Boundary matrices for the higher spin six vertex model

In this paper we consider solutions to the reflection equation related to the higher spin stochastic six vertex model. The corresponding higher spin $R$-matrix is associated with the affine quantum algebra $U_q(\widehat{sl(2)})$. The explicit formulas for boundary $K$-matrices for spins $s=1/2,1$ are well known. We derive difference equations for the generating function of matrix elements of the $K$-matrix for any spin $s$ and solve them in terms of hypergeometric functions. As a result we derive the explicit formula for matrix elements of the $K$-matrix for arbitrary spin. In the lower- and upper- triangular cases, the $K$-matrix simplifies and reduces to simple products of $q$-Pochhammer symbols.Comment: Misprints fixed, acknowledgements adde

Seismic performance of vertical irregular hybrid spatial structures

p. 333-344Shanghai pudong international airport terminal building 2 has total floor area of 400 thousand square meters and constitutes a terminal building, a boarding hall and mass transit stations. Its total length and width are 414 and 150 meters, respectively. In addition, it is a hybrid spatial structure, in which the upper steel roof and lower RC frame are assembled with Y-shaped steel columns. It could also be classified as a vertically irregular structure due to irregular dirstribution of the transverse stiffness. Up to now, no Chinese Design Code can be applied efficiently to this type of structure. The objective of this paper is to study the seismic performance of this hybrid spatial structure by means of nonlinear time history analyses when subjected to seismic excitations. Some important responses such as internal force, displacements are monitored and compared between different cases. The seismic performance of this structure is evaluated. The study attempts to investigate the weak point and accumulates the analytical evidence for establishing related design guidelines for such complex hybrid spatial structures in the future.Liu, F.; Lu, X. (2009). Seismic performance of vertical irregular hybrid spatial structures. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/652

Shaking table test a hybrid spatial structure with engineering application

p. 420-431Terminal building 2 in Shanghai pudong international airport is a novel hybrid spatial structure. The upper steel roof and lower reinforced concrete frame are assembled with Yshaped steel columns. Its total length and width are 414 and 150 miters, respectively. The special architecture form leads to a complex structure. It is significant to completely understand the overall structural behavior under moderate and strong earthquakes when designing this structure. In this regard, shaking table model test plays an important role in obtaining the overall dynamic characteristics, seismic responses and failure mechanism of targeted structure. The seismic response and performance of this hybrid spatial structure subjected to various earthquake inputs are investigated by shaking table test. A 1:35 scaled model structure is constructed and tested. The natural frequency, seismic responses including the relative displacement and the strain are investigated based on the test results. Some features are captured and discussed. Furthermore, weak positions under seldom-occurred earthquakes of seismic design intensity 8 are found based on the visible damages on the testing model, and some corresponding suggestions were proposed and applied to the engineering design of the structure under extremely strong earthquakes. The whole project was completed in 2006 and put into operation after then. The study attempts to provide some insights into the overall dynamic behavior of the new structural system and accumulates the experimental evidence for establishing related design guidelines for such complex hybrid spatial structures in the future.Lu, X.; Liu, F. (2009). Shaking table test a hybrid spatial structure with engineering application. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/653

Seismic and Power Generation Performance of U-Shaped Steel Connected PV-Shear Wall under Lateral Cyclic Loading

BIPV is now widely used in office and residential buildings, but its seismic performance still remained vague especially when the photovoltaic (PV) modules are installed on high-rise building facades. A new form of reinforced concrete shear wall integrated with photovoltaic module is proposed in this paper, aiming to apply PV module to the facades of high-rise buildings. In this new form, the PV module is integrated with the reinforced concrete wall by U-shaped steel connectors through embedded steel plates. The lateral cyclic loading test is executed to investigate the seismic behavior and the electric and thermal performance with different drift angles. The seismic behavior, including failure pattern, lateral force-top displacement relationship, and deformation capacity, was investigated. The power generation and temperature variation on the back of the PV module and both sides of the shear wall were also tested. Two main results are demonstrated through the experiment: (1) the U-shaped steel connectors provide enough deformation capacity for the compatibility of the PV module to the shear wall during the whole cyclic test; (2) the electricity generation capacity is effective and stable during this seismic simulation test

