Net charge fluctuation and string fragmentation

We present simulation results of net charge fluctuation in $Au+Au$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{nn}}$=130 GeV from a dynamic model, JPCIAE. The calculations are done for the quark-gluon phase before hadronization, the pion gas, the resonance pion gas from $\rho$ and $\omega$ decays and so on. The simulations of the charge fluctuation show that the discrepancy exists between the dynamic model and the thermal model for a pion gas and a resonance pion gas from $\rho$ and $\omega$ decays while the simulated charge fluctuation of the quark-gluon phase is close to the thermal model prediction. JPCIAE results of net charge fluctuation in the hardonic phase are nearly 4-5 times larger than one for the quark-gluon phase, which implies that the charge fluctuation in the quark-gluon phase may not survive the hadronization (string fragmentation) as implemented in JPCIAE.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Poly[bis­[μ2-8-ethyl-5-oxo-2-(piperazin-1-yl)-5,8-dihydro­pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxyl­ato]nickel(II)]

The title compound, [Ni(C14H16N5O3)2]n or [Ni(ppa)2]n, where ppa is 8-ethyl-5-oxo-2-(piperazin-1-yl)-5,8-dihydro­pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxyl­ate, was synthesized under hydro­thermal conditions. The NiII atom (site symmetry ) exhibits a distorted trans-NiN2O4 octa­hedral geometry defined by two monodentate N-bonded and two bidentate O,O′-bonded ppa monoanions. The extended two-dimensional structure is a square grid. An inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs

Minimum Thrust of a Morphing Unmanned Submersible Aerial Vehicle in the Water-to-Air Motion

This study proposes a new water-to-air motion pattern that combines morphing with power switch. Under the conditions of this pattern, the vehicle needs a certain thrust to avoid falling back after jumping out of the water. The minimum thrust is among the most important design parameters of a vehicle. The water-exit and take-off dynamic models of the vehicle are constructed through the force and motion analysis before and after morphing. The control model of the vehicle is created by analysing the control problem in the take-off motion. The minimum thrust at different initial water-exit angles is computed using the optimum searching algorithm. The following law is then established: the greater the initial water-exit angle, the smaller the minimum thrust required in the air. Such a relationship becomes insignificant when the initial water-exit angle exceeds 40°

Tensor Completion via Leverage Sampling and Tensor QR Decomposition for Network Latency Estimation

In this paper, we consider the network latency estimation, which has been an important metric for network performance. However, a large scale of network latency estimation requires a lot of computing time. Therefore, we propose a new method that is much faster and maintains high accuracy. The data structure of network nodes can form a matrix, and the tensor model can be formed by introducing the time dimension. Thus, the entire problem can be be summarized as a tensor completion problem. The main idea of our method is improving the tensor leverage sampling strategy and introduce tensor QR decomposition into tensor completion. To achieve faster tensor leverage sampling, we replace tensor singular decomposition (t-SVD) with tensor CSVD-QR to appoximate t-SVD. To achieve faster completion for incomplete tensor, we use the tensor $L_{2,1}$-norm rather than traditional tensor nuclear norm. Furthermore, we introduce tensor QR decomposition into alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) framework. Numerical experiments witness that our method is faster than state-of-art algorithms with satisfactory accuracy.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure

An efficient DNA isolation method for tropical plants

Due to interfering components such as polysacharrides, polyphenols, etc, DNA isolation from tropical plants had been challenging. We developed a safe, universal and efficient DNA extraction method, which yielded high-quality DNA from 10 tropical plants including cassava, rubber tree, banana, etc. In the extraction buffer, 2 M NaCl was used to provide a high ionic strength reaction environment, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), lauroyl sarcosine (LSS) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) could inhibit DNase activity effectively, polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) produced a deoxidized reaction environment, and borax enhanced the precipitation of interfering compounds. Ordinary reagents like β-mercaptoethanol, chloroform and phenol were unnecessary in this protocol, which made it safe and friendly to use. PCR and EcoR I enzyme restriction digestion results show that the obtained DNA is good enough for downstream analysis. In conclusion, this protocol is expected to be a preferable DNA extraction protocol for tropical plants.Keywords: DNA extraction, tropical plants, cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(19), pp. 2727-273

