Measurement of Δ\Delta and K∗K^{*} Production in dd+Au collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200 GeV

The measurements of the transverse momentum spectra and the invariant mass distributions of $\Delta(1232)$ $\to \pi p$, $K^{*}(892)\to \pi K$ resonances in $d$+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV using the STAR Time Projection Chamber (TPC) at RHIC are presented. The in-medium modification of the $\Delta$ and $K^{*}$ mass and width has been studied as a function of transverse momentum ($p_T$). The particle ratios $K^{*}/K$, $\Delta/p$ and the average transverse momentum ($$) as a function of different collision centrality has been reported. The nuclear modification factors ($R_{CP}$ and $R_{dAu}$) of $\Delta$ and $K^{*}$ are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 9 figures, proceeding (poster) of the 18th International Conference on Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (QM2005), Aug.4-9, Budapest, Hungar

Dietary patterns, insulin sensitivity and inflammation in older adults.

Background/objectivesSeveral studies have linked dietary patterns to insulin sensitivity and systemic inflammation, which affect risk of multiple chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary patterns of a cohort of older adults, and to examine relationships of dietary patterns with markers of insulin sensitivity and systemic inflammation.Subjects/methodsThe Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study is a prospective cohort study of 3075 older adults. In Health ABC, multiple indicators of glucose metabolism and systemic inflammation were assessed. Food intake was estimated with a modified Block food frequency questionnaire. In this study, dietary patterns of 1751 participants with complete data were derived by cluster analysis.ResultsSix clusters were identified, including a 'healthy foods' cluster, characterized by higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish and vegetables. In the main analysis, the 'healthy foods' cluster had significantly lower fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance values than the 'breakfast cereal' and 'high-fat dairy products' clusters, and lower fasting glucose than the 'high-fat dairy products' cluster (P≤0.05). No differences were found in 2-h glucose. With respect to inflammation, the 'healthy foods' cluster had lower interleukin-6 than the 'sweets and desserts' and 'high-fat dairy products' clusters, and no differences were seen in C-reactive protein or tumor necrosis factor-α.ConclusionsA dietary pattern high in low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish and vegetables may be associated with greater insulin sensitivity and lower systemic inflammation in older adults

Cdk5 Phosphorylates Dopamine D2 Receptor and Attenuates Downstream Signaling

The dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) is a key receptor that mediates dopamine-associated brain functions such as mood, reward, and emotion. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase whose function has been implicated in the brain reward circuit. In this study, we revealed that the serine 321 residue (S321) in the third intracellular loop of DRD2 (D2i3) is a novel regulatory site of Cdk5. Cdk5-dependent phosphorylation of S321 in the D2i3 was observed in in vitro and cell culture systems. We further observed that the phosphorylation of S321 impaired the agonist-stimulated surface expression of DRD2 and decreased G protein coupling to DRD2. Moreover, the downstream cAMP pathway was affected in the heterologous system and in primary neuronal cultures from p35 knockout embryos likely due to the reduced inhibitory activity of DRD2. These results indicate that Cdk5-mediated phosphorylation of S321 inhibits DRD2 function, providing a novel regulatory mechanism for dopamine signaling.X111111sciescopu

Full-scale collapse testing of a steel stiffened plate structure under axial-compressive loading at a temperature of −80°C

The aim of the paper was to develop a test database of the ultimate strength characteristics of full-scale steel stiffened plate structures under axial compressive loading at a temperature of −80°C. This paper is a sequel to the authors’ articles (Paik et al. 2020a, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2020.05.026 and Paik et al. 2020b, https://doi.org/10.1080/17445302.2020.1787930). In contrast to the earlier articles associated with room temperature or cryogenic condition, this paper investigated the effect of a low temperature at −80°C which is within the boundary range of temperature of the ductile-to-brittle fracture transition for carbon steels. A material model representing the test conditions was also proposed to capture the characteristics of carbon steels at low temperatures both in tension and in compression, and it was used in finite element method simulations of the full-scale experiment. A comparison between numerical analyses and experiments showed that the proposed model could successfully predict the failure modes and ultimate strength characteristics at low temperatures for stiffened plate structures under axial compressive loading conditions

Comparison of the functional features of the pump organs of Anopheles sinensis and Aedes togoi

Mosquitoes act as vectors for severe tropical diseases. Mosquito-borne diseases are affected by various factors such as environmental conditions, host body susceptibility, and mosquito feeding behavior. Among these factors, feeding behavior is affected by the feeding pump system located inside the mosquito head and also depends on the species of mosquito. Therefore, the 3D morphological structures of the feeding pumps of Aedes togoi and Anopheles sinensis were comparatively investigated using synchrotron X-ray microscopic computed tomography. In addition, the feeding behaviors of their pumping organs were also investigated using a 2D X-ray micro-imaging technique. An. sinensis, a malarial vector mosquito, had a larger feeding pump volume than Ae. togoi in the static or resting position. Interestingly, the two species of mosquitoes exhibited different feeding behaviors. Ae. togoi had a higher feeding frequency and expansion ratio than An. sinensis. Ae. togoi also exhibited F-actin localization more clearly. These distinctive variations in feeding volumes and behaviors provide essential insight into the blood-feeding mechanisms of female mosquitoes as vectors for tropical diseases.1124Ysciescopu

Vaccines for prophylaxis of viral infections in patients with hematological malignancies.

