Quantum phase transition of Bose-Einstein condensates on a ring nonlinear lattice

We study the phase transitions in a one dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate on a ring whose atomic scattering length is modulated periodically along the ring. By using a modified Bogoliubov method to treat such a nonlinear lattice in the mean field approximation, we find that the phase transitions are of different orders when the modulation period is 2 and greater than 2. We further perform a full quantum mechanical treatment based on the time-evolving block decimation algorithm which confirms the mean field results and reveals interesting quantum behavior of the system. Our studies yield important knowledge of competing mechanisms behind the phase transitions and the quantum nature of this system.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Computation of the p6 order chiral Lagrangian coefficients from the underlying theory of QCD

We present results of computing the p6 order low energy constants in the normal part of chiral Lagrangian both for two and three flavor pseudo-scalar mesons. This is a generalization of our previous work on calculating the p4 order coefficients of the chiral Lagrangian in terms of the quark self energy Sigma(p2) approximately from QCD. We show that most of our results are consistent with those we can find in the literature.Comment: 51 pages,2 figure

Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effect of prenatal omega-3 LCPUFA supplementation to reduce the incidence of preterm birth: The ORIP trial

Introduction: Preterm birth accounts for more than 85% of all perinatal complications and deaths. Seventy-five per cent of early preterm births (EPTBs) occur spontaneously and without identifiable risk factors. The need for a broadly applicable, effective strategy for primary prevention is paramount. Secondary outcomes from the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to Optimise Mother Infant Outcome trial showed that maternal supplementation until delivery with omega-3 (ω-3) long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA), predominantly as DHA, resulted in a 50% reduction in the incidence of EPTB and an increase in the incidence of post-term induction or post-term prelabour caesarean section due to extended gestation. We aim to determine the effectiveness of supplementing the maternal diet with ω-3 LCPUFA until 34 weeks’ gestation on the incidence of EPTB. Methods and analysis: This is a multicentre, parallel group, randomised, blinded and controlled trial. Women less than 20 weeks’ gestation with a singleton or multiple pregnancy and able to give informed consent are eligible to participate. Women will be randomised to receive high DHA fish oil capsules or control capsules without DHA. Capsules will be taken from enrolment until 34 weeks’ gestation. The primary outcome is the incidence of EPTB, defined as delivery before 34 completed weeks’ gestation. Key secondary outcomes include length of gestation, incidence of post-term induction or prelabour caesarean section and spontaneous EPTB. The target sample size is 5540 women (2770 per group), which will provide 85% power to detect an absolute reduction in the incidence of preterm birth of 1.16% (from 2.45% to 1.29%) between the DHA and control group (two sided α=0.05). The primary analysis will be based on the intention-to-treat principle. Trial registration number: Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry Number: 2613001142729; Pre-results

Serine 58 of 14-3-3ζ Is a molecular switch regulating ASK1 and oxidant stress-induced cell death

Oxidant stress is a ubiquitous stressor with negative impacts on multiple cell types. ASK1 is a central mediator of oxidant injury, but while mechanisms of its inhibition, such as sequestration by 14-3-3 proteins and thioredoxin, have been identified, mechanisms of activation have remained obscure and the signaling pathways regulating this are not clear. Here, we report that phosphorylation of 14-3-3ζ at serine 58 (S58) is dynamically regulated in the cell and that the phosphorylation status of S58 is a critical factor regulating oxidant stress-induced cell death. Phosphorylation of S58 releases ASK1 from 14-3-3ζ, and ASK1 then activates stress-activated protein kinases, leading to cell death. While several members of the mammalian sterile 20 (Mst) family of kinases can phosphorylate S58 when overexpressed, we identify Ste20/oxidant stress response kinase 1 (SOK-1), an Mst family member known to be activated by oxidant stress, as a central endogenous regulator of S58 phosphorylation and thereby of ASK1-mediated cell death. Our findings identify a novel pathway that regulates ASK1 activation and oxidant stress-induced cell death

Isolation, purification and identification of bacteria from the shoes worn by children

13 strains of bacteria were isolated from 12 shoes that were worn by children aged 6 to 12 for more than half a year. Through morphological observation, physiological and biochemical measurements, as well as 16SrRNA sequence analysis, the bacteria were identified as follows: Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus subtilis (5 subspecies), Bacillus spore (3 subspecies), Bacillus anthracis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus thuringiensis. The results may contribute to the selection of efficient antimicrobial agents for children's shoes and insole.Key words: Children’s shoes, bacteria, isolation, identification

Mobile Crowd Sensing for Traffic Prediction in Internet of Vehicles.

The advances in wireless communication techniques, mobile cloud computing, automotive and intelligent terminal technology are driving the evolution of vehicle ad hoc networks into the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) paradigm. This leads to a change in the vehicle routing problem from a calculation based on static data towards real-time traffic prediction. In this paper, we first address the taxonomy of cloud-assisted IoV from the viewpoint of the service relationship between cloud computing and IoV. Then, we review the traditional traffic prediction approached used by both Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communications. On this basis, we propose a mobile crowd sensing technology to support the creation of dynamic route choices for drivers wishing to avoid congestion. Experiments were carried out to verify the proposed approaches. Finally, we discuss the outlook of reliable traffic prediction

Fast and easy blind deblurring using an inverse filter and PROBE

PROBE (Progressive Removal of Blur Residual) is a recursive framework for blind deblurring. Using the elementary modified inverse filter at its core, PROBE's experimental performance meets or exceeds the state of the art, both visually and quantitatively. Remarkably, PROBE lends itself to analysis that reveals its convergence properties. PROBE is motivated by recent ideas on progressive blind deblurring, but breaks away from previous research by its simplicity, speed, performance and potential for analysis. PROBE is neither a functional minimization approach, nor an open-loop sequential method (blur kernel estimation followed by non-blind deblurring). PROBE is a feedback scheme, deriving its unique strength from the closed-loop architecture rather than from the accuracy of its algorithmic components

Povezanost estrusa s tjelesnom aktivnošću i preživanjem mliječnih krava na farmama u Kini

This study aimed to describe the estrus-related changes in dairy cattle in parameters automatically recorded through an HR-Tag (SCR Engineers Ltd., Netanya, Israel) or a neck collar (Nedap Livestock Management, Groenlo, Netherlands). On two commercial dairy farms, the baseline period was defined as the mean of 3 d before and 3 d after estrus day. In the HR-Tag monitored herd, changes in physical activity and behavioral parameters (lying bouts, lying duration, total lying time, lying ratio) were studied in 78 estrous cycles. The cows were classified in groups according to parity (primiparous, n = 34; and multiparous, n = 44), milk production (MK1, n = 7, > 47 kg/d; MK2, n = 12, 42-47 kg/d; MK3, n = 43, 31-42 kg/d; and MK4, n = 16, 41 kg/d; MK2, n = 17, 32-41 kg/d; and MK3, n = 13, 47 kg/d; MK2, n = 12, 42 – 47 kg/d; MK3, n = 43, 31 – 42 kg/d; MK4, n = 16, 41 kg/d; MK2, n = 17, 32 – 41 kg/d; and MK3, n = 13, < 32 kg/d). Proveden je test ANOVA kako bi se ustanovile razlike u podacima i usporedile metode kojima su se procjenjivale razlike unutar skupine i među skupinama putem SPSS 23.0. Za prilagodbu podataka korištena je ordinalna logistička regresija kako bi se analizirali čimbenici koji utječu na tjelesnu aktivnost na dan estrusa. Rezultati u stadu praćenom HR-Tag-om pokazali su da se na dan estrusa tjelesna aktivnost povećala u odnosu na početno razdoblje, a prosječne su vrijednosti koje se odnose na ležanje na dan estrusa bile znatno niže nego u početnoj fazi, kao i ukupno vrijeme ležanja i omjer ležanja, s vrijednostima od -3,53 ± 0,55, -188,02 ± 21,46 i -14,05 ± 1,37. U stadu praćenom ovratnikom, kada se TFT u skupini MK2 povećao za jednu jedinicu, tjelesna aktivnost povećala se 3,19 puta (P = 0,03) u usporedbi sa skupinama u kojima se TFT nije povećao. Rezultati ovog istraživanja općenito upućuju na tjelesne i ponašajne promjene te promjene u preživanju koje su vezane za estrus, a otkrivene su automatiziranim sustavom praćenja. Pretpostavlja se stoga da sustav HR-Tag i ovratnici mogu biti prikladan način detekcije estrusa u komercijalnim stadima mliječnih krava