An increase in the cerebral infarction area during fatigue is mediated by il-6 through an induction of fibrinogen synthesis

OBJECTIVES: Our study aimed to investigate the impact of fatigue on the severity of stroke and to explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Fatigued male rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion and the infarcted brain area was determined. Then, coagulation parameters were assessed in the fatigued group and a control group. In addition, the level of fibrinogen was determined in rats deprived of sleep for various numbers of days. To study whether interleukin-6 was involved in fibrinogen synthesis during fatigue, we also measured levels of interleukin-6 in rats deprived of sleep for various numbers of days. Furthermore, brain injury by middle cerebral artery occlusion was measured in wild-type mice, interleukin-6-/- mice and wild-type mice treated with bezafibrate. RESULTS: More severe cerebral infarction was observed in the fatigued rats, resulting in an infarct ratio of 23.4%. The infarct ratio was significantly increased in the fatigued rats compared with that in the control group (8%,

The chloride channel cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) controls cellular quiescence by hyperpolarizing the cell membrane during diapause in the crustacean Artemia

Cellular quiescence, a reversible state in which growth, proliferation, and other cellular activities are arrested, is important for self-renewal, differentiation, development, regeneration, and stress resistance. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying cellular quiescence remain largely unknown. In the present study, we used embryos of the crustacean Artemia in the diapause stage, in which these embryos remain quiescent for prolonged periods, as a model to explore the relationship between cell-membrane potential (V-mem) and quiescence. We found that V-mem is hyperpolarized and that the intracellular chloride concentration is high in diapause embryos, whereas V-mem is depolarized and intracellular chloride concentration is reduced in postdiapause embryos and during further embryonic development. We identified and characterized the chloride ion channel protein cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) of Artemia (Ar-CFTR) and found that its expression is silenced in quiescent cells of Artemia diapause embryos but remains constant in all other embryonic stages. Ar-CFTR knockdown and GlyH-101-mediated chemical inhibition of Ar-CFTR produced diapause embryos having a high V-mem and intracellular chloride concentration, whereas control Artemia embryos released free-swimming nauplius larvae. Transcriptome analysis of embryos at different developmental stages revealed that proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism are suppressed in diapause embryos and restored in postdiapause embryos. Combined with RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of GlyH-101-treated MCF-7 breast cancer cells, these analyses revealed that CFTR inhibition down-regulates the Wnt and Aurora Kinase A (AURKA) signaling pathways and up-regulates the p53 signaling pathway. Our findings provide insight into CFTR-mediated regulation of cellular quiescence and V-mem in the Artemia model

Asymmetric Outcomes of Type 1 Retinopathy of Prematurity after Bilateral Intravitreal Ranibizumab Treatment

Purpose. To present cases with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), who were treated with intravitreal injection of ranibizumab (IVR) and had unpredictable asymmetric outcomes. Methods. A retrospective review was performed in infants with type 1 ROP and had bilateral IVR (0.25 mg/0.025 mL) as initial treatment. Patients were classified into the asymmetric outcome group and the symmetric outcome group. Results. Eighty-four patients (168 eyes) were included. There were 18 eyes of 9 patients (10.7%) in the asymmetric outcome group and 150 eyes of 75 patients (89.3%) in the symmetric outcome group. In the symmetric outcome group, 86 eyes (57.3%) had ROP regression, 60 eyes (40%) had reactivation requiring laser treatment, and 4 eyes (2.7%) progressed to retinal detachment requiring vitrectomy. In the asymmetric outcome group, one of the eyes of the 9 patients had ROP regression with/without reactivation after IVR, while the contralateral eyes had negative response, including remarkable posterior fibrosis, partial or total retinal detachment, and vitreous hemorrhage. There was statistically significant difference between the birth weight of the two groups. Conclusion. Contralateral eyes with ROP can take a different clinical course after ranibizumab treatment. High rate of reactivation after IVR is another concern that ophthalmologists should pay attention to