Reprocessed emission from warped accretion discs induced by the Bardeen-Petterson effect

The broad Balmer emission-line profiles resulting from the reprocessing of UV/X-ray radiation from a warped accretion disc induced by the Bardeen-Petterson effect are studied. We adopt a thin warped disc geometry and a central ring-like illuminating source in our model. We compute the steady-state shape of the warped disc numerically, and then use it in the calculation of the line profile. We find that, from the outer radius to the inner radius of the disc, the warp is twisted by an angle of $\sim\pi$ before being flattened efficiently into the equatorial plane. The profiles obtained depend weakly on the illuminating source radius in the range from $3r_{g}$ to $10r_g$, but depend strongly on this radius when it approaches the marginally stable orbit of an extreme Kerr black hole. Double- or triplet-peaked line profiles are present in most cases when the illuminating source radius is low. The triplet-peaked line profiles observed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey may be a {"}signature" of a warped disc.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, typos corrected, matches version to appear in MNRA

Employee business at various levels of a hierarchy for organisations completing case work

This article describes a model for examining the contribution of supervisors to an organization by considering the case work they complete as a production system. The average delay in case work is referred to as the service level. At a given service level, the minimization of total wages within one hour can be studied as a cost function. With this cost function, wage spending on handled-case time and idle time can be formulated. The ratio between the handled-case time and idle time of all employees at the kth level within 1 hour is defined as the‘ busy index’ at the kth level. From the optimal hierarchical structure, we find the following two properties: (1) Given any two levels i and j, the ratio between the idle times of ith and jth levels is independent not only of the service level but also the rate of arriving cases; and (2) At each level, the busy indices are proportional to the square root of each level’s wage rates. This implies that the busy indices decrease with the hierarchical level. Ultimately, when the wage rates at all levels are equal, the increment also becomes equal

3-Hy­droxy-1,2-dimeth­oxyxanthone

The title compound (systematic name: 3-hy­droxy-1,2-dimeth­oxy-9H-xanthen-9-one), C15H12O5, was isolated from Polygala arillata. The tricyclic unit is essentially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.039 Å). In the crystal, the mol­ecules form stacks along the a axis. Inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into chains parallel to [010]

Association of Chinese Herbal Medicines Use with Development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients appear to report a higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). While Chinese herbal medicine (CHMs) is proven to lower COPD risk, the scientific evidence regarding its effect in relation to COPD onset among them is limited. This longitudinal cohort study aimed to determine the relationship between CHMs use and the COPD risk in RA patients. Methods: Using the nationwide claim data, 8349 patients newly diagnosed with RA and simultaneously free of COPD between 1998 and 2010 were eligible for enrollment. From this sample, we enrolled 3360 CHMs users and 3360 non-CHMs users, randomly selected using propensity scores matching from the remaining cases. They were followed until the end of 2012 to record COPD incidence. The hazard ratio (HR) of COPD with regard to CHMs use was estimated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: In the follow-up period, 136 CHMs users and 202 non-CHMs users developed COPD, representing incidence rates of 5.16 and 7.66, respectively, per 1000 person-years. CHMs use was associated with a 32% lower subsequent risk of COPD (adjusted HR: 0.68, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.54–0.84). Eight commonly prescribed CHMs were discovered to be associated with lower COPD risk: Yan Hu Suo, Sānɡ Zhī, Dang Shen, Huang Qin, Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, Shu-Jing-Huo-Xue-Tang, Du-Huo-Ji-Sheng-Tang and Ge-Gen-Tang. Conclusion: A significant association of CHMs use with a lower risk of COPD onset in RA patients was found, suggesting that CHMs could be integrated into conventional therapy to reduce COPD risk

Thermal Stability and Rheological Properties of Polyethylene (PE)/Polyvinylchloride (PVC)/Wood Composites

