Imaging constituent quark shape of proton with exclusive vector meson production at HERA

We show within proton hot spot picture that the exclusive vector meson production in electron-proton deeply inelastic scattering is sensitive to the individual width of the constituent quarks of the proton. For comparison, we calculate the exclusive $J/\Psi$ production cross-sections in three cases, $\mathrm{B_u} \geq \mathrm{B_d}$, $\mathrm{B_u} < \mathrm{B_d}$ and $\mathrm{B_u}\neq\mathrm{B^{\prime}_u}\neq\mathrm{B_d}$, where the $\mathrm{B_u}$, $\mathrm{B^{\prime}_u}$ and $\mathrm{B_d}$ denote the widths of two up quarks and down quark. We find that only results calculated with $\mathrm{B_u} \geq \mathrm{B_d}$ can give a reasonable description of the exclusive $J/\Psi$ production cross-section data at HERA. To test that our results are independent of the details of the model, we retain the average width of the three constituent quarks unchanged and compute the exclusive $J/\Psi$ production cross-sections with contribution weight by setting different proportional coefficients ($\mathrm{W_u}$ and $\mathrm{W_d}$) for the up and down quarks, respectively. It shows that the results calculated with $\mathrm{W_u}\geq\mathrm{W_d}$ can well reproduce the exclusive $J/\Psi$ production data at HERA, while the opposite case cannot describe the HERA data. These interesting findings seem to indicate that the up quark has more gluons around it than the down quark at high energy although the spatial distribution of gluons fluctuates event-by-event . To ensure the relevant results independent of the species of the vector meson, we also calculate the $\rho$ production cross-sections with the same group of parameters used in the exclusive $J/\Psi$ production and compare the predictions with the HERA data. It shows that all the results computed in the exclusive $\rho$ productions are consistent with the findings obtained in the exclusive $J/\Psi$ productions.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Virus-derived transgenes expressing hairpin RNA give immunity to Tobacco mosaic virus and Cucumber mosaic virus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An effective method for obtaining resistant transgenic plants is to induce RNA silencing by expressing virus-derived dsRNA in plants and this method has been successfully implemented for the generation of different plant lines resistant to many plant viruses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Inverted repeats of the partial <it>Tobacco mosaic virus </it>(TMV) movement protein (MP) gene and the partial <it>Cucumber mosaic virus </it>(CMV) replication protein (Rep) gene were introduced into the plant expression vector and the recombinant plasmids were transformed into <it>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</it>. <it>Agrobacterium</it>-mediated transformation was carried out and three transgenic tobacco lines (MP16-17-3, MP16-17-29 and MP16-17-58) immune to TMV infection and three transgenic tobacco lines (Rep15-1-1, Rep15-1-7 and Rep15-1-32) immune to CMV infection were obtained. Virus inoculation assays showed that the resistance of these transgenic plants could inherit and keep stable in T₄progeny. The low temperature (15℃) did not influence the resistance of transgenic plants. There was no significant correlation between the resistance and the copy number of the transgene. CMV infection could not break the resistance to TMV in the transgenic tobacco plants expressing TMV hairpin MP RNA.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We have demonstrated that transgenic tobacco plants expressed partial TMV movement gene and partial CMV replicase gene in the form of an intermolecular intron-hairpin RNA exhibited complete resistance to TMV or CMV infection.</p

Preparation and ageing-resistant properties of polyester composites modified with functional nanoscale additives

This study investigated ageing-resistant properties of carboxyl-terminated polyester (polyethylene glycol terephthalate) composites modified with nanoscale titanium dioxide particles (nano-TiO(2)). The nano-TiO(2) was pretreated by a dry coating method, with aluminate coupling agent as a functional grafting additive. The agglomeration resistance was evaluated, which exhibited significant improvement for the modified nanoparticles. Then, the effects of the modified nano-TiO(2) on the crosslinking and ageing-resistant properties of the composites were studied. With a real-time Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) measurement, the nano-TiO(2) displayed promoting effect on the crosslinking of polyester resin with triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGIC) as crosslinking agent. Moreover, the gloss retention, colour aberration and the surface morphologies of the composites during accelerated UV ageing (1500 hours) were investigated. The results demonstrated much less degree of ageing degradation for the nanocomposites, indicating an important role of the nano-TiO(2) in improving the ageing-resistant properties of synthetic polymer composites

