Strong Optical and UV Intermediate-Width Emission Lines in the Quasar SDSS J232444.80-094600.3: Dust-Free and Intermediate-Density Gas at the Skin of Dusty Torus ?

Emission lines from the broad emission line region (BELR) and the narrow emission line region (NELR) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are extensively studied. However, between these two regions emission lines are rarely detected. We present a detailed analysis of a quasar SDSS J232444.80-094600.3 (SDSS J2324$-$0946), which is remarkable for its strong intermediate-width emission lines (IELs) with FWHM $\approx$ 1800 \kmps. The IEL component is presented in different emission lines, including the permitted lines \lya\ $\lambda$1216, \civ\ $\lambda$1549, semiforbidden line \ciii\ $\lambda$1909, and forbidden lines \oiii\ $\lambda\lambda$4959, 5007. With the aid of photo-ionization models, we found that the IELs are produced by gas with a hydrogen density of $n_{\rm H} \sim 10^{6.2}-10^{6.3}~\rm cm^{-3}$, a distance to the central ionizing source of $R \sim 35-50$ pc, a covering factor of CF $\sim$ 6\%, and a dust-to-gas ratio of $\leq 4\%$ times of SMC. We suggest that the strong IELs of this quasar are produced by nearly dust-free and intermediate-density gas located at the skin of the dusty torus. Such strong IELs, served as a useful diagnose, can provide an avenue to study the properties of gas between the BELR and the NELR

Energy Stable Numerical Schemes for Ternary Cahn-Hilliard System

We present and analyze a uniquely solvable and unconditionally energy stable numerical scheme for the ternary Cahn-Hilliard system, with a polynomial pattern nonlinear free energy expansion. One key difficulty is associated with presence of the three mass components, though a total mass constraint reduces this to two components. Another numerical challenge is to ensure the energy stability for the nonlinear energy functional in the mixed product form, which turns out to be non-convex, non-concave in the three-phase space. to overcome this subtle difficulty, we add a few auxiliary terms to make the combined energy functional convex in the three-phase space, and this, in turn, yields a convex-concave decomposition of the physical energy in the ternary system. Consequently, both the unique solvability and the unconditional energy stability of the proposed numerical scheme are established at a theoretical level. in addition, an optimal rate convergence analysis in the ℓ∞(0,T;HN-1)∩ℓ2(0,T;HN1) norm is provided, with Fourier pseudo-spectral discretization in space, which is the first such result in this field. to deal with the nonlinear implicit equations at each time step, we apply an efficient preconditioned steepest descent (PSD) algorithm. a second order accurate, modified BDF scheme is also discussed. a few numerical results are presented, which confirm the stability and accuracy of the proposed numerical scheme

Error Estimate of a Decoupled Numerical Scheme for the Cahn-Hilliard-Stokes-Darcy System

We analyze a fully discrete finite element numerical scheme for the Cahn-Hilliard-Stokes-Darcy system that models two-phase flows in coupled free flow and porous media. To avoid a well-known difficulty associated with the coupling between the Cahn-Hilliard equation and the fluid motion, we make use of the operator-splitting in the numerical scheme, so that these two solvers are decoupled, which in turn would greatly improve the computational efficiency. The unique solvability and the energy stability have been proved in Chen et al. (2017, Uniquely solvable and energy stable decoupled numerical schemes for the Cahn-Hilliard-Stokes-Darcy system for two-phase flows in karstic geometry. Numer. Math., 137, 229-255). In this work, we carry out a detailed convergence analysis and error estimate for the fully discrete finite element scheme, so that the optimal rate convergence order is established in the energy norm, i.e., in the ℓ ∞(0, T; H1) ∩2 (0, T; H2) norm for the phase variables, as well as in the ℓ ∞ (0, T; H1) ∩ ℓ2 (0, T; H2) norm for the velocity variable. Such an energy norm error estimate leads to a cancelation of a nonlinear error term associated with the convection part, which turns out to be a key step to pass through the analysis. In addition, a discrete ℓ2 (0;T; H3) bound of the numerical solution for the phase variables plays an important role in the error estimate, which is accomplished via a discrete version of Gagliardo-Nirenberg inequality in the finite element setting

The immune mechanism of the nasal epithelium in COVID-19–related olfactory dysfunction

