Gravitational Corrections to the Energy-Levels of a Hydrogen Atom

The first order perturbations of the energy levels of a hydrogen atom in central internal gravitational field are investigated. The internal gravitational field is produced by the mass of the atomic nucleus. The energy shifts are calculated for the relativistic 1S, 2S, 2P, 3S, 3P, 3D, 4S and 4P levels with Schwarzschild metric. The calculated results show that the gravitational corrections are sensitive to the total angular momentum quantum number.Comment: 7 page

Synthesis and evaluation of a novel ionophore based on a thiacalix[4]arene derivative bearing imidazole units

O-Alkylation of the flexible thiacalix[4]arene 1 with 2-chloromethyl-1-methyl-1H-imidazole 2 in the presence of Na₂CO₃ or K₂CO₃ afforded mono-O-alkylation product 3 in 29–51% yield, along with recovery of the starting compound. In contrast, the same reaction in the presence of Cs₂CO₃ gave only one pure stereoisomer, namely 1,3-alternate-4; other possible isomers were not observed. Alkali metal salts such as Na₂CO₃ and Cs₂CO₃ can play an important role in the conformer distribution via a template effect. The conformations of the receptors, mono-O-alkylation product 3 and that of 1,3-alternate-4, have been confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Furthermore, the complexation properties of the receptor 1,3-alternate-4 toward selected alkali/transition metal cations are reported. The two-phase solvent extraction data indicated that 1,3-alternate-4 exhibited a stronger extraction efficiency for transition metals over alkali metals. The dichromate anion extraction ability of 1,3-alternate-4 showed that it could serve as an efficient extractor of HCr₂O₇⁻/Cr₂O₇²⁻ anions at low pH

Graphene-wrapped sulfur/metal organic framework-derived microporous carbon composite for lithium sulfur batteries

A three-dimensional hierarchical sandwich-type graphene sheet-sulfur/carbon (GS-S/CZIF8-D) composite for use in a cathode for a lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery has been prepared by an ultrasonic method. The microporous carbon host was prepared by a one-step pyrolysis of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8), a typical zinc-containing metal organic framework (MOF), which offers a tunable porous structure into which electro-active sulfur can be diffused. The thin graphene sheet, wrapped around the sulfur/zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 derived carbon (S/CZIF8-D) composite, has excellent electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility, thus facilitating rapid electron transport and accommodating the changes in volume of the sulfur electrode. Compared with the S/CZIF8-D sample, Li-S batteries with the GS-S/CZIF8-D composite cathode showed enhanced capacity, improved electrochemical stability, and relatively high columbic efficiency by taking advantage of the synergistic effects of the microporous carbon from ZIF-8 and a highly interconnected graphene network. Our results demonstrate that a porous MOF-derived scaffold with a wrapped graphene conductive network structure is a potentially efficient design for a battery electrode that can meet the challenge arising from low conductivity and volume change.National Science Foundation of China (21373028)This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from American Institute of Physics Publishing via http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.490175

Break and Splice: A Statistical Method for Non-Rigid Point Cloud Registration

3D object matching and registration on point clouds are widely used in computer vision. However, most existing point cloud registration methods have limitations in handling non-rigid point sets or topology changes (e.g. connections and separations). As a result, critical characteristics such as large inter-frame motions of the point clouds may not be accurately captured. This paper proposes a statistical algorithm for non-rigid point sets registration, addressing the challenge of handling topology changes without the need to estimate correspondence. The algorithm uses a novel Break and Splice framework to treat the non-rigid registration challenges as a reproduction process and a Dirichlet Process Gaussian Mixture Model (DPGMM) to cluster a pair of point sets. Labels are assigned to the source point set with an iterative classification procedure, and the source is registered to the target with the same labels using the Bayesian Coherent Point Drift (BCPD) method. The results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves lower registration errors and efficiently registers point sets undergoing topology changes and large inter-frame motions. The proposed approach is evaluated on several data sets using various qualitative and quantitative metrics. The results demonstrate that the Break and Splice framework outperforms state-of-the-art methods, achieving an average error reduction of about 60% and a registration time reduction of about 57.8%

Effective Mass of Composite Fermions and Fermionic Chern-Simons Theory in Temporal Gauge

The definitions of the effective mass of the composite fermion are discussed for the half-filled Landau level problem. In a recent work, Shankar and Murthy show a finite effective mass of the composite fermion by a canonical transformation while the perturbative calculation gives the logarithmic divergence of the effective mass at the Fermi surface. We will emphasize that the different definition of the effective mass has the different physical processes. The finite one could be defined for any momentum of the composite fermion while the divergence only appears at the Fermi surface. We work with the standard Halperin-Lee-Read model but in the temporal gauge. The advantage of this gauge to be employed is that the finite effective mass could be calculated in the Hartree-Fock approximation. Furthermore, it is precisely equal to the result that Shankar and Murthy obtained which is well-fit with the numerical calculation from the ground state energy analysis and a semi-classical estimation. However, if we consider the random phase approximation, one sees that the divergence of the effective mass of the quasiparticle at the Fermi surface emerges again no matter that we work on the temporal or Coulomb gauges. We develop an effective theory where the finite effective mass serves as a `bare' effective mass and show that the same divergence of the RPA effective mass. On the other hand, the correct behavior of the response functions in the small band mass limit could be seen clearly in the temporal gauge since there is a self-interaction among the magnetoplasmons.Comment: 27 pages,6 eps figure

The first study about the relationship between the extractability of thiacalix[4]arene derivatives and the position of the coordination binding sites