Viral infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. It remains uncertain whether viral vaccinations in these patients are supported by good evidence. We aimed to determine the effectiveness and safety of viral vaccines in patients with hematological malignancies. We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL (June 2010), reference lists of relevant papers, abstracts from scientific meetings and contacted vaccine manufacturers. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating viral vaccines in patients with hematological malignancies were included. Relative risk (RR) was used for binary data and mean difference (MD) for continuous data. Primary outcome was incidence of infection. Secondary outcomes were mortality, incidence of complications and severe viral infection, hospitalization, immune response and adverse effects. Fixed-effect model was used in meta-analyses. Eight RCTs were included, with 305 patients in the intervention groups and 288 in the control groups. They evaluated heat-inactivated varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccine (two trials), influenza vaccines (five trials) and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) (one trial). Seven trials had high and one trial had moderate risk of bias.VZV vaccine might reduce herpes zoster compared to no vaccine (RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.3 to 1.0, P=0.05), but not statistically significant. Vaccination also demonstrated efficacy in immune response but frequently caused local adverse effects. One trial reported severity score of zoster, which favored vaccination (MD 2.6, 95% CI 0.94 to 4.26, P=0.002).Two RCTs compared inactivated influenza vaccine with no vaccine and reported lower risk of lower respiratory infections (RR 0.39, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.78, P=0.008) and hospitalization (RR 0.17, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.31, P<0.00001) in vaccine recipients. However, vaccine recipients more frequently experienced irritability and local adverse effects. There was no significant difference in seroconversion between one and two doses of influenza vaccine (one trial), or between recombinant and standard influenza vaccine (one trial), or influenza vaccine given with or without re-induction chemotherapy (one trial).The IPV trial comparing vaccination starting at 6 versus 18 months after stem cell transplant (SCT) found no significant difference in seroconversion. Inactivated VZV vaccine might reduce zoster severity in adult SCT recipients. Inactivated influenza vaccine might reduce respiratory infections and hospitalization in adults with multiple myeloma or children with leukemia or lymphoma. However, the quality of evidence is low. Local adverse effects occur frequently. Further high-quality RCTs are needed.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Detection of Heparin in the Salivary Gland and Midgut of Aedes togoi

Mosquitoes secrete saliva that contains biological substances, including anticoagulants that counteract a host&apos;s hemostatic response and prevent blood clotting during blood feeding. This study aimed to detect heparin, an anticoagulant in Aedes togoi using an immunohistochemical detection method, in the salivary canal, salivary gland, and midgut of male and female mosquitoes. Comparisons showed that female mosquitoes contained higher concentrations of heparin than male mosquitoes. On average, the level of heparin was higher in blood-fed female mosquitoes than in non-blood-fed female mosquitoes. Heparin concentrations were higher in the midgut than in the salivary gland. This indicates presence of heparin in tissues of A. togoi.X111Ysciescopu

Full-scale collapse testing of a steel stiffened plate structure under axial-compressive loading triggered by brittle fracture at cryogenic condition

This paper is a sequel to the authors’ earlier article Paik et al. [2020a. Full-scale collapse testing of a steel stiffened plate structure under cyclic axial-compressive loading, Structures, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2020.05.026]. The aim of the paper was to present a test data on the ultimate compressive strength characteristics of a full-scale steel stiffened plate structure at cryogenic condition which may be due to unwanted release of liquefied gases. The test structure was fabricated in a shipyard using exactly the same welding technology as used in today’s shipbuilding industry. It is observed that the test structure reaches the ultimate limit states triggered by brittle fracture, which is totally different from typical collapse modes at room temperature. Details of the test database are documented as they can be used to validate computational models for the structural crashworthiness analysis involving brittle fracture at cryogenic condition

An experimental and numerical study on nonlinear impact responses of steel-plated structures in an Arctic environment

Ships and offshore platforms that operate in Arctic regions at low temperatures are likely subjected to impact loads that arise from collisions with icebergs. The aim of this paper was to examine the nonlinear impact response of steel-plated structures in an Arctic environment. In addition to material tensile tests for characterisation of the mechanical properties of polar-class high-tensile steel of grade DH36, an experimental study was undertaken in a dropped-object test facility on steel-plated structure models under impact loads and at low temperatures equivalent to those in Arctic regions. LS-DYNA nonlinear finite element computations were also performed for the corresponding test models. We conclude that nonlinear finite element analyses are useful in the analysis of the nonlinear impact structural responses involving yielding, crushing and brittle fracture at low temperatures as long as the modelling techniques are adequate. The conclusions and insights developed in this paper should be useful in the safety design of ships and offshore platforms intended for operation in Arctic regions

Holographic aspects of three dimensional QCD from string theory

We study two aspects of 3D QCD with massless fermions in a holographic set-up from string theory, based on D3/D7 branes; parity anomaly and baryons as baby Skyrmions. We first give a novel account of parity anomaly of 3D QCD with odd number of flavors from the IR holographic viewpoint by observing a subtle point in D7 brane embeddings with a given fixed UV theory. We also discuss its UV origin in terms of weakly coupled D-brane pictures. We then focus on the parity-symmetric case of even number of N_F flavors, and study baryons in the holographic model. We identify the monopoles of U(N_F) gauge theory dynamically broken down to U(N_F/2)x U(N_F/2) in the holographic 4 dimensional bulk as a holographic counter-part of 3D baby-Skyrmions for baryons in large N limit, and work out some details how the mapping goes. In particular, we show that the correct baryon charges emerge from the Witten effect with a space-varying theta angle.Comment: 33 pages, 10 figures; v2: references added with comments, typos corrected; v3: more references added; v4: holographic baryon profile and the analysis of its baryon charge is significantly revised, correcting errors in the previous discussio