Observation of a ppb mass threshoud enhancement in \psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p}) decay

The decay channel $\psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p})$ is studied using a sample of $1.06\times 10^8$ $\psi^\prime$ events collected by the BESIII experiment at BEPCII. A strong enhancement at threshold is observed in the $p\bar{p}$ invariant mass spectrum. The enhancement can be fit with an $S$-wave Breit-Wigner resonance function with a resulting peak mass of $M=1861^{+6}_{-13} {\rm (stat)}^{+7}_{-26} {\rm (syst)} {\rm MeV/}c^2$ and a narrow width that is $\Gamma<38 {\rm MeV/}c^2$ at the 90% confidence level. These results are consistent with published BESII results. These mass and width values do not match with those of any known meson resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Chinese Physics

Acupoint Autohemotherapy Attenuates DNCB-Induced Atopic Dermatitis and Activates Regulatory T Cells in BALB/c Mice

Shi-Hua Yan,1,2 Yong Chen,3 Zhi-Qian Huang,1 Wen-Xi Zhong,1 Xiao-Tian Wang,1 Yang-Can Tang,1 Xu-Yi Zhao,1 Yu-Shan Wu,1 Chun Zhou,4 Wei Zhu,5 Wei Xiao,1,6 Xuan Li,2 Dong-Shu Zhang1,2 1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Tenth affiliated Hospital, Southern Medical University (Dongguan People’s Hospital), Dongguan, Guangdong, 523058, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, 563000, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Shock and Microcirculation, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China; 5Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, 510440, People’s Republic of China; 6Key Laboratory of Glucolipid Metabolic Disorder, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Dong-Shu Zhang, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Wei Xiao, Key Laboratory of Glucolipid Metabolic Disorder, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510006, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Acupoint autohemotherapy (A-AHT) has been proposed as an alternative and complementary treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD), yet the exact role of its blood component in terms of therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of action is still largely unknown.Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacies and action mechanisms of intramuscular injections of autologous whole blood (AWB) and mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG) (autologous or heterologous) at acupoints on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD mouse models. Serum levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE), IgG, interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) were measured, as well as mRNA expression levels of Forkhead box P3 (FoxP3), IL-10 and IFN-γ in dorsal skin lesions, and IL-10+, IFN-γ+ and FoxP3+CD4+T cells in murine spleen.Results: It showed that repeated acupoint injection of AWB, autologous total IgG (purified from autologous blood in AD mice) or heterologous total IgG (purified from healthy blood in normal mice) effectively reduced the severity of AD symptoms and decreased epidermal and dermal thickness as well as mast cells in skin lesions. Additionally, AWB acupoint injection was found to upregulate FoxP3+, IL-10+ and IFN-γ+ CD4+T cells in murine spleen, suppressing the production of IgE antibodies and increasing that of IgG antibodies in the serum. Furthermore, both AWB and autologous total IgG administrations significantly elevated FoxP3 expression, mRNA levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ in dorsal skin lesions. However, acupoint injection of heterologous total IgG had no effect on regulatory T (Treg) and Th1 cells modulation.Conclusion: These findings suggest that the therapeutic effects of A-AHT on AD are mediated by IgG-induced activation of Treg cells.Keywords: autologous whole blood, acupoint injection, atopic dermatitis, anti-idiotypic immunomodulation, Treg

Magnetism and its microscopic origin in iron-based high-temperature superconductors

High-temperature superconductivity in the iron-based materials emerges from, or sometimes coexists with, their metallic or insulating parent compound states. This is surprising since these undoped states display dramatically different antiferromagnetic (AF) spin arrangements and N$\rm \acute{e}$el temperatures. Although there is general consensus that magnetic interactions are important for superconductivity, much is still unknown concerning the microscopic origin of the magnetic states. In this review, progress in this area is summarized, focusing on recent experimental and theoretical results and discussing their microscopic implications. It is concluded that the parent compounds are in a state that is more complex than implied by a simple Fermi surface nesting scenario, and a dual description including both itinerant and localized degrees of freedom is needed to properly describe these fascinating materials.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, Review article, accepted for publication in Nature Physic

