170 research outputs found
Interpreting the charge-dependent flow and constraining the chiral magnetic wave with event shape engineering
The charge asymmetry (Ach) dependence of anisotropic flow serves as an
important tool to search for the chiral magnetic wave (CMW) in heavy-ion
collisions. However, the background effect, such as the local charge
conservation (LCC) entwined with collective flow, has not yet been
unambiguously eliminated in the measurement. With the help of two models, the
AMPT with initial quadrupole moment and the blast wave (BW) incorporating LCC,
we discuss the features of the LCC-induced and the CMW-induced correlations
between Ach and the flow. More importantly, we first propose to use the Event
Shape Engineering (ESE) technique to distinguish the background and the signal
for the CMW study. This method would be highly desirable in the experimental
search for the CMW and provides more insights for understanding the
charge-dependent collective motion of the quark-gluon plasma.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Global constraint on the magnitude of anomalous chiral effects in heavy-ion collisions
When searching for anomalous chiral effects in heavy-ion collisions, one of
the most crucial points is the relationship between the signal and the
background. In this letter, we present a simulation in a modified blast wave
model at LHC energy, which can simultaneously characterize the majority of
measurable quantities, in particular, the chiral magnetic effect (CME) and the
chiral magnetic wave (CMW) observables. Such a universal description, for the
first time, naturally and quantitatively unifies the CME and the CMW studies
and brings to light the connection with the local charge conservation (LCC)
background. Moreover, a simple phenomenological approach is performed to
introduce the signals, aiming at quantifying the maximum allowable strength of
the signals within experimental precision. Such a constraint provides a novel
perspective to understand the experimental data and sheds new light on the
study of anomalous chiral effects as well as charge dependent correlations.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Different physiological roles of insulin receptors in mediating nutrient metabolism in zebrafish
Insulin, the most potent anabolic hormone, is critical for somatic growth and metabolism in vertebrates. Type 2 diabetes, which is the primary cause of hyperglycemia. results from an inability of insulin to signal glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Our previous study showed that double knockout of insulin receptor a (insra) and b (insrb) caused beta-cell hyperplasia and lethality from 5 to 16 days postfertilization (dpf) (Yang BY, Zhai G, Gong YL, Su JZ, Han D, Yin Z, Xie SQ. Sci Bull (Beijing) 62: 486-492, 2017). In this study, we characterized the physiological roles of Insra and Insrb. in somatic growth and fueling metabolism, respectively. A high-carbohydrate diet was provided for insulin receptor knockout zebrafish from 60 to 120 dpf to investigate phenotype inducement and amplification. We observed hyperglycemia in both insra-/- fish and insrb-/- fish. Impaired growth hormone signaling, increased visceral adiposity, and fatty liver were detected in insrb-/- fish, which are phenotypes similar to the lipodystrophy observed in mammals. More importantly, significantly diminished protein levels of P-PPAR alpha, P-STATS, and IGF-1 were also observed in insrb-/- fish. In insra-/- fish, we observed increased protein content and decreased lipid content of the whole body. Taken together, although Insra and Insrb show overlapping roles in mediating glucose metabolism through the insulin-signaling pathway, Insrb is more prone to promoting lipid catabolism and protein synthesis through activation of the growth hormone-signaling pathway, whereas Insra primarily acts to promote lipid synthesis via glucose utilization.</p
Soybean Trihelix Transcription Factors GmGT-2A and GmGT-2B Improve Plant Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses in Transgenic Arabidopsis
BACKGROUND:Trihelix transcription factors play important roles in light-regulated responses and other developmental processes. However, their functions in abiotic stress response are largely unclear. In this study, we identified two trihelix transcription factor genes GmGT-2A and GmGT-2B from soybean and further characterized their roles in abiotic stress tolerance. FINDINGS:Both genes can be induced by various abiotic stresses, and the encoded proteins were localized in nuclear region. In yeast assay, GmGT-2B but not GmGT-2A exhibits ability of transcriptional activation and dimerization. The N-terminal peptide of 153 residues in GmGT-2B was the minimal activation domain and the middle region between the two trihelices mediated the dimerization of the GmGT-2B. Transactivation activity of the GmGT-2B was also confirmed in plant cells. DNA binding analysis using yeast one-hybrid assay revealed that GmGT-2A could bind to GT-1bx, GT-2bx, mGT-2bx-2 and D1 whereas GmGT-2B could bind to the latter three elements. Overexpression of the GmGT-2A and GmGT-2B improved plant tolerance to salt, freezing and drought stress in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Moreover, GmGT-2B-transgenic plants had more green seedlings compared to Col-0 under ABA treatment. Many stress-responsive genes were altered in GmGT-2A- and GmGT-2B-transgenic plants. CONCLUSION:These results indicate that GmGT-2A and GmGT-2B confer stress tolerance through regulation of a common set of genes and specific sets of genes. GmGT-2B also affects ABA sensitivity
Analysis of clinical features, serologic and cerebrospinal fluid tests in patients with neurosyphilis at different stages
Objective To summarize the clinical features, serologic, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests in patients with neurosyphilis at different stages. Methods A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical features, imaging, serologic and CSF tests, treatment and prognosis of 12 cases diagnosed as neurosyphilis. In those cases, 5 cases were early-stage neurosyphilis, including 4 syphilitic meningitis (meningomyelitis) and one meningovascular syphilis; 7 cases were late-stage neurosyphilis, all of whom were general paresis.  Results The serum Treponema pallidum antibody (TP-Ab) and rapid plasma regain (RPR) tests were positive in all 12 cases. The CSF TP-Ab tests of 12 cases were all positive and CSF RPR tests were positive in 9 cases. In 5 cases of early-stage neurosyphilis, one case had elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), 3 cases presented with elevated white blood cell (WBC), 4 cases had elevated protein concentration. In 7 cases of late-stage neurosyphilis, one case had elevated ICP, 7 cases presented with elevated WBC and protein concentration. CSF cytology showed lymphocyte reaction, mainly small lymphocytes. All cases were treated with different doses of intravenous penicillin or ceftriaxone sodium by intramuscular injection, among whom 8 cases presented improved neuropsychiatric symptoms, while 4 cases had no significant improvement. Conclusions Neurosyphilis is easy to be misdiagnosed because of various styles of onset and nontypical clinical manifestations. A definite diagnosis depends on clinical manifestations and serologic and CSF examinations. Early diagnosis and standard treatment is essential for improving prognosis and reducing complications. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2016.07.005</p
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