Modeling and Control for HIV/AIDS Transmission in China Based on Data from 2004 to 2016

HIV is one of the major life-threatening viruses that are spreading in the People’s Republic of China (China for short). A susceptible-exposed in the latent stage-infectious (SEI) model is established to sketch the evolution of epidemic. The basic reproduction number is defined. By constructing Lyapunov function, globally asymptotical stabilities of the disease-free and endemic equilibria are given. Then, optimal control theory is applied in HIV/AIDS epidemic. Precaution, screening, and treatment of control variables are introduced and a new model with control is established. Through the HIV/AIDS data in China, all parameters involved in SEI model are analyzed and parts of them are estimated. Further, by control model, optimal strategy is obtained. Results show that the precaution and treatment are the major contributors to preventing and controlling HIV/AIDS epidemic

Ramsey interferometry through coherent X2Σg+−A2Πu−B2Σu+X^2\Sigma_g^+ - A^2\Pi_u - B^2\Sigma_u^+ coupling and population transfer in N2+^+_2 air laser

The laser-like coherent emission at 391nm from N$_2$ gas irradiated by strong 800nm pump laser and weak 400nm seed laser is theoretically investigated. Recent experimental observations are well simulated, including temporal profile, optical gain and periodic modulation of the 391nm signal from N$_2^+$. Our calculation sheds light on the long standing controversy on whether population inversion is indispensable for the optical gain. We demonstrate the Ramsey interference fringes of the emission intensity at 391nm formed by additionally injecting another 800nm pump or 400nm seed, which are well explained by the coherent modulation of transition dipole moment and population between the $A^2\Pi_u(\nu=2)$-$X^2\Sigma_g^+$ states as well as the $B^2\Sigma_u^+ (\nu=0)$-$X^2\Sigma_g^+$ states. This study provides versatile possibilities for the coherent control of $\text{N}_2^+$ air laser.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Improved field emission performance of carbon nanotube by introducing copper metallic particles

To improve the field emission performance of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a simple and low-cost method was adopted in this article. We introduced copper particles for decorating the CNTs so as to form copper particle-CNT composites. The composites were fabricated by electrophoretic deposition technique which produced copper metallic particles localized on the outer wall of CNTs and deposited them onto indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. The results showed that the conductivity increased from 10-5 to 4 × 10-5 S while the turn-on field was reduced from 3.4 to 2.2 V/μm. Moreover, the field emission current tended to be undiminished after continuous emission for 24 h. The reasons were summarized that introducing copper metallic particles to decorate CNTs could increase the surface roughness of the CNTs which was beneficial to field emission, restrain field emission current from saturating when the applied electric field was above the critical field. In addition, it could also improve the electrical contact by increasing the contact area between CNT and ITO electrode that was beneficial to the electron transport and avoided instable electron emission caused by thermal injury of CNTs

Fabrication of Ligusticum chuanxiong polylactic acid microspheres: A promising way to enhance the hepatoprotective effect on bioactive ingredients

hpeer-reviewedLigusticum chuanxiong extract-polylactic acid sustained-release microspheres (LCE-PLA) are fabricated in this study for enhancing both duration and hepatoprotective efficacy of the main bioactive ingredients. LCE-PLA in vitro release, cytotoxicity and in vivo hepatoprotective effect were discussed to evaluate its efficiency and functionality. Results demonstrated that the optimal drug-loading rate and encapsulation efficiency of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP, the main active ingredient) were 8.19%, 83.72%, respectively. The LCE-PLA in vitro release of TMP showed prolong 5-fold and in vitro cytotoxicity declined 25.00% compared with naked LCE. After 6 weeks of in vivo intervention in high fat diet mice, both liver aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were higher in LCE-PLA group than LCE group. The above results indicated that TMP had a higher bioavailability of hepatoprotection when encapsulation of LCE-PLA was applied. The current study has provided a promising novel way to enhance the efficacy of short half-life ingredients.National Natural Science Foundation of Chin

Genome-Wide Analysis of the PvHsp20 Family in Switchgrass: Motif, Genomic Organization, and Identification of Stress or Developmental-Related Hsp20s

Hsp20 proteins exist in all plant species and represent the most abundant small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) in plants. Hsp20s were known as chaperones maintaining cellular homeostasis during heat or other kinds of abiotic stresses. The objective of this study was to understand the phylogenetic relationship, genomic organization, diversification of motif modules, genome localization, expression profiles, and interaction networks of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) Hsp20s (PvHsp20s). A total of 63 PvHsp20s were identified with their consensus as well as unique ACD motifs and gene structures analyzed. Most PvHsp20s (87%) were responsive to heat and other kinds of abiotic stresses. When under optimum growth condition, 38 of them displayed relative higher expression levels in inflorescence and seeds, suggesting their protective roles in the stress-sensitive reproductive organs. An in silico analysis of interaction network of PvHsp20 proteins further revealed potential interactive proteins, including stress-inducible ones in the network. Furthermore, PvHsp20 genes unevenly distributed in two sets of homeologous chromosomes, and only segmental duplication was found among the paralogous gene pairs, reflecting that the allotetraploidization of switchgrass allowed the accumulation of PvHsp20s that in turn facilitated its successful adaptation in hot and dry plateaus of North America. The present results provided an insight into PvHsp20s with an emphasis on the uniqueness of this gene family in switchgrass. Such information shall also be useful in functional studies of PvHsp20 genes and molecular breeding of switchgrass