This paper investigated the thermorheological properties, thermal properties and flame retardant properties of wood-plastic composites (WPCs). With the addition of wood flour (WF), the rheological behavior became complexity. The critical frequency of shear-thinning phenomenon of the melt viscosity was shifted toward lower value. The temperature dependence of elastic modulus, loss modulus became more serious with the addition of WF. The Cole-Cole plot indicated the existence of complex multi-phase structure in the WPC melt. The CONE calorimetry results showed that ammonium polyphosphate (APP) had good flame retardancy through promoting the formation of the intumescent carbon layer. The present study will supply good insight into the optimization of WPC formulation

Prognostic value of cystatin C in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a retrospective study of 1063 patients

OBJECTIVE: Patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma experience highly variable outcomes despite receiving similar therapeutic regimens. Identifying biomarkers that predict survival and guide individualized therapy is urgently needed. Cystatin C has been explored as a valuable prognostic marker in several malignancies. We retrospectively assessed the relationship between serum cystatin C levels and nasopharyngeal carcinoma prognosis in a large cohort of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving long-term follow-up. METHODS: A total of 1063 consecutive patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma from June 2006 to December 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The serum levels of cystatin C at the time of diagnosis were collected. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analyses using a Cox regression model were performed to assess the correlation of cystatin C levels with overall survival, progression-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival and loco-regional recurrence-free survival. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 68.3 months. The optimal cut-off value of cystatin C levels for predicting death was 0.945 mg/L. Compared with the low cystatin C group, the high cystatin C group experienced significantly shorter overall survival (hazard ratio=1.47, p=0.050), progression-free survival (hazard ratio=1.65, p=0.004), distant metastasis-free survival (hazard ratio=2.37,

Modelling study, efficiency analysis and optimisation of large-scale adiabatic compressed air energy storage systems with low-temperature thermal storage

The key feature of Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) is the reuse of the heat generated from the air compression process at the stage of air expansion. This increases the complexity of the whole system since the heat exchange and thermal storage units must have the capacities and performance to match the air compression/expansion units. Thus it raises a strong demand in the whole system modelling and simulation tool for A-CAES system optimisation. The paper presents a new whole system mathematical model for A-CAES with simulation implementation and the model is developed with consideration of lowing capital cost of the system. The paper then focuses on the study of system efficiency improvement strategies via parametric analysis and system structure optimisation. The paper investigates how the system efficiency is affected by the system component performance and parameters. From the study, the key parameters are identified, which give dominant influences in improving the system efficiency. The study is extended onto optimal system configuration and the recommendations are made for achieving higher efficiency, which provides a useful guidance for A-CAES system design

SHP2 phosphatase as a novel therapeutic target for melanoma treatment

Melanoma ranks among the most aggressive and deadly human cancers. Although a number of targeted therapies are available, they are effective only in a subset of patients and the emergence of drug resistance often reduces durable responses. Thus there is an urgent need to identify new therapeutic targets and develop more potent pharmacological agents for melanoma treatment. Herein we report that SHP2 levels are frequently elevated in melanoma, and high SHP2 expression is significantly associated with more metastatic phenotype and poorer prognosis. We show that SHP2 promotes melanoma cell viability, motility, and anchorage-independent growth, through activation of both ERK1/2 and AKT signaling pathways. We demonstrate that SHP2 inhibitor 11a-1 effectively blocks SHP2-mediated ERK1/2 and AKT activation and attenuates melanoma cell viability, migration and colony formation. Most importantly, SHP2 inhibitor 11a-1 suppresses xenografted melanoma tumor growth, as a result of reduced tumor cell proliferation and enhanced tumor cell apoptosis. Taken together, our data reveal SHP2 as a novel target for melanoma and suggest SHP2 inhibitors as potential novel therapeutic agents for melanoma treatment

6,6′-Dimeth­oxy-2,2′,3,3′,5-penta­nitro-1,1′-biphen­yl

In the axially chiral title compound, C14H9N5O12, the dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 86.0 (8)°. In the crystal structure, the mol­ecules display a two-dimensional framework formed by weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds