Thermodynamics in the universe described by the emergence of the space and the energy balance relation

It has previously been shown that it is more general to describe the evolution of the universe based on the emergence of the space and the energy balance relation. Here we investigate the thermodynamic properties of the universe described by such a model. We show that the first law of thermodynamics and the generalized second law of thermodynamics (GSLT) are both satisfied and the weak energy condition are also fulfilled for two typical examples. Finally we examine the physical consistency for the present model.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Effects of vertical advection on multimessenger signatures of black hole neutrino-dominated accretion flows in compact binary coalescences

In the coalescence events of binary neutron star (NS) or a black hole (BH) and an NS, a BH hyperaccretion disk might be eventually formed. At very high mass accretion rates, MeV neutrinos will be emitted from this disk, which is called a neutrino-dominated accretion flow (NDAF). Neutrino annihilation in the space out of the disk is energetic enough to launch ultrarelativistic jets to power gamma-ray bursts. Moreover, vertical advection might exist in NDAFs, which can generate the magnetic buoyancy bubbles to release gamma-ray photons. In this paper, we visit the effects of the vertical advection in NDAFs on the disk structure and gamma-ray and neutrino luminosities for different accretion rates. Then we study the anisotropic emission of kilonovae and the following gravitational waves (GWs) driven by the gamma-ray photons and neutrinos from NDAFs. Comparing NDAFs without vertical advection, the neutrino luminosity and GW strains slightly decrease for the case with vertical advection, and the kilonovae will be brightened by the injected gamma-ray photons. The future joint multimessenger observations might distinguish whether the vertical advection exists in NDAFs or not after compact binary coalescences.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Genetic characterization of H1N2 influenza a virus isolated from sick pigs in Southern China in 2010

In China H3N2 and H1N1 swine influenza viruses have been circulating for many years. In January 2010, before swine were infected with foot and mouth disease in Guangdong, some pigs have shown flu-like symptoms: cough, sneeze, runny nose and fever. We collected the nasopharyngeal swab of all sick pigs as much as possible. One subtype H1N2 influenza viruses were isolated from the pig population. The complete genome of one isolate, designated A/swine/Guangdong/1/2010(H1N2), was sequenced and compared with sequences available in GenBank. The nucleotide sequences of all eight viral RNA segments were determined, and then phylogenetic analysis was performed using the neighbor-joining method. HA, NP, M and NS were shown to be closely to swine origin. PB2 and PA were close to avian origin, but NA and PB1were close to human origin. It is a result of a multiple reassortment event. In conclusion, our finding provides further evidence about the interspecies transmission of avian influenza viruses to pigs and emphasizes the importance of reinforcing swine influenza virus (SIV) surveillance, especially before the emergence of highly pathogenic FMDs in pigs in Guangdong

Effects of different starch sources on Bacillus spp. in intestinal tract and expression of intestinal development related genes of weanling piglets

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different starch sources on Bacillus spp. in intestinal tract and expression of intestinal development related genes of weanling piglets. Twenty-eight PIC male piglets were divided into four homogeneous groups according to initial body weight (similar birth and parity, weaned at 21 ± 1.5 days). Diets for the four treatments consisted of corn starch, wheat starch, tapioca starch and pea starch with the determined ratio for amylose to amylopectin of 0.21, 0.24, 0.12 and 0.52 respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was applied to: (1) detect genomic DNA of Bacillus and to quantify the number of Bacillus in the intestinal tract chyme of piglets with the primers and probe which designed based on the 16S rRNA sequences of maximum species of Bacillus on GenBank; (2) measure the mRNA level of glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2), insulin-like growth factors 1 (IGF-1) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Results showed that the number of Baciilus and the percentage based on all bacteria in the whole intestinal content of piglets fed pea starch was highest in all groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant differance on copy numbers for all bacteria and Bacillus in the whole intestinal tract of piglets between the corn starch group and wheat starch group (P > 0.05). In addition, the expression level of GLP-2, IGF-1 mRNA in jejunum and ileum of pea starch treatment (the high amylose/amylopectin ratio) were increased while the tapioca starch decreased their mRNA level significantly compared to other three treatments (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference for the mRNA level of EGF in each group. The present study revealed that high amylose/amylopectin ratio of starches significantly enhanced the numbers of Bacillus in all segments of intestine and the mRNA level of intestinal development related genes

