First Observation of the Directed Flow of D^{0} and D^{0}[over ¯] in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

We report the first measurement of rapidity-odd directed flow (v_{1}) for D^{0} and D^{0}[over ¯] mesons at midrapidity (|y|<0.8) in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV using the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In 10-80% Au+Au collisions, the slope of the v_{1} rapidity dependence (dv_{1}/dy), averaged over D^{0} and D^{0}[over ¯] mesons, is -0.080±0.017(stat)±0.016(syst) for transverse momentum p_{T} above 1.5  GeV/c. The absolute value of D^{0} meson dv_{1}/dy is about 25 times larger than that for charged kaons, with 3.4σ significance. These data give a unique insight into the initial tilt of the produced matter, and offer constraints on the geometric and transport parameters of the hot QCD medium created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.

Polarization of Λ (Λ[over ¯]) Hyperons along the Beam Direction in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

The Λ (Λ[over ¯]) hyperon polarization along the beam direction has been measured in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV, for the first time in heavy-ion collisions. The polarization dependence on the hyperons' emission angle relative to the elliptic flow plane exhibits a second harmonic sine modulation, indicating a quadrupole pattern of the vorticity component along the beam direction, expected due to elliptic flow. The polarization is found to increase in more peripheral collisions, and shows no strong transverse momentum (p_{T}) dependence at p_{T} greater than 1  GeV/c. The magnitude of the signal is about 5 times smaller than those predicted by hydrodynamic and multiphase transport models; the observed phase of the emission angle dependence is also opposite to these model predictions. In contrast, the kinematic vorticity calculations in the blast-wave model tuned to reproduce particle spectra, elliptic flow, and the azimuthal dependence of the Gaussian source radii measured with the Hanbury Brown-Twiss intensity interferometry technique reproduce well the modulation phase measured in the data and capture the centrality and transverse momentum dependence of the polarization signal.

Observation of Excess J/ψ Yield at Very Low Transverse Momenta in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV and U+U Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193 GeV

We report on the first measurements of J/ψ production at very low transverse momentum (p_{T}<0.2  GeV/c) in hadronic Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and U+U collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV. Remarkably, the inferred nuclear modification factor of J/ψ at midrapidity in Au+Au (U+U) collisions reaches about 24 (52) for p_{T}<0.05  GeV/c in the 60%-80% collision centrality class. This noteworthy enhancement cannot be explained by hadronic production accompanied by cold and hot medium effects. In addition, the dN/dt distribution of J/ψ for the very low p_{T} range is presented for the first time. The distribution is consistent with that expected from the Au nucleus and shows a hint of interference. Comparison of the measurements to theoretical calculations of coherent production shows that the excess yield can be described reasonably well and reveals a partial disruption of coherent production in semicentral collisions, perhaps due to the violent hadronic interactions. Incorporating theoretical calculations, the results strongly suggest that the dramatic enhancement of J/ψ yield observed at extremely low p_{T} originates from coherent photon-nucleus interactions. In particular, coherently produced J/ψ's in violent hadronic collisions may provide a novel probe of the quark-gluon plasma.

[Effects of low temperature on trehalose and trehalase contents in Culex pipiens pallens]

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effect of low temperature on trehalose and trehalase levels in Culex pipiens pallens.

METHODS

The fourth instar larvae and female adult mosquitoes of Cx. pipiens pallens were exposed at 4 ℃ for 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 h and 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 72 h, respectively. Then, the trehalose and trehalase contents were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in mosquitoes.

RESULTS

The contents of trehalose and trehalase significantly increased in the larval and female adult mosquitoes post-exposure to low temperature. The changing trend of trehalose levels was consistent in the larval and female adult mosquitoes, and the highest levels were (2.458 8 ± 0.379 2) mg/g and (2.825 7 ± 0.211 1) mg/g 3 h post-exposure to low temperature, respectively. The trehalose and trehalase levels fluctuated greatly within the first 6 h post-exposure to low temperature. Following adaptation for a period of time, the trehalose and trehalase levels remained at a relatively high level.

CONCLUSIONS

Low temperature may induce the production of trehalose and trehalase in Cx. pipiens pallens, and the trehalose and trehalase may play an important role in the improvement of the cold resistance.

