Escherichia coli of sequence type 3835 carrying blaNDM-1, blaCTX-M-15, blaCMY-42 and blaSHV-12

New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) represents a serious challenge for treatment and public health. A carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli clinical strain WCHEC13-8 was subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility tests, whole genome sequencing and conjugation experiments. It was resistant to imipenem (MIC, >256 μg/ml) and meropenem (MIC, 128 μg/ml) and belonged to ST3835. blaNDM-1 was the only carbapenemase gene detected. Strain WCHEC13-8 also had a plasmid-borne AmpC gene (blaCMY-42) and two extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes (blaCTX-M-15 and blaSHV-12). blaNDM-1 and blaSHV-12 were carried by a 54-kb IncX3 self-transmissible plasmid, which is identical to plasmid pNDM-HF727 from Enterobacter cloacae. blaCMY-42 was carried by a 64-kb IncI1 plasmid and blaCTX-M-15 was located on a 141-kb plasmid with multiple F replicons (replicon type: F36:A4:B1). blaCMY-42 was in a complicated context and the mobilisation of blaCMY-42 was due to the transposition of IS Ecp1 by misidentifying its right-end boundary. Genetic context of blaNDM-1 in strain WCHEC13-8 was closely related to those on IncX3 plasmids in various Enterobacteriaceae species in China. In conclusion, a multidrug-resistant ST3835 E. coli clinical strain carrying blaNDM-1, blaCTX-M-15, blaCMY-42 and blaSHV-12 was identified. IncX3 plasmids may be making a significant contribution to the dissemination of blaNDM among Enterobacteriaceae in China

Multidisciplinary studies in environmental archaeology with particular reference to China: an introduction to the special issue

An important focus in research over the past decade is the relationship between climatic/environmental change and human cultural evolution during the Holocene. This decade saw an increasing number of natural scientists involved in this research, which led to debates and collaborations between natural scientists and archaeologists/anthropologists. This decade also witnessed an increase in multidisciplinary research across these subjects, which has improved significantly the understanding of the human-environment relationship. As part of this research drive, this Special Issue highlights the importance of multidisciplinary studies, mainly from China, on early rice agriculture, impacts of environmental change in Neolithic communities, and new approaches for environmental reconstruction. © The Author(s) 2012.published_or_final_versio

The Equation of State and Quark Number Susceptibility in Hard-Dense-Loop Approximation

Based on the method proposed in [ H. S. Zong, W. M. Sun, Phys. Rev. \textbf{D 78}, 054001 (2008)], we calculate the equation of state (EOS) of QCD at zero temperature and finite quark chemical potential under the hard-dense-loop (HDL) approximation. A comparison between the EOS under HDL approximation and the cold, perturbative EOS of QCD proposed by Fraga, Pisarski and Schaffner-Bielich is made. It is found that the pressure under HDL approximation is generally smaller than the perturbative result. In addition, we also calculate the quark number susceptibility (QNS) at finite temperature and finite chemical potential under hard-thermal/dense-loop (HTL/HDL) approximation and compare our results with the corresponding ones in the previous literature.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Relativistic description of J/\psi dissociation in hot matter

The mass spectra and binding radii of heavy quark bound states are studied on the basis of the reduced Bethe-Salpeter equation. The critical values of screening masses for $c\bar{c}$ and $b\bar{b}$ bound states at a finite temperature are obtained and compared with the previous results given by non-relativistic models.Comment: 13 latex pages, 2 figure

Experimental research on multichannel discharge circuit and multi-electrode plasma synthetic jet actuator

To solve the low efficiency of plasma synthetic jet actuator (PSJA), a multichannel discharge technique based on the concept of voltage relay is put forward and a new multi-electrode plasma synthetic jet actuator (ME-PSJA) is designed. The experiment shows the multichannel discharge technique can enlarge the discharge channel distance by multiplying the discharge channel number without increasing the input voltage. With a 1 nF discharge capacitor, the discharge efficiency of three channels discharge increases by 135% compared with the standard one channel discharge. When the discharge capacitor increases to 0.3 μF, four discharge channels still improve the discharge efficiency by 119% as well. Schlieren flow visualization confirms that ME-PSJA also outperforms the 2-electrode PSJA in terms of jet velocity and duration time, and both are increased by about 50%

