million MWh/year from corn straw. Electricity generation of biomass source will not only solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by agricultural waste but also meet increasing energy demands for socio-economic development in this region.Hàng năm lượng chất thải phát sinh từ một số loại hình canh tác nông nghiệp chính ở ĐBSCL rất lớn. Chỉ tính riêng năm 2016 ghi nhận thải ra khoảng 26,86 triệu tấn rơm rạ; 5,37 triệu tấn vỏ trấu; 1,33 triệu tấn bã mía và 0,59 triệu tấn thân cây bắp. Lượng chất thải phát sinh lớn nhưng các biện pháp sử dụng những nguồn sinh khối này chưa đa dạng, rơm rạ phần lớn được người dân đốt trực tiếp ngay trên đồng ruộng chiếm 54,1 - 98,0% lượng rơm rạ thải ra; chỉ có khoảng 20 - 50% lượng vỏ trấu được sử dụng; bã mía chỉ được một số nhà máy sử dụng để đốt cho lò hơi; một lượng nhỏ thân cây bắp được người dân sử dụng cho chăn nuôi. Nếu có thể tận dụng các nguồn sinh khối này để sản xuất điện thì tiềm năng lý thuyết ước tính từ năm 2005 đến 2020 của rơm rạ là 1203 triệu MWh/năm; vỏ trấu là 236 triệu MWh/năm; bã mía là 45 triệu MWh/năm; và thân cây bắp là 40 triệu MWh/năm. Sản xuất điện từ các nguồn sinh khối này không chỉ giải quyết lượng phế phẩm nông nghiệp phát sinh, giảm thiểu ô nhiễm môi trường mà còn có thể tạo ra nguồn điện cung cấp cho nhu cầu phát triển của vùng
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