Effect of oxygen coordination environment of Ca-Mn oxides on catalytic performance of Pd supported catalysts for aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural

This work was supported by Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin (Grant No. 17JCYBJC22600) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. Computational support was provided by the Beijing Computing Center (BCC).Four types of Ca-Mn oxides, including CaMnO3, CaMn2O4, CaMn3O6 and Ca2Mn3O8, have been prepared and used as supports for Pd nanoparticles. The oxygen activation capacity of these oxides and the catalytic activity of the oxide supported Pd nanocatalysts have been investigated using the aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural as a model reaction. It is found that the local coordination environment of lattice oxygen sites plays a crucial role on their redox property and charge transfer ability from Pd nanoparticles to the support. In particular, the Ca-Mn oxide with lower oxygen coordination number, weaker metal-oxygen bonds and tunnel crystal structure, e.g. CaMn2O4, exhibits promoted oxygen activation capacity, and stronger electron transfer ability. Consequently, Pd/CaMn2O4 exhibits the highest catalytic activity among these catalysts, providing a promising yield of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid. This work may shed light on the future investigation on the design of local structure of active oxygen sites in oxides or oxide supported catalysts for redox reactions.PostprintPeer reviewe

Acupuncture for Chronic Urinary Retention due to Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review

No systematic review has been published on the use of acupuncture for the treatment of chronic urinary retention (CUR) due to spinal cord injury (SCI). The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for CUR due to SCI. Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 334 patients with CUR due to SCI were included. Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture plus rehabilitation training was much better than rehabilitation training alone in decreasing postvoid residual (PVR) urine volume (MD −109.44, 95% CI −156.53 to −62.35). Likewise, a combination of acupuncture and aseptic intermittent catheterization was better than aseptic intermittent catheterization alone in improving response rates (RR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.38). No severe adverse events were reported. In conclusion, acupuncture as a complementary therapy may have a potential effect in CUR due to SCI in decreasing PVR and improving bladder voiding. Additionally, acupuncture may be safe in treating CUR caused by SCI. However, due to the lack of high quality RCTs, we could not draw any definitive conclusions. More well-designed RCTs are needed to provide strong evidence

Effect of Tetramethylpyrazine on Atherosclerosis and SCAP/SREBP-1c Signaling Pathway in ApoE −/−

Lipid metabolism dysregulation plays a crucial role in the occurrence of atherosclerosis (As). SCAP/SREBP signaling is the main pathway for regulating lipid metabolism. Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP), a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating angina pectoris, has antiatherosclerotic effects and ameliorates blood lipids disturbance. However, its precise mechanism remains unclear. This study investigated the mechanism of TMP in ameliorating As in mice model. After six weeks of high-fat diet, 30 ApoE−/− mice were randomized (n=10) and treated with Lipitor, TMP, or distilled water for six weeks. The serum blood lipids and insulin levels were measured. The expressions of PAQR3, Insig-1, SCAP, SREBP-1c, IRS-1, PI3K, Akt, and mTORC-1 in the adipose tissues were determined. The results showed that TMP could significantly decrease blood lipids levels, insulin, and corrected plaque area of the ApoE−/− mice as compared to the untreated mice (P<0.05, P<0.01). Moreover, TMP could significantly downregulate the expressions of SCAP, SREBP-1c, PAQR3, IRS-1, PI3K, Akt, and mTORC1 (P<0.01). Thus, TMP may ameliorate lipid metabolism disorder and As by downregulating PAQR3 and inhibiting SCAP/SREBP-1c signaling pathway. In addition, PI3K/Akt/mTORC1 signaling pathway may be involved in this process