A Cross-Cultural Perspective on the Preference for Potential Effect: An Individual Participant Data (IPD) Meta-Analysis Approach

A recent paper [Tormala ZL, Jia JS, Norton MI (2012). The preference for potential. Journal of personality and social psychology, 103:567-583] demonstrated that persons often prefer potential rather than achievement when evaluating others, because information regarding potential evokes greater interest and processing, resulting in more favorable evaluations. This research aimed to expand on this finding by asking two questions: (a) Is the preference for potential effect replicable in other cultures? (b) Is there any other mechanism that accounts for this preference for potential? To answer these two questions, we replicated Tormala et al.'s study in multiple cities (17 studies with 1,128 participants) in China using an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis approach to test our hypothesis. Our results showed that the preference for potential effect found in the US is also robust in China. Moreover, we also found a pro-youth bias behind the preference for potential effect. To be specific, persons prefer a potential-oriented applicant rather than an achievement-oriented applicant, partially because they believe that the former is younger than the latter

Excited Heavy Quarkonium Production at the LHC through WW-Boson Decays

Sizable amount of heavy-quarkonium events can be produced through $W$-boson decays at the LHC. Such channels will provide a suitable platform to study the heavy-quarkonium properties. The "improved trace technology", which disposes the amplitude ${\cal M}$ at the amplitude-level, is helpful for deriving compact analytical results for complex processes. As an important new application, in addition to the production of the lower-level Fock states $|(Q\bar{Q'})[1S]>$ and $|(Q\bar{Q'})[1P]>$, we make a further study on the production of higher-excited $|(Q\bar{Q'})>$-quarkonium Fock states $|(Q\bar{Q'})[2S]>$, $|(Q\bar{Q'})[3S]>$ and $|(Q\bar{Q'})[2P]>$. Here $|(Q\bar{Q'})>$ stands for the $|(c\bar{c})>$-charmonium, $|(c\bar{b})>$-quarkonium and $|(b\bar{b})>$-bottomonium respectively. We show that sizable amount of events for those higher-excited states can also be produced at the LHC. Therefore, we need to take them into consideration for a sound estimation.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures and 6 tables. Typo errors are corrected, more discussions and two new figures have been adde

Paraboea yunfuensis: a new calcicolous species of Gesneriaceae from Yunfu, Guangdong Province, China

Paraboea yunfuensis F.Wen & Y.G.Wei (Gesneriaceae) is described as a new species endemic to the Guangdong Province, China. This species is one of two peltate-leaved Paraboea species in China. It is distinguished from the similar-looking P. peltifolia by the presence of longer pedicel and filaments, shorter staminodes, linear-lanceolate calyx lobes, and an indumentum on peduncles, pedicels, and calyx lobes. A detailed description, photographs of a specimen from the type location, and a table of comparative characters are provided

Selective cell death of latently HIV-infected CD4+ T cells mediated by autosis inducing nanopeptides.

Despite significant advances in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV) infection, antiretroviral therapy only suppresses viral replication but is unable to eliminate infection. Thus, discontinuation of antiretrovirals results in viral reactivation and disease progression. A major reservoir of HIV latent infection resides in resting central memory CD4+ T cells (TCM) that escape clearance by current therapeutic regimens and will require novel strategies for elimination. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of autophagy-inducing peptides, Tat-Beclin 1 and Tat-vFLIP-α2, which can induce a novel Na+/K+-ATPase dependent form of cell death (autosis), to kill latently HIV-infected TCM while preventing virologic rebound. In this study, we encapsulated autophagy inducing peptides into biodegradable lipid-coated hybrid PLGA (poly lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles for controlled intracellular delivery. A single dose of nanopeptides was found to eliminate latent HIV infection in an in vitro primary model of HIV latency and ex vivo using resting CD4+ T cells obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral with fully suppressed virus for greater than 12 months. Notably, increased LC3B lipidation, SQSTM1/p62 degradation and Na+/K+-ATPase activity characteristic of autosis, were detected in nanopeptide treated latently HIV-infected cells compared to untreated uninfected or infected cells. Nanopeptide-induced cell death could be reversed by knockdown of autophagy proteins, ATG5 and ATG7, and inhibition or knockdown of Na+/K+-ATPase. Importantly, viral rebound was not detected following the induction of the Na+/K+-ATPase dependent form of cell death induced by the Tat-Beclin 1 and Tat-vFLIP-α2 nanopeptides. These findings provide a novel strategy to eradicate HIV latently infected resting memory CD4+ T cells, the major reservoir of HIV latency, through the induction of Na+/K+-ATPase dependent autophagy, while preventing reactivation of virus and new infection of uninfected bystander cells

Two types of anterior cervical fusion for the treatment of two-segment cervical spondylotic myelopathy: clinical efficacy and imaging analysis

Objective To compare the effectiveness of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) in the treatment of twolevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Methods Clinical data of 58 patients with two-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy treated from January 2020 to December 2022 at Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital Affiliated to Xinglin College, Nantong University were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into ACDF group (n=30) and ACCF group (n=28) based on the surgical procedure. Perioperative data (hospitalization time, intraoperative blood loss and operation time), clinical parameters ［neck disability index (NDI) score and visual analog scale (VAS) score］, and imaging data (segmental angle, T1 slope, C 2-7sagittal vertical axis, C 2-7cervical lordosis, and fusion rate) were compared between the two groups. Results The operation time ［（107.38±12.29）min vs (118.37±11.36)min, t=3.529, P＜0.01］ and intraoperative blood loss ［（58.36±24.31）mL vs （77.73±27.51）mL, t=2.846, P＜0.01］ were lower in the ACDF group than in the ACCF group. Both groups showed significantly decreased NDI and VAS scores postoperatively compared to preoperative scores (P＜0.05), but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P＞0.05). The ACDF group showed significant improvements in segmental angle and C 2-7cervical lordosis postoperatively and at the last follow-up, which were greater than those in the ACCF group (P＜0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in T1 slope, C 2-7sagittal vertical, and fusion rate between the two groups (P＞0.05). Conclusion In the treatment of two-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy, ACDF has less surgical trauma than ACCF and is more advantageous in restoring cervical lordosis. For cases without significant bony spinal cord compression, ACDF is a preferable surgical option for two-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Kondo effect in carbon nanotube quantum dots with spin-orbit coupling

Motivated by recent experimental observation of spin-orbit coupling in carbon nanotube quantum dots [F. Kuemmeth \textsl{et al.}, Nature (London) {\bf 452}, 448 (2008)], we investigate in detail its influence on the Kondo effect. The spin-orbit coupling intrinsically lifts out the fourfold degeneracy of a single electron in the dot, thereby breaking the SU(4) symmetry and splitting the Kondo resonance even at zero magnetic field. When the field is applied, the Kondo resonance further splits and exhibits fine multipeak structures resulting from the interplay of spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman effect. A microscopic cotunneling process for each peak can be uniquely identified. Finally, a purely orbital Kondo effect in the two-electron regime is also obtained.Comment: published version, 5 pages, 4 figure