Three organic ionophores (2–4) based on the p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene backbone, blocked in the 1,3-alternate conformation, bearing two pyridyl coordinating moieties (ortho for 2, meta for 3 and para for 4), have been synthesized and characterized in the solid state. The solvent extraction experiments with the metal ions showed that the ability of these derivatives to complex with Ag⁺ appeared to be largely dependent on the position of the nitrogen atoms of the pyridyl ring. Two different complexation modes have been confirmed by ¹H NMR titration. Ionophore 2 armed with two pyridyl moieties, complexed with Ag⁺ cation through N...Ag⁺...S interactions; however, ionophore 3 and ionophore 4 complexed with Ag⁺ through metal–nitrogen (N...Ag⁺) interactions. The DFT computational studies were consistent with the experimental findings. These findings will provide us with an important rule to design an appropriate thiacalix[4]arene ionophore in the future. Another study on the possibility for application of ionophores 2–4 for the treatment of waste water containing Cr(VI) and Cr(III), showed that ionophore 3 was useful in the application of the solvent extraction method in selective treatment of waste water containing Cr(VI) and Cr(III) prior to discharge

Change in household fuels dominates the decrease in PM_(2.5) exposure and premature mortality in China in 2005–2015

To tackle the severe fine particle (PM_(2.5)) pollution in China, the government has implemented stringent control policies mainly on power plants, industry, and transportation since 2005, but estimates of the effectiveness of the policy and the temporal trends in health impacts are subject to large uncertainties. By adopting an integrated approach that combines chemical transport simulation, ambient/household exposure evaluation, and health-impact assessment, we find that the integrated population-weighted exposure to PM_(2.5) (IPWE) decreased by 47% (95% confidence interval, 37–55%) from 2005 [180 (146–219) μg/m^3] to 2015 [96 (83–111) μg/m^3]. Unexpectedly, 90% (86–93%) of such reduction is attributed to reduced household solid-fuel use, primarily resulting from rapid urbanization and improved incomes rather than specific control policies. The IPWE due to household fuels for both cooking and heating decreased, but the impact of cooking is significantly larger. The reduced household-related IPWE is estimated to avoid 0.40 (0.25–0.57) million premature deaths annually, accounting for 33% of the PM_(2.5)-induced mortality in 2015. The IPWE would be further reduced by 63% (57–68%) if the remaining household solid fuels were replaced by clean fuels, which would avoid an additional 0.51 (0.40–0.64) million premature deaths. Such a transition to clean fuels, especially for heating, requires technology innovation and policy support to overcome the barriers of high cost of distribution systems, as is recently being attempted in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei area. We suggest that household-fuel use be more highly prioritized in national control policies, considering its effects on PM_(2.5) exposures

Suicidal ideation and attempted suicide amongst Chinese transgender persons:National population study

BACKGROUND: This study aims to understand suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among transgender individuals through an in-depth analysis of a nation-wide population general survey in China. METHODS: Transgender Men (TM) and Women (TW) were investigated through a cross-sectional survey. A structured questionnaire was used to investigate participants\u27 demographic information, perceived sexuality conflicts, childhood adversity and mental health conditions. Logistic regression models were utilized to investigate risk factors associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in these groups. We also conducted a quasi-meta-analysis in order to compare the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide between general and transgender populations in China. RESULTS: A total of 1309 participants across 32 provinces and municipalities in China took part in this survey, out of 2060 valid questionnaires. In this transgender population, the lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and an attempt at suicide were 56.4% and 16.1%, respectively. This estimated prevalence rate is far greater than in Chinese community samples. For all transgender people, disliking birth-assigned sex, seeking sex reassignment surgery, having intense conflicts with parents, lifetime history of suffering from major depressive disorder, a recent episode of depression, self-harm, and seeking mental health services were significantly associated with increased risk of suicidal ideation. An education level of high school or equivalent, being married and/or separated/divorced, having intense conflicts with parents, or self-harm and seeking mental health services were all significantly associated with increased risk of suicide attempt. Although most risk factors for TM and TW were equivalent across groups, differences were observed in both suicidal ideation and suicide attempt models. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional study design and lack of follow-up data are limitations of this study. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine suicide within a Chinese transgender population. The clinical implications of these findings for Chinese mental health professionals are discussed. Also, the evidence from this study can be used to inform the practices of suicide prevention workers, and policy makers working with the transgender population

Clinical and genetic spectrum of a Chinese cohort with SCN4A gene mutations

Skeletal muscle sodium channelopathies due to SCN4A gene mutations have a broad clinical spectrum. However, each phenotype has been reported in few cases of Chinese origin. We present detailed phenotype and genotype data from a cohort of 40 cases with SCN4A gene mutations seen in neuromuscular diagnostic service in Huashan hospital, Fudan University. Cases were referred from 6 independent provinces from 2010 to 2018. A questionnaire covering demographics, precipitating factors, episodes of paralysis and myotonia was designed to collect the clinical information. Electrodiagnostic studies and muscle MRI were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical spectrum of patients included: 6 Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (15%), 18 Hypokalemic periodic paralysis (45%), 7 sodium channel myotonia (17.5%), 4 paramyotonia congenita (10%) and 5 heterozygous asymptomatic mutation carriers (12.5%). Review of clinical information highlights a significant delay to diagnosis (median 15 years), reports of pain and myalgia in the majority of patients, male predominance, circadian rhythm and common precipitating factors. Electrodiagnostic studies revealed subclinical myotonic discharges and a positive long exercise test in asymptomatic carriers. Muscle MRI identified edema and fatty infiltration in gastrocnemius and soleus. A total of 13 reported and 2 novel SCN4A mutations were identified with most variants distributed in the transmembrane helix S4 to S6, with a hotspot mutation p.Arg675Gln accounting for 32.5% (13/40) of the cohort. Our study revealed a higher proportion of periodic paralysis in SCN4A-mutated patients compared with cohorts from England and the Netherlands. It also highlights the importance of electrodiagnostic studies in diagnosis and segregation studies