The difference of boundary effects between Bose and Fermi systems

In this paper, we show that there exists an essential difference of boundary effects between Bose and Fermi systems both for Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions: at low temperatures and high densities the influence of the boundary on the Bose system depends on the temperature but is independent of the density, but for the Fermi case the influence of the boundary is independent of the temperature but depends on the density, after omitting the negligible high-order corrections. We also show that at high temperatures and low densities the difference of the influence of the boundary between Bose and Fermi systems appears in the next-to-leading order boundary contribution, and the leading boundary contribution is independent of the density. Moreover, for calculating the boundary effects at high temperatures and low densities, since the existence of the boundary modification causes the standard virial expansion to be invalid, we introduce a modified virial expansion.Comment: 8 page

Identification of the CFTR c.1666A \u3e G mutation in hereditary inclusion body myopathy using next-generation sequencing analysis

Hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM) is a rare autosomal recessive adult onset muscle disease which affects one to three individuals per million worldwide. This disease is autosomal dominant and occurs in adulthood. Our previous study reported a new subtype of HIBM linked to the susceptibility locus at 7q22.1-31.1. The present study is aimed to identify the candidate gene responsible for the phenotype in HIBM pedigree. After multipoint linkage analysis, we performed targeted capture sequencing on 16 members and whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 5 members. Bioinformatics filtering was performed to prioritize the candidate pathogenic gene variants, which were further genotyped by Sanger sequencing. Our results showed that the highest peak of LOD score (4.70) was on chromosome 7q22.1-31.1.We identified 2 and 22 candidates using targeted capture sequencing and WES respectively, only one of which as CFTRc.1666A \u3e G mutation was well cosegregated with the HIBM phenotype. Using transcriptome analysis, we did not detect the differences of CFTR\u27s mRNA expression in the proband compared with healthy members. Due to low incidence of HIBM and there is no other pedigree to assess, mutation was detected in three patients with duchenne muscular dystrophyn (DMD) and five patients with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD). And we found that the frequency of mutation detected in DMD and LGMD patients was higher than that of being expected in normal population. We suggested that the CFTRc.1666A \u3e G may be a candidate marker which has strong genetic linkage with the causative gene in the HIBM famil

Comprehensive phenotypic analysis and quantitative trait locus identification for grain mineral concentration, content, and yield in maize (Zea mays L.)

Biofortification by enhanced mineral density in maize grain through genetic improvement is one of the efficient ways to solve global mineral malnutrition, in which one key step is to detect the corresponding Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). In this work, a maize recombinant inbred population (RIL) was grown to maturity in four field environments with two locations × two years. Phenotypic data of mineral nutrition concentration, content and yield were determined for grain copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K) and phosphorus (P). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant effects of genotype, location and year for all investigated traits. Location showed the highest effect for all mineral yields, and Zn and Cu content and concentration, while year had the strongest impact for Mn, K, and P content and concentration. Heritabilities (h2) of different traits varied with higher h2 (72-85%) for mineral concentration and content and lower (48-63%) for nutrient yields. Correlation coefficient analysis revealed significant positive correlations for grain concentration between several minerals. P had the closest correlations to other elements, while Cu had the lowest. When environments were analyzed individually, a total of 28, 25, and 12 QTL were identified for nutrient concentration, content and yield, respectively. Among these QTL, 8 QTL were consistent within traits across different environments. These stable QTL may be most promising for controlling mineral accumulation in maize grain. Co-localization of QTL for different traits was found for 12 chromosome regions, suggesting that common processes might contribute seed nutrient accumulatio

Location prediction based on a sector snapshot for location-based services

In location-based services (LBSs), the service is provided based on the users' locations through location determination and mobility realization. Most of the current location prediction research is focused on generalized location models, where the geographic extent is divided into regular-shaped cells. These models are not suitable for certain LBSs where the objectives are to compute and present on-road services. Such techniques are the new Markov-based mobility prediction (NMMP) and prediction location model (PLM) that deal with inner cell structure and different levels of prediction, respectively. The NMMP and PLM techniques suffer from complex computation, accuracy rate regression, and insufficient accuracy. In this paper, a novel cell splitting algorithm is proposed. Also, a new prediction technique is introduced. The cell splitting is universal so it can be applied to all types of cells. Meanwhile, this algorithm is implemented to the Micro cell in parallel with the new prediction technique. The prediction technique, compared with two classic prediction techniques and the experimental results, show the effectiveness and robustness of the new splitting algorithm and prediction technique

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection decreases the efficacy of an attenuated classical swine fever virus (CSFV) vaccine

The Lapinized Philippines Coronel (LPC) vaccine, an attenuated strain of classical swine fever virus (CSFV), is an important tool for the prevention and control of CSFV infection and is widely and routinely used in most CSF endemic areas, including Taiwan. The aim of this study was to investigate whether PCV2 infection affects the efficacy of the LPC vaccine. Eighteen 6-week-old, cesarean-derived and colostrum-deprived (CDCD), crossbred pigs were randomly assigned to four groups. A total of 105.3 TCID50 of PCV2 was experimentally inoculated into pigs through both intranasal and intramuscular routes at 0 days post-inoculation (dpi) followed by LPC vaccination 12 days later. All the animals were challenged with wild-type CSFV (ALD stain) at 27 dpi and euthanized at 45 dpi. Following CSFV challenge, the LPC-vaccinated pigs pre-inoculated with PCV2 showed transient fever, viremia, and viral shedding in the saliva and feces. The number of IgM+, CD4+CD8-CD25+, CD4+CD8+CD25+, and CD4-CD8+CD25+ lymphocyte subsets and the level of neutralizing antibodies against CSFV were significantly higher in the animals with LPC vaccination alone than in the pigs with PCV2 inoculation/LPC vaccination. In addition, PCV2-derived inhibition of the CSFV-specific cell proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was demonstrated in an ex vivo experiment. These findings indicate that PCV2 infection decreases the efficacy of the LPC vaccine. This PCV2-derived interference may not only allow the invasion of wild-type CSFV in pig farms but also increases the difficulty of CSF prevention and control in CSF endemic areas

An insight into the different responses to salt stress in growth characteristics of two legume species during seedling growth

Legumes play a crucial role in the restoration and utilization of salinized grassland. To explore the physiological response mechanism of Astragalus membranaceus and Medicago sativa seedlings to salt stress, salt stress culture experiments with five NaCl concentration treatments (0 mmol/L, 50 mmol/L, 100 mmol/L, 200 mmol/L, and 300 mmol/L) were conducted on these two legume seedlings. Morphological characteristics, physiological features, biomass, and the protective enzyme system were measured for both seedlings. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and membership function analysis (MFA) were conducted for each index. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the salt stress pathways of plants. The results indicated that number of primary branches (PBN), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity in stems and leaves, catalase (CAT) activity in roots, etc. were identified as the primary indicators for evaluating the salt tolerance of A. membranaceus during its seedling growth period. And CAT and peroxidase (POD) activity in roots, POD and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in stems and leaves, etc. were identified as the primary indicators for evaluating the salt tolerance of M. sativa during its growth period. Plant morphological characteristics, physiological indexes, and underground biomass (UGB) were directly affected by salinity, while physiological indexes indirectly affected the degree of leaf succulence (LSD). Regarding the response of the protective enzyme system to salt stress, the activity of POD and APX increased in A. membranaceus, while the activity of CAT increased in M. sativa. Our findings suggest that salt stress directly affects the growth strategies of legumes. Furthermore, the response of the protective enzyme system and potential cell membrane damage to salinity were very different in the two legumes