Therapy of B-ultrasound-guided puncture for incision infection after total abdominal hysterectomy

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to investigate the clinical efficacy of B-ultrasound-guided puncture in the treatment of incision infection after total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and to provide references for the clinical treatment.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

116 patients with uterine incision infection after TAH were selected and randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, with 58 cases in each group. The patients in the control group received an intravenous drip of ceftazidime and tinidazole to prevent infection, and the patients in the observation group received B-ultrasound-guided puncture treatment on the basis of the treatment plan of the control group. The clinical therapeutic effects between the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

The cure rate of excellence in the observation group was 84.48%, and the cure rate in the control group was 53.45%, while the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p<0.05). The total effective rate in the observation group was 98.28%, and that in the control group was 87.93%, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The hospital stay was (9.5±1.6) days in the observation group and (12.3±2.1) days in the control group, and the mean hospital stay in the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group; the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

TAH should be performed on patients when they are in the best physical condition, and strictly according to the operation steps to reduce the duration of surgery. The application of B-ultrasound-guided puncture can effectively improve the excellent recovery rate of the incision infection after TAH and shorten the hospitalization time. It is worth popularizing in clinical practice.

Evaluating Polymer Representations via Quantifying Structure-Property Relationships

Machine learning techniques are being applied in quantifying structure-property relationships for a wide variety of materials, where the properly represented materials play key roles. Although algorithms for representation learning are extensively studied, their applications to domain-specific areas, such as polymers, are limited largely due to the lack of benchmark databases. In this work, we investigate different types of polymer representations, including Morgan fingerprint (MF), molecular embedding (ME), and molecular graph (MG), based on the benchmark database from a subset of the well-known web-based polymer databases, PolyInfo. We evaluate the quality of different polymer representations via quantifying the relationships between the representations and polymer properties, including density, melting temperature, and glass transition temperature. Different representation learning schemes for MEs, such as supervised learning, semisupervised learning, and transfer learning, are investigated. In supervised learning, only labeled molecules in our benchmark database are used for representation learning, in semisupervised learning, both labeled and unlabeled molecules in our benchmark database are used, and in transfer learning, molecules from an external database that is different from the benchmark database are used for representation learning. It is found that ME (with the R² of 0.724 in the density case, 0.684 in the melting temperature case, and 0.865 in the glass transition temperature case) outperforms the other representations for structure-property relationship quantification in all cases studied, and MG (with the R² of 0.260 in the density case, -0.149 in the melting temperature case, and 0.711 in the glass transition case) is shown to be much inferior to ME and MF (with the R² of 0.562 in the density case, 0.645 in the melting temperature case, and 0.849 in the glass transition case), likely due to the relatively small volumes of training data available. For MEs, it is found that the similarities of substructure MEs under different learning schemes (e.g., SL, SSL, and TL) are differently estimated, thus leading to different performance scores in structure-property relation quantification. Combinations of MEs show little effect on predictive performance when comparing to the single MEs in the corresponding regression tasks, proving no information gain in mixing MEs.

Correction to: Rehmanniae Radix Preparata suppresses bone loss and increases bone strength through interfering with canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in OVX rats

There was a mistake in the part of OVX rats model and RRP intervention in the original publication.

Observation of an Excited B_{c}^{+} State

Using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.5  fb^{-1} recorded by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of sqrt[s]=7, 8, and 13 TeV, the observation of an excited B_{c}^{+} state in the B_{c}^{+}π^{+}π^{-} invariant-mass spectrum is reported. The observed peak has a mass of 6841.2±0.6(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.8(B_{c}^{+})  MeV/c^{2}, where the last uncertainty is due to the limited knowledge of the B_{c}^{+} mass. It is consistent with expectations of the B_{c}^{*}(2^{3}S_{1})^{+} state reconstructed without the low-energy photon from the B_{c}^{*}(1^{3}S_{1})^{+}→B_{c}^{+}γ decay following B_{c}^{*}(2^{3}S_{1})^{+}→B_{c}^{*}(1^{3}S_{1})^{+}π^{+}π^{-}. A second state is seen with a global (local) statistical significance of 2.2σ (3.2σ) and a mass of 6872.1±1.3(stat)±0.1(syst)±0.8(B_{c}^{+})  MeV/c^{2}, and is consistent with the B_{c}(2^{1}S_{0})^{+} state. These mass measurements are the most precise to date.

Observation of a Narrow Pentaquark State, P_{c}(4312)^{+}, and of the Two-Peak Structure of the P_{c}(4450)^{+}

A narrow pentaquark state, P_{c}(4312)^{+}, decaying to J/ψp, is discovered with a statistical significance of 7.3σ in a data sample of Λ_{b}^{0}→J/ψpK^{-} decays, which is an order of magnitude larger than that previously analyzed by the LHCb Collaboration. The P_{c}(4450)^{+} pentaquark structure formerly reported by LHCb is confirmed and observed to consist of two narrow overlapping peaks, P_{c}(4440)^{+} and P_{c}(4457)^{+}, where the statistical significance of this two-peak interpretation is 5.4σ. The proximity of the Σ_{c}^{+}D[over ¯]^{0} and Σ_{c}^{+}D[over ¯]^{*0} thresholds to the observed narrow peaks suggests that they play an important role in the dynamics of these states.