Seismic Analysis of the Structure with Viscous Damper Bracing of the Theme Hall of The World Expo 2010 Shangai China

p. 432-443The Theme Hall of The World Expo 2010 Shanghai China consists of four exhibition halls, and is designed as a large spatial steel moment frame. For resisting the earthquake force, at first steel bracings with great horizontal stiffness are inserted into the structure. Then the temperature stress of the structure would be very large. At last a viscous damper bracing is introduced in the Theme Hall, which can dissipate the earthquake energy and reduce the temperature-induced stress. The viscous damper bracing consists of inverted V-shaped steel brace, two viscous dampers and two rubber isolators for each one. In the bracing, the viscous damper and rubber isolator are supported on inverted V-shaped steel brace in one end and connected with frame joint. The dampers can dissipate earthquake energy and the rubber isolators can keep the damper bracings vibrating in their direction, which also can dissipate a part of earthquake energy. Through time history analysis it can be found that the seismic performances of the structure are greatly enhanced with the help of the damper bracing. And these advantages are verified by comparison of dynamic responses of three kinds of bracing systems: a) steel moment frame with steel bracings(ST1), b) partially damper bracings(ST2) in which some steel bracings are replaced by damper bracings, and c) totally damper bracings(ST3) in which all steel bracings are replaced by damper bracings. From the comparison, it is found that the inter-storey shear forces, the inter-storey drifts and the torsion effects of ST3 and ST2 are much less than those of ST1. And also the axial forces in columns (induced by temperature differences) near the bracing system and the axial brace forces in ST2 and ST3 are much less than those in ST1. The ST2 system has been chosen in the last and the construction was completed in the end of 2008.Weng, D.; He, H.; Lu, X. (2009). Seismic Analysis of the Structure with Viscous Damper Bracing of the Theme Hall of The World Expo 2010 Shangai China. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/653

Expression and biological significance of c-FLIP in human hepatocellular carcinomas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>c-FLIP can be considered as a tumor-progression factor in regard to its anti-apoptotic functions. In the present study, we intended to investigate the expression of c-FLIP in human HCC tissues, and its relation with drug-induced cell apoptosis through the specific inhibition of c-FLIP expression by siRNA in 7721 cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>c-FLIP expression was quantified immunohistochemically in HCC tissues(eighty-six cases), and corresponding noncancerous tissues (fifty-seven cases). Patients with HCC were followed up for cancer recurrence. Then, the c-FLIP gene was silenced with specific siRNA in 7721 HCC cells. c-FLIP expression was detected by RT-PCR, Western Blot and immunocytochemical staining. The cellular viability and cell apoptosis were assayed <it>in vitro </it>with cells treated with doxorubicin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Positive immunostaining was detected for c-FLIP in 83.72% (72/86) human HCC tissues, 14.81% (4/27) hepatic cirrhosis, 11.11% (2/18) hepatic hemangioma tissues, and absent in normal hepatic tissues. The overexpression(more than 50%) of c-FLIP in HCC adversely affected the recurrence-free survival. Through c-FLIP gene silencing with siRNA, the expressions of c-FLIP mRNA and protein were remarkably down-regulated in 7721 HCC cells. And doxorubicin showed apparent inhibition on cell proliferations, and induced more apoptosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that c-FLIP is frequently expressed in human HCCs, and its overexpression implied a lesser probability of recurrence-free survival. The specific silencing of c-FLIP gene can apparently up-regulate drug-induced HCC cell apoptosis, and may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of human HCC.</p

PT-Symmetric Quantum Rabi Model

In this work, we explore the PT-symmetric quantum Rabi model (PTQRM), which describes a PT-symmetric qubit coupled to a quantized light field. By employing the adiabatic approximation (AA), we are able to solve this model analytically in the parameter regime of interest and analyze various physical aspects. We investigate the static and dynamic properties of the model, using both the AA and numerical diagonalization. Our analysis reveals a multitude of exceptional points (EPs) that are closely connected with the exactly solvable points in the Hermitian counterpart of the model. Intriguingly, these EPs vanish and revive depending on the light-matter coupling strength. Furthermore, we discuss the time evolution of physical observables under the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Our work extends the theory of PT-symmetry into the full quantum light-matter interaction regime and provides insights that can be readily enlarged to a broad class of quantum optical systems.Comment: 6+7 pages, 6+6 figure

