The effects of large extra dimensions on associated ttˉh0t\bar{t} h^0 production at linear colliders

In the framework of the large extra dimensions (LED) model, the effects of LED on the processes \rrtth and \eetth at future linear colliders are investigated in both polarized and unpolarized collision modes. The results show that the virtual Kaluza-Klein (KK) graviton exchange can significantly modify the standard model expectations for these processes with certain polarizations of initial states. The process \rrtth with $\sqrt{s}=3.5 TeV$ allows the effective scale $\Lambda_T$ to be probed up to 7.8 and 8.6 TeV in the unpolarized and $P_{\gamma} = 0.9$, J=2 polarized $\gamma \gamma$ collision modes, respectively. For the \eetth process with $\sqrt{s}=3.5 TeV$, the upper limits of $\Lambda_T$ to be observed can be 6.7 and 7.0 TeV in the unpolarized and $P_{e^+} = 0.6$, $P_{e^-} = 0.8$, $-+$ polarized $e^+e^-$ collision modes, respectively. We find the \rrtth channel in J=2 polarized photon collision mode provides a possibility to improve the sensitivity to the graviton tower exchange.Comment: To be appeard in Physical Review

Hexaaqua­nickel(II) 4,4′-(1,2-dihy­droxy­ethane-1,2-di­yl)dibenzoate monohydrate

In the title compound, [Ni(H2O)6](C16H12O6)·H2O, the NiII cation is located on a mirror plane and is coordinated by six water mol­ecules, two of which are also located on the mirror plane, in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. The 4,4′-(1,2-dihy­droxy­ethane-1,2-di­yl)dibenzoate anion is centrosymmetric with the mid-point of the central ethane C—C bond located on an inversion center. The uncoordinated water mol­ecule is located on a mirror plane. Extensive O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding is present in the crystal structure

Photon-meson transition form factors of light pseudoscalar mesons

The photon-meson transition form factors of light pseudoscalar mesons $\pi ^{0}$, $\eta$, and $\eta ^{\prime}$ are systematically calculated in a light-cone framework, which is applicable as a light-cone quark model at low $Q^{2}$ and is also physically in accordance with the light-cone pQCD approach at large $Q^{2}$. The calculated results agree with the available experimental data at high energy scale. We also predict the low $Q^{2}$ behaviors of the photon-meson transition form factors of $\pi ^{0}$, $\eta$ and $\eta ^{\prime }$, which are measurable in $e+A({Nucleus})\to e+A+M$ process via Primakoff effect at JLab and DESY.Comment: 22 Latex pages, 7 figures, Version to appear in PR

Sexual Dimorphism, Female Reproductive Characteristics and Egg Incubation in an Oviparous Forest Skink (Sphenomorphus incognitus) from South China

We studied sexual dimorphism and female reproduction in an oviparous forest skink (Sphenomorphus incognitus) from South China. We incubated eggs under five thermal regimes (22, 25, 28, 25 ± 3 and 27 ± 5 °C) to examine the effects of constant versus fluctuating temperatures on incubation length and hatchling morphology. In our sample the largest male and female were 110 mm and 108 mm snout-vent length (SVL), respectively. Adult males and females did not differ in mean SVL; adult males were larger in head size (both length and width), longer in fore- and hind-limb lengths and shorter in abdomen length than females of the same SVL. Accordingly, we conclude that S. incognitus is a sexually monomorphic species in terms of SVL but shows sexual dimorphism in head size, abdomen length and appendage length. Females laid a single clutch of 3−10 eggs per breeding season from early May to mid-August, with larger females generally laying more (but not always larger) eggs per clutch than did smaller ones. Embryonic stages at laying ranged from Dufaure and Hubert’s (1961) stage 31 to 32, with a mean stage of 31.3. The positive relationship between clutch mass and female SVL was not significant. The offspring size-number trade-off does not exist in S. incognitus, as revealed by the fact that egg mass was independent of relative fecundity. Incubation length decreased as temperature increased, and stable temperatures resulted in delayed hatching. Hatchlings incubated under the five thermal regimes did not differ from each other in any examined trait, suggesting that S. incognitus is among oviparous reptilian species where incubation temperature has no role in modifying hatchling morphology as long as eggs are not exposed to extreme temperatures for prolonged periods of time

Broad Inhibition Sharpens Orientation Selectivity by Expanding Input Dynamic Range in Mouse Simple Cells

SummaryOrientation selectivity (OS) is an emergent property in the primary visual cortex (V1). How OS arises from synaptic circuits remains unsolved. Here, in vivo whole-cell recordings in the mouse V1 revealed that simple cells received broadly tuned excitation and even more broadly tuned inhibition. Excitation and inhibition shared a similar orientation preference and temporally overlapped substantially. Neuron modeling and dynamic-clamp recording further revealed that excitatory inputs alone would result in membrane potential responses with significantly attenuated selectivity, due to a saturating input-output function of the membrane filtering. Inhibition ameliorated the attenuation of excitatory selectivity by expanding the input dynamic range and caused additional sharpening of output responses beyond unselectively suppressing responses at all orientations. This “blur-sharpening” effect allows selectivity conveyed by excitatory inputs to be better expressed, which may be a general mechanism underlying the generation of feature-selective responses in the face of strong excitatory inputs that are weakly biased

Prevalence and associated factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19 at a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen, China: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundHealthcare workers were at high risk of psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it remains not well-investigated in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19, with regular epidemic prevention and control embedded in burdened healthcare work. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and potential risk factors of the symptoms of depression and anxiety among healthcare workers at a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen.MethodOur cross-sectional study was conducted among 21- to 64-year-old healthcare workers in December 2021 at a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen, using a simple random sampling strategy. A wide range of socio-demographic characteristics, individual information, and psychological condition of the subjects were extracted. Healthcare workers' psychological conditions were tested with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CESD-10), General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Work-Family Conflict Scale (WFCS), 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and 17-item of Maslach's Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS-17). Data were collected based on these questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the difference between healthcare workers with depressive and anxiety symptoms among different groups. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between focused variables and mental health outcomes.ResultsA total of 245 healthcare workers were enrolled. The proportion of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and their co-occurrence were 34.7, 59.6, and 33.1%, respectively. Logistic regression showed that for the three outcomes, no history of receiving psychological help and self-rated good or higher health were protective factors, whereas more severe insomnia and job burnout were risk factors. Junior or lower job title and higher psychological resilience were related to a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms, while relatively longer working hours and larger work-family conflict were positively associated with the anxiety symptoms. Psychological resilience was inversely associated with the co-occurrence of depressive and anxiety symptoms.ConclusionsOur study revealed a high proportion of psychological problems and proved that several similar factors which were significant during the pandemic were also associated with the symptoms of depression and anxiety among healthcare workers in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19. These results provide scientific evidence for psychological interventions for healthcare workers