Analysis of corrections to the eikonal approximation

Various corrections to the eikonal approximations are studied for two- and three-body nuclear collisions with the goal to extend the range of validity of this approximation to beam energies of 10 MeV/nucleon. Wallace's correction does not improve much the elastic-scattering cross sections obtained at the usual eikonal approximation. On the contrary, a semiclassical approximation that substitutes the impact parameter by a complex distance of closest approach computed with the projectile-target optical potential efficiently corrects the eikonal approximation. This opens the possibility to analyze data measured down to 10 MeV/nucleon within eikonal-like reaction models.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

Diversity of Gut Microbiota Metabolic Pathways in 10 Pairs of Chinese Infant Twins

<div><p>Early colonization of gut microbiota in human gut is a complex process. It remains unclear when gut microbiota colonization occurs and how it proceeds. In order to study gut microbiota composition in human early life, the present study recruited 10 healthy pairs of twins, including five monozygotic (MZ) and five dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs, whose age ranged from 0 to 6 years old. 20 fecal samples from these twins were processed by shotgun metagenomic sequencing, and their averaged data outputs were generated as 2G per sample. We used MEGAN5 to perform taxonomic and functional annotation of the metagenomic data, and systematically analyzed those 20 samples, including Jaccard index similarity, principle component, clustering, and correlation analyses. Our findings indicated that within our study group: 1) MZ-twins share more microbes than DZ twins or non-twin pairs, 2) gut microbiota distribution is relatively stable at metabolic pathways level, 3) age represents the strongest factor that can account for variation in gut microbiota, and 4) a clear metabolic pathway shift can be observed, which speculatively occurs around the age of 1 year old. This research will serve as a base for future studies of gut microbiota-related disease research.</p></div

Gut microbiota are not stable and gut metabolism becomes stable with age.

<p>Fig 2a (top) is a stacked line of gut microbiota at the phylum level. The figures show that gut microbiota distribution are not stable at the taxonomic level. Fig 2b (lower) is a local fitting of gut microbiota at the KEGG level 1, the unique reads which are normalized to 1 million reads per sample annotated in each sectors are regressed against age (months) of 10 co-twins. The lines are drawn by R’s lowess according to a weighted polynomial regression method for the local fitting of KEGG level data. As the age increases, there is a trend that the KEGG functions for gut microbiota began to stabilize.</p

Significant enriched pathways revealed by Student’s <i>t-</i>test in younger (<1 year old) and older (>1 year old) groups of babies.

<p>Significant enriched pathways revealed by Student’s <i>t-</i>test in younger (<1 year old) and older (>1 year old) groups of babies.</p

Sample characteristics of 10 pairs of co-twins.

<p>Sample characteristics of 10 pairs of co-twins.</p

Revealing age-related KEGG pathways.

<p>Samples were renamed using “A” plus infant ages in months. The red color means these pathways are older age group enriched, the blue color means that these pathways are younger age group enriched. Significant, one year of age was used as the dividing line and samples were divided into two groups. All pathways with read count above 1000, a p-value less than 0.001, and a FDR value less than 0.05 were selected and clustered. The probability of several signaling pathways, such as renal cell carcinoma and arachidonic acid, occurring in the younger group is higher than for the older group.</p

Age is the strongest component that affects gut microbiota composition at the KEGG pathway level.

<p>Samples were named using “A” plus infant ages according to months. Fig 3 indicates that the first and second dimension can account for 41.34% and 18.29% of the variation, respectively, and that the distribution of all samples in two dimensions and indicates that all samples could be divided into two groups based on age bifurcated at 1 year of age.</p

MZ co-twin pairs share more gut microbes than pairs of DZ co-twins or inter-twins.

<p>The sample distances between any two samples were computed using the 1–Jaccard index. MZ (monozygotic) and DZ (dizygotic) twins are marked with red and black font, respectively. This figure shows that compared with DZ and non-twins, MZ twins are more tightly clustered.</p

DataSheet1_Clinical and genetic risk factors associated with neonatal severe hyperbilirubinemia: a case–control study based on the China Neonatal Genomes Project.docx

Objective: We aimed to investigate the clinical and genetic risk factors associated with neonatal severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia.Methods: This was a retrospective, 1:1 matched, case–control study. We included 614 neonates diagnosed with severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia (serum total bilirubin level ≥425 μmol/L or serum total bilirubin concentration that met exchange transfusion criteria) from the China Neonatal Genomes Project in Children’s Hospital of Fudan University. Clinical exome sequencing data were analyzed using a data analysis pipeline of Children’s Hospital of Fudan University. The factors associated with severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia were assessed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Interaction analyses were examined between clinical and genetic risk factors.Results: ABO/Rh incompatibility hemolysis (odds ratio [OR] 3.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.32–4.86), extravascular hemorrhage (OR 2.95, 95% CI 2.24–3.89), weight loss (OR 5.46, 95% CI 2.88–10.36), exclusive breastmilk feeding (OR 3.56, 95% CI 2.71–4.68), and the homozygous mutant of UGT1A1 211G>A (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.54–3.59) were all identified as factors significantly associated with severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The presence of UGT1A1 211G>A mildly increased the risk of severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia caused by ABO/Rh incompatibility hemolysis (OR 3.98, 95% CI 2.19–7.23), although the effect is not statistically significant.Conclusion: ABO/Rh incompatibility hemolysis, extravascular hemorrhage, weight loss, exclusive breastmilk feeding, and the homozygous mutant of UGT1A1 211G>A were found to be risk factors for severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Clinical factors remain the most crucial and preventable determinants in managing severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, with a minimal genetic contribution. The establishment of preconception care practices and the reinforcement of screening for the aforementioned risk factors are essential steps for preventing severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia.</p

From Solution to Biointerface: Graphene Self-Assemblies of Varying Lateral Sizes and Surface Properties for Biofilm Control and Osteodifferentiation

Bringing multifunctional graphene out of solution through facile self-assembly to form 2D surface nanostructures, with control over the lateral size and surface properties, would be an intriguing accomplishment, especially in biomedical fields where biointerfaces with functional diversity are in high demand. Guided by this goal, in this work, we built such graphene-based self-assemblies on orthopedic titanium, attempting to selectively regulate bacterial activities and osteoblastic functions, which are both crucial in bone regeneration. Briefly, large-area graphene oxide (GO) sheets and functionalized reduced GO (rGO) micro-/nanosheets were self-assembled spontaneously and controllably onto solid Ti, through an evaporation-assisted electrostatic assembly process and a mussel-inspired one-pot assembly process, respectively. The resultant layers were characterized in terms of topological structure, chemical composition, hydrophilicity, and protein adsorption properties. The antibacterial efficacies of the assemblies were examined by challenging them with pathogenic <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (<i>S. aureus</i>) bacteria that produce biofilms, whereby around 50% antiadhesion effects and considerable antibiofilm activities were observed for both layer types but through dissimilar modes of action. Their cytocompatibility and osteogenic potential were also investigated. Interfaced with MC3T3-E1 cells, the functionalized rGO sheets evoked better cell adhesion and growth than GO sheets, whereas the latter elicited higher osteodifferentiation activity throughout a 28-day in vitro culture. In this work, we showed that it is technically possible to construct graphene interface layers of varying lateral dimensions and surface properties and confirmed the concept of using the obtained assemblies to address the two major challenges facing orthopedic clinics. In addition, we determined fundamental implications for understanding the surface–biology relationship of graphene biomaterials, in efforts to better design and more safely use them for future biomedicine