Clinicopathological significance of SOX4 expression in primary gallbladder carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>SOX4, as a member of the SRY-related HMG-box (SOX) transcription factor family, has been demonstrated to be involved in tumorigenesis of many human malignancies; however, its role in primary gallbladder carcinoma (PGC) is still largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate SOX4 expression in PGC and its prognostic significance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From 1997 to 2006, 136 patients underwent resection for PGC. The median follow-up was 12.8 months. Immunostainings for SOX4 were performed on these archival tissues. The correlation of SOX4 expression with clinicopathological features including survival was analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>SOX4 was expressed in 75.0% (102/136) of PGC but not in the normal epithelium of the gallbladder. In addition, the over-expression of SOX4 was significantly associated with low histologic grade (<it>P </it>= 0.02), low pathologic T stage (<it>P </it>= 0.02), and early clinical stage (<it>P </it>= 0.03). The levels of SOX4 immunostainings in PGC tissues with positive nodal metastasis were also significantly lower than those without (<it>P </it>= 0.01). Moreover, Kaplan-Meier curves showed that SOX4 over-expression was significantly related to better overall (<it>P </it>= 0.008) and disease-free survival (<it>P </it>= 0.01). Furthermore, multivariate analyses showed that SOX4 expression was an independent risk factor for both overall (<it>P </it>= 0.03, hazard ratio, 3.682) and disease-free survival (<it>P </it>= 0.04, hazard ratio, 2.215).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data indicate for the first time that the over-expression of SOX4 in PGC was significantly correlated with favorable clinicopathologic features and was an independent prognostic factor for better overall and disease-free survival in patients. Therefore, SOX4 might be an auxiliary parameter for predicting malignant behavior for PGC.</p> <p>Virtual slides</p> <p>The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: <url>http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1534825818694957</url>.</p

VertU: universal multilocus primer sets for eDNA metabarcoding of vertebrate diversity, evaluated by both artificial and natural cases

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a powerful tool for monitoring biodiversity in natural ecosystems. The accuracy of eDNA metabarcoding relies heavily on the PCR primers that amplify target sequences. For vertebrates, most available primers are designed for particular groups. There have been inadequate attempts to design “universal” primers applicable to all vertebrates. Here, we developed three new universal primer sets (V12S-U, V16S-U, and VCOI-U) targeting mitochondrial 12S, 16S, and COI genes, respectively. They work for all vertebrate groups, with amplification length of 200-250 bp, facilitating the use of short-read sequencing platforms. We evaluated and compared the species detection ability of our primer sets and seven previously published ones through both in-silico PCR and experiment tests with mock DNA and zoo eDNA. The species detection success of the new primer sets is over 90%, showing better performance than previously published primer sets. We also tested our new primers with water eDNA samples of natural environments, and detected a total of 895 vertebrate OTUs (BLAST identity ≥ 0.95), comprising 182 species, 195 genera, and 94 families. Our results indicated that utilizing multiple markers can achieve better species detection than using only a single marker, which is especially important for monitoring large biological communities like vertebrates. The new primer sets enable researchers to detect the presence of species of different vertebrate groups in one eDNA metabarcoding survey, which simplifies the workflow and reduces the cost. It has the potential to serve as an alternative/complementary tool for future eDNA metabarcoding studies targeting vertebrates

One-year weight losses in the Tianjin Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Prevention Programme : A randomized clinical trial

Aims: To report the weight loss findings after the first year of a lifestyle intervention trial among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: A total of 1180 women with GDM were randomly assigned (1: 1) to receive a 4-year lifestyle intervention (intervention group, n = 586) or standard care (control group, n = 594) between August 2009 and July 2011. Major elements of the intervention included 6 face-to-face sessions with study dieticians and two telephone calls in the first year, and two individual sessions and two telephone calls in each subsequent year. Results: Among 79% of participants who completed the year 1 trial, mean weight loss was 0.82 kg (1.12% of initial weight) in the intervention group and 0.09 kg (0.03% of initial weight) in the control group (P=.001). In a prespecified subgroup analysis of people who completed the trial, weight loss was more pronounced in women who were overweight (body mass index = 24 kg/m(2)) at baseline: mean weight loss 2.01 kg (2.87% of initial weight) in the intervention group and 0.44 kg (0.52% of initial weight) in the control group (P Conclusion: The 1-year lifestyle intervention led to significant weight losses after delivery in women who had GDM, and the effect was more pronounced in women who were overweight at baseline.Peer reviewe