Measuring Dark Energy with Gamma-Ray Bursts and Other Cosmological Probes

It has been widely shown that the cosmological parameters and dark energy can be constrained by using data from type-Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy, the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) peak from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the X-ray gas mass fraction in clusters, and the linear growth rate of perturbations at z=0.15 as obtained from the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey. Recently, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have also been argued to be promising standard candles for cosmography. In this paper, we present constraints on the cosmological parameters and dark energy by combining a recent GRB sample including 69 events with the other cosmological probes. First, we find that for the LambdaCDM cosmology this combination makes the constraints stringent and the best fit is close to the flat universe. Second, we fit the flat Cardassian expansion model and find that this model is consistent with the LambdaCDM cosmology. Third, we present constraints on several two-parameter dark energy models and find that these models are also consistent with the LambdaCDM cosmology. Finally, we reconstruct the dark energy equation-of-state parameter w(z) and the deceleration parameter q(z). We see that the acceleration could have started at a redshift from z_T=0.40_{-0.08}^{+0.14} to z_T=0.65_{-0.05}^{+0.10}. This difference in the transition redshift is due to different dark energy models that we adopt. The most stringent constraint on w(z) lies in the redshift range z\sim 0.3-0.6.Comment: 28 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. One reference added, one minor change in the final paragraph of section

Interactions of energetic electrons with ULF waves triggered by interplanetary shock: Van Allen Probes observations in the magnetotail

Abstract We present in situ observations of a shock-induced substorm-like event on 13 April 2013 observed by the newly launched Van Allen twin probes. Substorm-like electron injections with energy of 30-500 keV were observed in the region from L∼5.2 to 5.5 immediately after the shock arrival (followed by energetic electron drift echoes). Meanwhile, the electron flux was clearly and strongly varying on the ULF wave time scale. It is found that both toroidal and poloidal mode ULF waves with a period of 150 s emerged following the magnetotail magnetic field reconfiguration after the interplanetary (IP) shock passage. The poloidal mode is more intense than the toroidal mode. The 90 phase shift between the poloidal mode Br and Ea suggests the standing poloidal waves in the Northern Hemisphere. Furthermore, the energetic electron flux modulations indicate that the azimuthal wave number is ∼14. Direct evidence of drift resonance between the injected electrons and the excited poloidal ULF wave has been obtained. The resonant energy is estimated to be between 150 keV and 230 keV. Two possible scenaria on ULF wave triggering are discussed: vortex-like flow structure-driven field line resonance and ULF wave growth through drift resonance. It is found that the IP shock may trigger intense ULF wave and energetic electron behavior at L∼3 to 6 on the nightside, while the time profile of the wave is different from dayside cases

Energetic ion injection and formation of the storm-time symmetric ring current

An extensive study of ring current injection and intensification of the storm-time ring current is conducted with three-dimensional (3-D) test particle trajectory calculations (TPTCs). The TPTCs reveal more accurately the process of ring current injection, with the main results being the following: (1) an intense convection electric field can effectively energize and inject plasma sheet particles into the ring current region within 1–3 h. (2) Injected ions often follow chaotic trajectories in non-adiabatic regions, which may have implications in storm and ring current physics. (3) The shielding electric field, which arises as a consequence of enhanced convection and co-exists with the injection and convection electric field, may cause the original open trajectories of injected ions with higher energy to change into closed ones, thus playing a role in the formation of the symmetric ring current

The cusp: a window for particle exchange between the radiation belt and the solar wind

International audienceThe study focuses on a single particle dynamics in the cusp region. The topology of the cusp region in terms of magnetic field iso-B contours has been studied using the Tsyganenko 96 model (T96) as an example, to show the importance of an off-equatorial minimum on particle trapping. We carry out test particle simulations to demonstrate the bounce and drift motion. The "cusp trapping limit" concept is introduced to reflect the particle motion in the high latitude magnetospheric region. The spatial distribution of the "cusp trapping limit" shows that only those particles with near 90° pitch-angles can be trapped and drift around the cusp. Those with smaller pitch angles may be partly trapped in the iso-B contours, however, they will eventually escape along one of the magnetic field lines. There exist both open field lines and closed ones within the same drift orbit, indicating two possible destinations of these particles: those particles being lost along open field lines will be connected to the surface of the magnetopause and the solar wind, while those along closed ones will enter the equatorial radiation belt. Thus, it is believed that the cusp region can provide a window for particle exchange between these two regions. Some of the factors, such as dipole tilt angle, magnetospheric convection, IMF and the Birkeland current system, may influence the cusp's trapping capability and therefore affect the particle exchanging mechanism. Their roles are examined by both the analysis of cusp magnetic topology and test particle simulations

Effect of Litter Addition on Amino Acid Content and Composition in Alpine Meadow Soil

Litter plays an important role in plant-soil nutrient cycling. However, the response of soil amino acid pools to litter input is unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the effects of litter addition on the content and composition of soil amino acids in an alpine meadow soil. Soil was amended with litter of its dominant species, Kobresia graminifolia, and incubated for four weeks. Our results show that litter addition significantly increased the exchangeable amino acid content and protease activity in the soil. These results are crucial for understanding the amino acid cycling in soil