Coherent excitation transferring via dark state in light-harvesting process

We study the light absorption and energy transferring in a donor-acceptor system with a bionic structure. In the optimal case with uniform couplings, it is found that the quantum dynamics of this seemingly complicated system is reduced as a three-level system of $\Lambda$-type. With this observation, we show that the dark state based electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) effect could enhance the energy transfer efficiency, through a quantum interference effect suppressing the excited population of the donors. We estimate the optimal parameters of the system to achieve the maximum output power. The splitting behavior of maximum power may be used to explain the phenomenon that the photosynthesis systems mainly absorb two colors of light.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

China’s Pledge to Civilise “All Under Heaven”

With China's global rise, both its state leadership and key academics have engaged in developing a civilisational discourse for the twenty-first century partly based on ancient cosmological concepts. This article explores the meanings of and intentions behind this discourse, including its promise of a Chinese-led world order, and discusses its intended audience and international appeal. In the backdrop of theoretical debates on empires and their missions, the article claims that without a corresponding cultural appeal, China's rising economic power and geostrategic clout are insufficient conditions to realise an empire in the classical sense. Growing inconsistencies mar the country's imperial ambitions, such as those between a global civilising outreach and a toughening domestic embrace. Instead, imperial rhetoric is cautiously integrated in the party-state's restoration of a Chinese "empire within," indicating self-centredness and a lurking re-traditionalising of Chinese state power

Estrogen Receptor-Alpha 36 Mediates Mitogenic Antiestrogen Signaling in ER-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

It is prevailingly thought that the antiestrogens tamoxifen and ICI 182, 780 are competitive antagonists of the estrogen-binding site of the estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-α). However, a plethora of evidence demonstrated both antiestrogens exhibit agonist activities in different systems such as activation of the membrane-initiated signaling pathways. The mechanisms by which antiestrogens mediate estrogen-like activities have not been fully established. Previously, a variant of ER-α, EP–α36, has been cloned and showed to mediate membrane-initiated estrogen and antiestrogen signaling in cells only expressing ER-α36. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the antiestrogen signaling in ER-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 cells that express high levels of endogenous ER-α36. We found that the effects of both 4-hydoxytamoxifen (4-OHT) and ICI 182, 780 (ICI) exhibited a non-monotonic, or biphasic dose response curve; antiestrogens at low concentrations, elicited a mitogenic signaling pathway to stimulate cell proliferation while at high concentrations, antiestrogens inhibited cell growth. Antiestrogens at l nM induced the phosphorylation of the Src-Y416 residue, an event to activate Src, while at 5 µM induced Src-Y527 phosphorylation that inactivates Src. Antiestrogens at 1 nM also induced phosphorylation of the MAPK/ERK and activated the Cyclin D1 promoter activity through the Src/EGFR/STAT5 pathways but not at 5 µM. Knock-down of ER-α36 abrogated the biphasic antiestrogen signaling in these cells. Our results thus indicated that ER-α36 mediates biphasic antiestrogen signaling in the ER-negative breast cancer cells and Src functions as a switch of antiestrogen signaling dependent on concentrations of antiestrogens through the EGFR/STAT5 pathway

Data Descriptor: Ash leaf metabolomes reveal differences between trees tolerant and susceptible to ash dieback disease

CMS was funded by the ‘Nornex’ project jointly by UK BBSRC (BBS/E/J/000CA5323) and DEFRA and a BBSRC Tools and Resources grant (BB/N021452/1) awarded to M.G. and D.J.S

Cell Nucleus-Targeting Zwitterionic Carbon Dots

An innovative nucleus-targeting zwitterionic carbon dot (CD) vehicle has been developed for anticancer drug delivery and optical monitoring. The zwitterionic functional groups of the CDs introduced by a simple one-step synthesis using beta-alanine as a passivating and zwitterionic ligand allow cytoplasmic uptake and subsequent nuclear translocation of the CDs. Moreover, multicolor fluorescence improves the accuracy of the CDs as an optical code. The CD-based drug delivery system constructed by non-covalent grafting of doxorubicin, exhibits superior antitumor efficacy owing to enhanced nuclear delivery in vitro and tumor accumulation in vivo, resulting in highly effective tumor growth inhibition. Since the zwitterionic CDs are highly biocompatible and effectively translocated into the nucleus, it provides a compelling solution to a multifunctional nanoparticle for substantially enhanced nuclear uptake of drugs and optical monitoring of translocation.open