Observation of CP Violation in Charm Decays

A search for charge-parity (CP) violation in D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} and D^{0}→π^{-}π^{+} decays is reported, using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.9  fb^{-1} collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. The flavor of the charm meson is inferred from the charge of the pion in D^{*}(2010)^{+}→D^{0}π^{+} decays or from the charge of the muon in B[over ¯]→D^{0}μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ}X decays. The difference between the CP asymmetries in D^{0}→K^{-}K^{+} and D^{0}→π^{-}π^{+} decays is measured to be ΔA_{CP}=[-18.2±3.2(stat)±0.9(syst)]×10^{-4} for π-tagged and ΔA_{CP}=[-9±8(stat)±5(syst)]×10^{-4} for μ-tagged D^{0} mesons. Combining these with previous LHCb results leads to ΔA_{CP}=(-15.4±2.9)×10^{-4}, where the uncertainty includes both statistical and systematic contributions. The measured value differs from zero by more than 5 standard deviations. This is the first observation of CP violation in the decay of charm hadrons.

Search for CP Violation in D_{s}^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}, D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}K^{+}, and D^{+}→ϕπ^{+} Decays

A search for charge-parity (CP) violation in Cabibbo-suppressed D_{s}^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}, D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}K^{+}, and D^{+}→ϕπ^{+} decays is reported using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.8  fb^{-1}, collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. High-yield samples of kinematically and topologically similar Cabibbo-favored D_{(s)}^{+} decays are analyzed to subtract nuisance asymmetries due to production and detection effects, including those induced by CP violation in the neutral kaon system. The results areA_{CP}(D_{s}^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+})=(1.3±1.9±0.5)×10^{-3},A_{CP}(D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}K^{+})=(-0.09±0.65±0.48)×10^{-3},A_{CP}(D^{+}→ϕπ^{+})=(0.05±0.42±0.29)×10^{-3},where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. They are the most precise measurements of these quantities to date, and are consistent with CP symmetry. A combination with previous LHCb measurements, based on data collected at 7 and 8 TeV, is also reported.

Azimuthal Harmonics in Small and Large Collision Systems at RHIC Top Energies

The first (v_{1}^{fluc}), second (v_{2}), and third (v_{3}) harmonic coefficients of the azimuthal particle distribution at midrapidity are extracted for charged hadrons and studied as a function of transverse momentum (p_{T}) and mean charged particle multiplicity density ⟨N_{ch}⟩ in U+U (sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV), Au+Au, Cu+Au, Cu+Cu, d+Au, and p+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV with the STAR detector. For the same ⟨N_{ch}⟩, the v_{1}^{fluc} and v_{3} coefficients are observed to be independent of the collision system, while v_{2} exhibits such a scaling only when normalized by the initial-state eccentricity (ϵ_{2}). The data also show that ln(v_{2}/ϵ_{2}) scales linearly with ⟨N_{ch}⟩^{-1/3}. These measurements provide insight into initial-geometry fluctuations and the role of viscous hydrodynamic attenuation on v_{n} from small to large collision systems.

Characterization and adsorption of a Lactobacillus plantarum virulent phage

Bacteriophage infection of lactic acid bacteria is considered one of the biggest worldwide problems in the food industry. Bacteriophages may cause negative effects on the fermentation of various dairy-based products. A virulent bacteriophage was isolated from an abnormal fermentation liquid of Lactobacillus plantarum IMAU10120. The characterization and influence of temperature, pH, divalent cations, and chloramphenicol on the adsorption ability of this phage were evaluated. The results showed that this phage belonged to the Siphoviridae family. It exhibited a burst time of 135 min and a burst size of approximately 215 counts expressed per milliliter per infective center. No significant effect was shown to influence its viability and adsorption at 10 to 37°C. More than 90% of phages exhibited infectivity from pH 5 to 9. Divalent ions and chloramphenicol did not have a significant influence on the adsorption of this phage. The information obtained in this study will enrich the database of lactobacilli virulent phages and provide a basis of information for the control of phages in the food fermentation industry.

Rehmanniae Radix Preparata suppresses bone loss and increases bone strength through interfering with canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in OVX rats

Rehmanniae Radix Preparata (RRP) improves bone quality in OVX rats through the regulation of bone homeostasis via increasing osteoblastogenesis and decreasing osteoclastogenesis, suggesting it has a potential for the development of new anti-osteoporotic drugs.

