On enhanced corrections from quasi-degenerate states to heavy quarkonium observables

It is well known that in perturbation theory existence of quasi-degenerate states can rearrange the order counting. For a heavy quarkonium system, naively, enhanced effects ($l$-changing mixing effects) could contribute already to the first-order and third-order corrections to the wave function and the energy level, respectively, in expansion in $\alpha_s$. We present a formulation and note that the corresponding (lowest-order) corrections vanish due to absence of the relevant off-diagonal matrix elements. As a result, in the quarkonium energy level and leptonic decay width, the enhanced effects are expected to appear, respectively, in the fifth- and fourth-order corrections and beyond.Comment: 9 page

Determination of mcm_c and mbm_b from quarkonium 1S energy levels in perturbative QCD

We update determination of the $\overline{\rm MS}$ masses of the charm and bottom quarks, from comparisons of the masses of the charmonium and bottomonium $1S$ states with their perturbative predictions up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order in $\varepsilon$ expansion and using the $\overline{\rm MS}$ masses. Effects of non-zero charm-quark mass in the bottomonium masses are incorporated up to next-to-next-to-leading order. We obtain $\overline m_c=1246\pm 2 (d_3) \pm 4 (\alpha_s) \pm 23 (\text{h.o.} )~{\rm MeV}$ and $\overline m_b=4197\pm 2 (d_3) \pm 6 (\alpha_s) \pm 20 (\text{h.o.} )\pm 5 (m_c)~ {\rm MeV}$, which agree with the current Particle Data Group values.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. v2: Typo corrected in Eq.(3); no change of final result

Phytoremediation efficiencies of Spirodela polyrhiza and Brassica oleracea in removing nutrients from treated sewage effluent

The study investigates the capacity of phytoremediation as a post-treatment step for the nutrientrich- treated sewage effluent from Saga City sewage treatment plant, Saga, Japan. Phytoremediation in the context of this study is the removal of nutrients such as ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus from the nutrient-rich-treated sewage effluent by plants. In this study, Spirodela polyrhiza (S. polyrhiza) and Brassica oleracea (B. oleracea) were used to phytoremediate the treated sewage effluent collected from the Saga City Sewage Treatment Plant under laboratory scale. Plants were grown in polypropylene planter box supplied with 8,000 mL treated sewage effluent under indoor environment and full water retention throughout the experimental studies. The removal efficiency and daily absorption of nutrients by phytoremediation plants were determined. It was found that the most optimal removal efficiency and average daily nutrient removal rate by S. polyrhiza throughout the experiment were 92.42% ± 1.29% or 15.4 mg/L/d for ammoniacal nitrogen achieved in day 1, 78.69% ± 10.31% or 2.68 mg/L/d for nitrate-nitrogen achieved in day 4, and 93.45% ± 3.26% or 0.51 mg/L/d for phosphorus in day 3 of an experiment. On the other hand, the removal efficiency and average daily nutrient removal rate by B. oleracea throughout the experiment gave a total of 8 d where 76.07% ± 10.38% or 1.68 mg/L/d for ammoniacal nitrogen, 78.38% ± 0.40% or 1.19 mg/L/d for nitrate-nitrogen and 67.40% ± 10.91% or 0.10 mg/L/d for phosphorus. The overall findings demonstrated that phytoremediation by S. polyrhiza was far more effective in removing nutrients from the nutrient-rich-treated sewage effluent compared to B. oleracea. The significance of the study includes reducing the possibility of eutrophication outbreak caused by the disposal of treated sewage effluent, advocating less dependency on global demand for non-renewable phosphorus resources in the agriculture sector, and solving food demand due to the increasing world population

pSNAP: Proteome-wide analysis of elongating nascent polypeptide chains

Cellular global translation is often measured using ribosome profiling or quantitative mass spectrometry, but these methods do not provide direct information at the level of elongating nascent polypeptide chains (NPCs) and associated co-translational events. Here, we describe pSNAP, a method for proteome-wide profiling of NPCs by affinity enrichment of puromycin- and stable isotope-labeled polypeptides. pSNAP does not require ribosome purification and/or chemical labeling, and captures bona fide NPCs that characteristically exhibit protein N-terminus-biased positions. We applied pSNAP to evaluate the effect of silmitasertib, a potential molecular therapy for cancer, and revealed acute translational repression through casein kinase II and mTOR pathways. We also characterized modifications on NPCs and demonstrated that the combination of different types of modifications, such as acetylation and phosphorylation in the N-terminal region of histone H1.5, can modulate interactions with ribosome-associated factors. Thus, pSNAP provides a framework for dissecting co-translational regulations on a proteome-wide scale

