Domain freezing in potassium dihydrogen phosphate, triglycine sulfate, and CuAlZnNi

The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant and dissipation in potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP), its deuterated compound (DKDP), triglycine sulfate (TGS), and TGS doped with α-alanine (LATGS) has been studied at various frequencies. It is found that the relaxation time of domain freezing in KDP and DKDP in the kHz range can be described by the Vogel-Fulcher relation. Evidence of domain freezing in TGS is presented through an analysis of relaxation time related to domain walls and a comparison between TGS and LATGS. Studies of internal friction and compliance show preliminary evidence of domain freezing in CuAlZnNi alloy. A domain-freezing model is proposed based upon the collective pinning of randomly distributed pinning centers to domain walls. Some key experiments related to domain freezing, such as (1) the Vogel-Fulcher relation for relaxation time; (2) the size effect of domain freezing; (3) two kinds of relaxation in low- and high-frequency ranges, respectively; and (4) the dependence of TF on defect density and applied field, etc., are explained.published_or_final_versio

Ustekinumab in the Treatment of Generalized Pustular Psoriasis in a Pregnant Patient

Hao Wu, Yan Na Shen, Zhongxiao Wu, Feng Mao, You Gang Ren, Li Zhang Department of Dermatology, Ningbo No 6 Hospital, Ningbo, 315040, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Li Zhang, Email [email protected]: Although the use of biologics has led to great improvement in psoriasis patients, the treatment of psoriasis during pregnancy still faces many challenges. We herein report on a 29-year-old pregnant woman treated with ustekinumab for generalized pustular psoriasis. Upon becoming pregnant, the woman underwent continued treatment with ustekinumab in the first trimester. We also considered the need for neonatal vaccination. The patient discontinued ustekinumab therapy in the second trimester, and during the period of drug discontinuation we noted a slight rash recurrence. The patient was treated with ultraviolet B phototherapy and topical corticosteroids, and the rash was localized to the abdomen. However, in the 27th week of pregnancy, the patient was infected with COVID-19, which made the condition worse. The rash erupted rapidly and spread throughout her body, and she experienced a high fever with her blood count showing augmented numbers of white blood cells. The patients self-administered 0.3 g of acetaminophen three times per day, and after four days her core body temperature was 38.0°C; the rash, however, did not diminish. We diagnosed an outbreak of generalized pustular psoriasis and treated the patient with ustekinumab. The rash resolved quickly, and a healthy newborn was delivered by caesarean section at 39 weeks.Keywords: Ustekinumab, interleukin-12/-23, generalized pustular psoriasis, pregnancy, COVID-1

Hydrothermally Grown ZnO Micro/Nanotube Arrays and Their Properties

We reported the optical and wettability properties of aligned zinc oxide micro/nanotube arrays, which were synthesized on zinc foil via a simple hydrothermal method. As-synthesized ZnO micro/nanotubes have uniform growth directions along the [0001] orientations with diameters in the range of 100–700 nm. These micro/nanotubes showed a strong emission peak at 387 nm and two weak emission peaks at 422 and 485 nm, respectively, and have the hydrophobic properties with a contact angle of 121°. Single ZnO micro/nanotube-based field-effect transistor was also fabricated, which shows typical n-type semiconducting behavior

China’s Weibo: is faster different?

The popularization of microblogging in China represents a new challenge to the state’s regime of information control. The speed with which information is diffused in the microblogosphere has helped netizens to publicize and express their discontent with the negative consequences of economic growth, income inequalities and official corruption. In some cases, netizen led initiatives have facilitated the mobilization of online public opinion and forced the central government to intervene to redress acts of lower level malfeasance. However, despite the growing corpus of such cases, the government has quickly adapted to the changing internet ecology and is using the same tools to help it maintain control of society by enhancing its claims to legitimacy, circumscribing dissent, identifying malfeasance in its agents and using online public opinion to adapt policy and direct propaganda efforts. This essay reflects on microblogging in the context of the Chinese internet, and argues that successes in breaking scandals and mobilizing opinion against recalcitrant officials should not mask the reality that the government is utilizing the microblogosphere to its own advantage