During the first waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, olfactory dysfunction (OD) was reported as a frequent clinical sign. The nasal epithelium is one of the front-line protections against viral infections, and the immune responses of the nasal mucosa may be associated with OD. Two mechanisms underlying OD occurrence in COVID-19 have been proposed: the infection of sustentacular cells and the inflammatory reaction of the nasal epithelium. The former triggers OD and the latter likely prolongs OD. These two alternative mechanisms may act in parallel; the infection of sustentacular cells is more important for OD occurrence because sustentacular cells are more likely to be the entry point of SARS-CoV-2 than olfactory neurons and more susceptible to early injury. Furthermore, sustentacular cells abundantly express transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and play a major role in the olfactory epithelium. OD occurrence in COVID-19 has revealed crucial roles of sustentacular cells. This review aims to elucidate how immune responses of the nasal epithelium contribute to COVID-19–related OD. Understanding the underlying immune mechanisms of the nasal epithelium in OD may aid in the development of improved medical treatments for COVID-19–related OD

Evaluating the Efficacy of VitalStim Electrical Stimulation Combined with Swallowing Function Training for Treating Dysphagia following an Acute Stroke

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the clinical efficacy of VitalStim electrical stimulation combined with swallowing function training for patients with dysphagia following an acute stroke. METHODS: Seventy-two patients with dysphagia following an acute stroke were admitted to our hospital and were further divided into two groups using prospective research methods. There were 36 cases in each group according to the random number table method. The control group received conventional medical treatment and swallowing function training while the experimental group received conventional medical treatment and VitalStim electrical stimulation combined with swallowing function training. RESULTS: The overall response rate of the experimental group (94.44%) was higher than that of the control group (77.78%), and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Compared with before treatment, the upward and forward movement speeds of the hyoid bone, anterior movement speed, the grading score of the Kubota drinking water test, Caiteng's grading score, serum superoxide dismutase, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and norepinephrine levels, Fugl-Meyer Assessment score, and multiple quality of life scores of the two groups showed improvement after treatment. While the standard swallowing assessment score, serum malondialdehyde level, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score decreased, the aforementioned indices showed a significant improvement in the experimental group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that VitalStim electrical stimulation combined with swallowing function is effective for treating dysphagia following an acute stroke. It can effectively improve swallowing, neurological, and limb motor functions, reduce complications, promote physical recovery, and improve overall quality of life of patients

Maternal Personality and Child Temperamental Reactivity: Differential Susceptibility for Child Externalizing Behavioral Problems in China

It is important to identify the developmental antecedents of externalizing behavioral problems in early childhood. The current study examined the main effects of maternal personality and its interactive effects with child temperamental reactivity in predicting child externalizing behavioral problems, indicated by impulsivity and aggression. This study was composed of 70 children (Mage = 17.6 months, SD = 3.73) and their mothers. The results showed that maternal agreeableness was negatively associated with child impulsivity. Child temperamental reactivity moderated the effect of maternal conscientiousness on child impulsivity in support of the differential susceptibility model. Specifically, for highly reactive children, maternal conscientiousness was negatively associated with child impulsivity whereas this association was non-significant for low reactive children. Child reactivity also moderated the contribution of maternal neuroticism to child impulsivity. That is, maternal neuroticism was negatively associated with impulsivity, only for highly reactive children

Abnormal hubs in global network as potential neuroimaging marker in generalized anxiety disorder at rest

BackgroundMounting studies have reported altered neuroimaging features in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, little is known about changes in degree centrality (DC) as an effective diagnostic method for GAD. Therefore, we aimed to explore the abnormality of DCs and whether these features can be used in the diagnosis of GAD.MethodsForty-one GAD patients and 45 healthy controls participated in the study. Imaging data were analyzed using DC and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) methods.ResultsCompared with the control group, increased DC values in bilateral cerebellum and left middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and decreased DC values in the left medial frontal orbital gyrus (MFOG), fusiform gyrus (FG), and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). The ROC results showed that the DC value of the left MTG could serve as a potential neuroimaging marker with high sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing patients from healthy controls.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that abnormal DCs in the left MTG can be observed in GAD, highlighting the importance of GAD pathophysiology

PHOTOMETRIC OBSERVATIONS OF 782 MONTEFIORE, 3842 HARLANSMITH, 5542 MOFFATT, 6720 GIFU, AND (19979) 1989 VJ

Five solar system minor planets were measured photometrically between 2012 October and December using the SARA (Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy) telescopes located in Kitt Peak National Observatory in USA and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The following synodic periods were found: 782 Montefiore P = 4.0728 ± 0.0006 h; 3842 Harlansmith, P = 2.7938 ± 0.0005 h; 5542 Moffatt P = 5.187 ± 0.001 h; 6720 Gifu, P = 4.231 ± 0.001 h; and (19979) 1989 VJ, P = 7.568 ± 0.005 h