INTRODUCTION

Determine the anti-osteoporotic effect of RRP in ovariectomized (OVX) rats and identify the signaling pathway involved in this process.

METHODS

OVX rats were treated with RRP aqueous extract for 14 weeks. The serum levels of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) were determined by ELISA. Bone histopathological alterations were evaluated by H&E, Alizarin red S, and Safranin O staining. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone microstructure in rat femurs and lumbar bones were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and micro-computed tomography. Femoral bone strength was detected by a three-point bending assay. The expression of Phospho-glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (p-GSK-3β), GSK-3β, Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), cathepsin K, OPG, RANKL, IGF-1, Runx2, β-catenin, and p-β-catenin was determined by western blot and/or immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

Treatment of OVX rats with RRP aqueous extract rebuilt bone homeostasis demonstrated by increasing the levels of OPG as well as decreasing the levels of TRAP, RANKL, and ALP in serum. Furthermore, RRP treatment preserved BMD and mechanical strength by increasing cortical bone thickness and epiphyseal thickness as well as improving trabecular distribution in the femurs of OVX rats. In addition, RRP downregulated the expression of DKK1, sclerostin, RANKL, cathepsin K, and the ratio of p-β-catenin to β-catenin, along with upregulating the expression of IGF-1, β-catenin, and Runx2 and the ratio of p-GSK-3β to GSK-3β in the tibias and femurs of OVX rats. Echinacoside, jionoside A1/A2, acetoside, isoacetoside, jionoside B1, and jionoside B2 were identified in the RRP aqueous extract.

CONCLUSION

RRP attenuates bone loss and improves bone quality in OVX rats partly through its regulation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, suggesting that RRP has the potential to provide a new source of anti-osteoporotic drugs.

Quantum Oscillations of the Positive Longitudinal Magnetoconductivity: A Fingerprint for Identifying Weyl Semimetals

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) host charged Weyl fermions as emergent quasiparticles. We develop a unified analytical theory for the anomalous positive longitudinal magnetoconductivity (LMC) in a WSM, which bridges the gap between the classical and ultraquantum approaches. More interestingly, the LMC is found to exhibit periodic-in-1/B quantum oscillations, originating from the oscillations of the nonequilibrium chiral chemical potential. The quantum oscillations, superposed on the positive LMC, are a remarkable fingerprint of a WSM phase with a chiral anomaly, whose observation is a valid criteria for identifying a WSM material. In fact, such quantum oscillations were already observed by several experiments.

[Study on the shift of ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials frequency tuning of Meniere's disease]

Objective: To study the shift of oVEMP frequency tuning of unilateral Meniere's disease, by analyzing oVEMP of air-conducted tone bursts in various frequencies. Methods: From May 2016 to October 2017, 33 patients with unilateral Meniere's from Aerospace Center Hospital were tested for oVEMP in 500 Hz and 1 000 Hz air-conducted tone bursts respectively, and 20 healthy subjects(40 ears), matched for age and sex, were used as healthy control. The amplitudes of the N1-P1 wave and the frequency amplitude ratios of 500/1 000 Hz in affected ears, unaffected ears and normal ears were compared; and receiver operating characteristic curve was analyzed for frequency amplitude ratios of 500/1 000 Hz. Results: By the 500 Hz tone-burst stimulus, the provocation rates of the oVEMP were 84.9%(28/33), 93.9%(31/33) and 97.5%(39/40) in affected ears, contralateral ears and the ears of normal controls, respectively. By the stimulus of 1 000 Hz tone-burst, the provocation rates of the oVEMP were 81.8%(27/33), 87.9%(29/33) and 82.5% (33/40) in affected ears, contralateral ears and normal control ears, respectively. Amplitudes of N1-P1 waveforms in 500 Hz air-conducted tone bursts in affected ears were under normal control ears and contralateral ears. There was significant difference between affected ears and healthy control ears (P<0.05). Amplitudes of N1-P1 waveforms in contralateral ears were also significantly smaller than those in normal control ears (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in amplitudes of N1-P1 waveforms between affected ears, contralateral ears and normal control ears in 1 000 Hz tone bursts stimulus(P>0.05). Frequency amplitude ratios of 500/1 000 Hz in affected ears were significantly under contralateral and normal control ears (P<0.05). According to ROC, the frequency amplitude ratio critical value of frequency tuning was set as 1.17, the positive rate of frequency tuning shift in affected ears was 54.5%(18/33) and significantly higher than in contralateral ears(18.2%, 6/33, χ(2)=9.429, P=0.002) and normal control ears (7.5%, 3/40, χ(2)=19.530, P=0.000). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the incidence of frequency tuning shift between contralateral ears and normal ears(χ(2)=1.909, P=0.167). Conclusions: Frequency tuning oVEMP with Meniere's disease will be changed.Frequency tuning of oVEMP with Meniere's disease shifts from low frequency region to high frequency region in comparison with healthy people. Frequency amplitude ratio is helpful for diagnosis of Meniere's disease.