The phylogenetically-related pattern recognition receptors EFR and XA21 recruit similar immune signaling components in monocots and dicots

During plant immunity, surface-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The transfer of PRRs between plant species is a promising strategy for engineering broad-spectrum disease resistance. Thus, there is a great interest in understanding the mechanisms of PRR-mediated resistance across different plant species. Two well-characterized plant PRRs are the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) EFR and XA21 from Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) and rice, respectively. Interestingly, despite being evolutionary distant, EFR and XA21 are phylogenetically closely related and are both members of the sub-family XII of LRR-RKs that contains numerous potential PRRs. Here, we compared the ability of these related PRRs to engage immune signaling across the monocots-dicots taxonomic divide. Using chimera between Arabidopsis EFR and rice XA21, we show that the kinase domain of the rice XA21 is functional in triggering elf18-induced signaling and quantitative immunity to the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pto) DC3000 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, the EFR:XA21 chimera associates dynamically in a ligand-dependent manner with known components of the EFR complex. Conversely, EFR associates with Arabidopsis orthologues of rice XA21-interacting proteins, which appear to be involved in EFR-mediated signaling and immunity in Arabidopsis. Our work indicates the overall functional conservation of immune components acting downstream of distinct LRR-RK-type PRRs between monocots and dicots

Evidence-based Review on the Use of Proton Therapy in Lymphoma From the Particle Therapy Cooperative Group (PTCOG) Lymphoma Subcommittee.

n/

A facile chemical conversion synthesis of Sb2S3 nanotubes and the visible light-driven photocatalytic activities

We report a simple chemical conversion and cation exchange technique to realize the synthesis of Sb2S3 nanotubes at a low temperature of 90°C. The successful chemical conversion from ZnS nanotubes to Sb2S3 ones benefits from the large difference in solubility between ZnS and Sb2S3. The as-grown Sb2S3 nanotubes have been transformed from a weak crystallization to a polycrystalline structure via successive annealing. In addition to the detailed structural, morphological, and optical investigation of the yielded Sb2S3 nanotubes before and after annealing, we have shown high photocatalytic activities of Sb2S3 nanotubes for methyl orange degradation under visible light irradiation. This approach offers an effective control of the composition and structure of Sb2S3 nanomaterials, facilitates the production at a relatively low reaction temperature without the need of organics, templates, or crystal seeds, and can be extended to the synthesis of hollow structures with various compositions and shapes for unique properties

Genetic Variants at 1p11.2 and Breast Cancer Risk: A Two-Stage Study in Chinese Women

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several breast cancer susceptibility loci, and one genetic variant, rs11249433, at 1p11.2 was reported to be associated with breast cancer in European populations. To explore the genetic variants in this region associated with breast cancer in Chinese women, we conducted a two-stage fine-mapping study with a total of 1792 breast cancer cases and 1867 controls. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) including rs11249433 in a 277 kb region at 1p11.2 were selected and genotyping was performed by using TaqMan® OpenArray™ Genotyping System for stage 1 samples (878 cases and 900 controls). In stage 2 (914 cases and 967 controls), three SNPs (rs2580520, rs4844616 and rs11249433) were further selected and genotyped for validation. The results showed that one SNP (rs2580520) located at a predicted enhancer region of SRGAP2 was consistently associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer in a recessive genetic model [Odds Ratio (OR)  =  1.66, 95% confidence interval (CI)  =  1.16-2.36 for stage 2 samples; OR  =  1.51, 95% CI  =  1.16-1.97 for combined samples, respectively]. However, no significant association was observed between rs11249433 and breast cancer risk in this Chinese population (dominant genetic model in combined samples: OR  =  1.20, 95% CI  =  0.92-1.57). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Genotypes of rs2580520 at 1p11.2 suggest that Chinese women may have different breast cancer susceptibility loci, which may contribute to the development of breast cancer in this population