Caspase-11–mediated endothelial pyroptosis underlies endotoxemia-induced lung injury

Acute lung injury is a leading cause of death in bacterial sepsis due to the wholesale destruction of the lung endothelial barrier, which results in protein-rich lung edema, influx of proinflammatory leukocytes, and intractable hypoxemia. Pyroptosis is a form of programmed lytic cell death that is triggered by inflammatory caspases, but little is known about its role in EC death and acute lung injury. Here, we show that systemic exposure to the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes severe endothelial pyroptosis that is mediated by the inflammatory caspases, human caspases 4/5 in human ECs, or the murine homolog caspase-11 in mice in vivo. In caspase-11–deficient mice, BM transplantation with WT hematopoietic cells did not abrogate endotoxemia-induced acute lung injury, indicating a central role for nonhematopoietic caspase-11 in endotoxemia. Additionally, conditional deletion of caspase-11 in ECs reduced endotoxemia-induced lung edema, neutrophil accumulation, and death. These results establish the requisite role of endothelial pyroptosis in endotoxemic tissue injury and suggest that endothelial inflammatory caspases are an important therapeutic target for acute lung injury

Safety and Efficacy of Low-Dose Tirofiban Combined With Intravenous Thrombolysis and Mechanical Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Matched-Control Analysis From a Nationwide Registry

Purpose: Tirofiban administration to acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy with preceding intravenous thrombolysis remains controversial. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-dose tirofiban during mechanical thrombectomy in patients with preceding intravenous thrombolysis.Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing mechanical thrombectomy and preceding intravenous thrombolysis were derived from “ANGEL-ACT,” a multicenter, prospective registry study. The patients were dichotomized into tirofiban and non-tirofiban groups based on whether tirofiban was administered. Propensity score matching was used to minimize case bias. The primary safety endpoint was symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), defined as an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) associated with clinical deterioration as determined by the Heidelberg Bleeding Classification. All ICHs and hemorrhage types were recorded. Clinical outcomes included successful recanalization, dramatic clinical improvement, functional independence, and mortality at the 3-month follow-up timepoint. Successful recanalization was defined as a modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Ischemia score of 2b or 3. Dramatic clinical improvement at 24 h was defined as a reduction in NIH stroke score of ≥10 points compared with admission, or a score ≤1. Functional independence was defined as a Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–2 at 3-months.Results: The study included 201 patients, 81 in the tirofiban group and 120 in the non-tirofiban group, and each group included 68 patients after propensity score matching. Of the 201 patients, 52 (25.9%) suffered ICH, 15 (7.5%) suffered sICH, and 18 (9.0%) died within 3-months. The median mRS was 3 (0–4), 99 (49.3%) achieved functional independence. There were no statistically significant differences in safety outcomes, efficacy outcomes on successful recanalization, dramatic clinical improvement, or 3-month mRS between the tirofiban and non-tirofiban groups (all p > 0.05). Similar results were obtained after propensity score matching.Conclusion: In acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy and preceding intravenous thrombolysis, low-dose tirofiban was not associated with increased risk of sICH or ICH. Further randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm the effects of tirofiban in patients undergoing bridging therapy

Measurement of t(t)over-bar normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV, and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Peer reviewe

Search for Physics beyond the Standard Model in Events with Overlapping Photons and Jets

Results are reported from a search for new particles that decay into a photon and two gluons, in events with jets. Novel jet substructure techniques are developed that allow photons to be identified in an environment densely populated with hadrons. The analyzed proton-proton collision data were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in 2016 at root s = 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The spectra of total transverse hadronic energy of candidate events are examined for deviations from the standard model predictions. No statistically significant excess is observed over the expected background. The first cross section limits on new physics processes resulting in such events are set. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the rate of gluino pair production, utilizing a simplified stealth supersymmetry model. The excluded gluino masses extend up to 1.7 TeV, for a neutralino mass of 200 GeV and exceed previous mass constraints set by analyses targeting events with isolated photons.Peer reviewe

Measurement of the Jet Mass Distribution and Top Quark Mass in Hadronic Decays of Boosted Top Quarks in pp Collisions at root s=13 TeV

A measurement is reported of the jet mass distribution in hadronic decays of boosted top quarks produced in pp collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The measurement is performed in the lepton + jets channel of t (t) over bar events, where the lepton is an electron or muon. The products of the hadronic top quark decay t -> bW -> bq (q) over bar' are reconstructed as a single jet with transverse momentum larger than 400 GeV. The t (t) over bar cross section as a function of the jet mass is unfolded at the particle level and used to extract a value of the top quark mass of 172.6 +/- 2.5 GeV. A novel jet reconstruction technique is used for the first time at the LHC, which improves the precision by a factor of 3 relative to an earlier measurement. This highlights the potential of measurements using boosted top quarks, where the new technique will enable future precision measurements.Peer reviewe