Autophagy in glaucoma pathogenesis: Therapeutic potential and future perspectives

Glaucoma is a common blinding eye disease characterized by progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons, progressive loss of visual field, and optic nerve atrophy. Autophagy plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of glaucoma and is closely related to its pathogenesis. Targeting autophagy and blocking the apoptosis of RGCs provides emerging guidance for the treatment of glaucoma. Here, we provide a systematic review of the mechanisms and targets of interventions related to autophagy in glaucoma and discuss the outlook of emerging ideas, techniques, and multidisciplinary combinations to provide a new basis for further research and the prevention of glaucomatous visual impairment

Activated TLR Signaling in Atherosclerosis among Women with Lower Framingham Risk Score: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Traditional risk factors can be used to identify individuals at high risk for developing CVD and are generally associated with the extent of atherosclerosis; however, substantial numbers of individuals at low or intermediate risk still develop atherosclerosis.A case-control study was performed using microarray gene expression profiling of peripheral blood from 119 healthy women in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis cohort aged 50 or above. All participants had low (<10%) to intermediate (10% to 20%) predicted Framingham risk; cases (N = 48) had coronary artery calcium (CAC) score >100 and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) >1.0 mm, whereas controls (N = 71) had CAC<10 and IMT <0.65 mm. We identified two major expression profiles significantly associated with significant atherosclerosis (odds ratio 4.85; P<0.001); among those with Framingham risk score <10%, the odds ratio was 5.30 (P<0.001). Ontology analysis of the gene signature reveals activation of a major innate immune pathway, toll-like receptors and IL-1R signaling, in individuals with significant atherosclerosis.Gene expression profiles of peripheral blood may be a useful tool to identify individuals with significant burden of atherosclerosis, even among those with low predicted risk by clinical factors. Furthermore, our data suggest an intimate connection between atherosclerosis and the innate immune system and inflammation via TLR signaling in lower risk individuals

Bimodal Fluorescence and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Using Water-Soluble Hexagonal NaYF 4

The present study explored the feasibility of using hexagonal-phase NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd nanocrystals as bimodal probes for fluorescence and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Using a facile and user-friendly strategy, the NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd nanocrystals were synthesized with good water dispensability, high quantum yield (26%), and decent MR T1 relaxivity (r1=2.87 mM−1 s−1). The NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd NCs conjugated by folic acid presented great efficiency in fluorescence imaging of C6 glioma cells in vitro. Meanwhile, in in vivo MR experiments on rats, the NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd NCs also significantly increased T1 signal in the liver, spleen, and kidney even with a low probe dose. The proposed NaYF4:Ce,Tb,Gd nanoprobes hold promise for simultaneous bimodal fluorescence and MR bioimaging

Development of multiphysics coupling system for nuclear fuel rod with COMSOL and RMC

Coupling fuel performance and neutronics can help improve the prediction accuracy of fuel rod behavior, which is important for fuel design and performance evaluation. A fuel rod multiphysics coupled system was developed with multiphysics software COMSOL and 3D Monte Carlo neutron transport code RMC. The fuel performance analysis module was built on top of COMSOL with the ability to simulate the fuel behavior in two-dimensional axisymmetric (2D-RZ) or three-dimensional (3D) mode. RMC was innovatively wrapped as a component of COMSOL to communicate with the fuel performance analysis module. The data transferring and the coupling process was maintained using COMSOL’s functionality. Two-way coupling was achieved by mapping power distribution and fast neutron flux fields from RMC to COMSOL and the temperature and coolant density fields from COMSOL to RMC. A fuel rod pin lattice was modeled to demonstrate the coupling. Results show that the calculated power and temperature distributions are reasonable. Considering the flexibility of the coupled system, it can be applied to the performance evaluation of new fuel design