Potential of Genome-Wide Studies in Unrelated Plus Trees of a Coniferous Species, Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese Cedar)

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on more than 30,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in unrelated first-generation plus tree genotypes from three populations of Japanese cedar Cryptomeria japonica D. Don with genomic prediction for traits of growth, wood properties and male fecundity. Among the assessed populations, genetic characteristics including the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) and genetic structure differed and these differences are considered to be due to differences in genetic background. Through population-independent GWAS, several significant SNPs found close to the regions associated with each of these traits and shared in common across the populations were identified. The accuracies of genomic predictions were dependent on the traits and populations and reflected the genetic architecture of traits and genetic characteristics. Prediction accuracies using SNPs selected based on GWAS results were similar to those using all SNPs for several combinations of traits and populations. We discussed the application of genome-wide studies for C. japonica improvement

DAZL Relieves miRNA-Mediated Repression of Germline mRNAs by Controlling Poly(A) Tail Length in Zebrafish

BACKGROUND:During zebrafish embryogenesis, microRNA (miRNA) miR-430 contributes to restrict Nanos1 and TDRD7 to primordial germ cells (PGCs) by inducing mRNA deadenylation, mRNA degradation, and translational repression of nanos1 and tdrd7 mRNAs in somatic cells. The nanos1 and tdrd7 3'UTRs include cis-acting elements that allow activity in PGCs even in the presence of miRNA-mediated repression. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Using a GFP reporter mRNA that was fused with tdrd7 3'UTR, we show that a germline-specific RNA-binding protein DAZ-like (DAZL) can relieve the miR-430-mediated repression of tdrd7 mRNA by inducing poly(A) tail elongation (polyadenylation) in zebrafish. We also show that DAZL enhances protein synthesis via the 3'UTR of dazl mRNA, another germline mRNA targeted by miR-430. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Our present study indicated that DAZL acts as an "anti-miRNA factor" during vertebrate germ cell development. Our data also suggested that miRNA-mediated regulation can be modulated on specific target mRNAs through the poly(A) tail control

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Exchange of “signature” calls in captive belugas (Delphinapterus leucas)

Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) produce echolocation clicks, burst pulses, and whistles. The sounds of 3 captive belugas were recorded using 2 hydrophones at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium. There were stable individual differences in the pulse patterning of one type of pulsed sounds (PS1 call), suggesting that belugas use these as “signature” calls. Eighty-eight percent of PS1 calls initiated PS1 calls from other animals within 1 s. PS1 calls repeated by the same individual occurred primarily when other belugas did not respond within 1 s of the first call. Belugas delayed successive PS1 calls when other belugas responded with a PS1 call within 1 s. There was no clear temporal pattern for whistles. It appears that the time limit for responding to calls is 1 s after the initial call. If other individuals do not respond to the PS1 call of a beluga within 1 s, belugas tend to repeat the call and wait for a response. The results of this study suggest that the belugas exchange their individual signatures by using PS1 calls, in a manner similar to that of signature whistles used by bottlenose dolphins

Sets of Frequency Hopping Sequences: Bounds and Optimal Constructions

Frequency hopping spread spectrum and direct sequence spread spectrum are two main spread coding technologies in communication systems. Frequency hopping sequences are needed in frequency hopping code-division multiple-access (FH-CDMA) systems. In this paper, four algebraic and a combinatorial constructions of optimal sets of frequency hopping sequences with new parameters are presented, and a number of bounds on sets of frequency hopping sequences are described