Downregulation of miR-196b Promotes Glioma Cell Sensitivity to Temozolomide Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy

Human glioma is the most common type of primary brain tumor. The survival rate of people with a malignant glioma is extremely low, primarily due to a lack of effective treatments. We previously reported that miR-196b expression is upregulated in glioblastoma tissues and overexpression of miR-196b is associated with poor prognosis. miR-196b acts as an oncogene by enhancing cellular proliferation and increasing the expression of E2F1, which plays an important role in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In the present study, we explored the effects of miR-196b expression on glioma cells and characterized the relationship between miR-196b expression and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. We found that downregulation of miR-196b decreased the proliferation of U87 and U251 glioma cells. When anti-miR-196b and radiotherapy were used together, cellular proliferation decreased, whereas apoptosis and caspase 3/7activity, an indicator of apoptosis, increased. Meanwhile, downregulation of miR-196b remarkably inhibited glioma cell growth and colony formation when concurrent with temozolomide administration. Further studies demonstrated that neither upregulation nor downregulation of miR-196b markedly changed the protein expression levels of downstream molecules in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in cellular experiments. Therefore, whether miR-196b plays a role by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway has not yet been determined. Together, our findings indicate that downregulation of miR-196b increased glioma cell sensitivity to temozolomide chemotherapy and radiotherapy and may be a valuable target when treating malignant gliomas. However, further studies are required to accurately characterize the mechanism by which miR-196b elicits its pivotal role.

Role of Molecular Polarity in Thermal Transport of Boron Nitride-Organic Molecule Composites

Understanding the role of fillers in the thermal transport of composite materials is of great importance to engineering better materials. The filler induces material interfaces within the composite, which influence the thermal transport between the matrix and themselves. The filler can also alter the molecular arrangement of the matrix in its vicinity, which may also impact the thermal transport ability. In this paper, molecular dynamics simulations are performed to study the thermal transport across the matrix-filler interfaces in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN)-organic molecule composites. Four different organic molecules are studied as the matrixes. They include hexane (C₆H₁₄), hexanamine (C₆H₁₃NH₂), hexanol (C₆H₁₃OH), and hexanoic acid (C₅H₁₁COOH), which feature the same molecular backbone but increasingly different polar functional groups. The nominal local thermal conductivities of the hexane matrix with varying distances to the interface are calculated to demonstrate the influence of the filler on the thermal transport properties of the matrix. It is found that a more polar matrix exhibits a higher density in the near-interface region and a higher nominal local thermal conductivity, suggesting that the interfacial interaction can impact the local heat transfer ability of the matrix. In addition, the more polar matrix also leads to a larger interfacial thermal conductance with h-BN (hexane: 90.47 ± 14.49 MW/m² K, hexanamine: 113.38 ± 17.72 MW/m² K, hexanol: 136.16 ± 25.12 MW/m² K, and hexanoic acid: 155.17 ± 24.89 MW/m² K) because of the higher matrix density near the interface and thus more atoms exchanging energy with the filler. The results of this study may provide useful information for designing composite materials for heat transfer applications.

[Features of vestibular evoked myogenic potential in patients with residual dizziness after canalith repositioning procedures for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo]

Objective: To ananlyze the characteristics of the vestibular evoked myogenic action potential of patients with residual dizziness after successful canalith repositioning procedures(CRP)for idiopathic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo(IBPPV).Method: Ninety-seven consecutive patients with IBPPV of the unilateral posterior semicircular canal and health controls were initially enrolled. The patients received 500 Hz tone burst evoked ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials(oVEMP) and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP). After successfully CRP, the patients were divided into two groups: group with residual symptoms and group without residual symptoms. The abnormality of results of both oVEMP and cVEMP were compared between three groups.Result:In the group with residual symptoms, the abnormal rate were 64.5% for oVEMP and 28.1% for cVEMP. In the group without residual symptoms, the abnormal rate were 17.9% for oVEMP and 12.5% for cVEMP. The abnormal rate of oVEMP in the group with residual symptoms was significantly higher than that in the group without residual symptoms(χ²=19.228, P=0.000). However, there was no significant difference in the abnormal rate of cVEMP between these two groups(χ²=3.342, P=0.068).Conclusion: In patients with IBPPV underwent successful CRP,the occurrence of residual symptoms is correlated to the abnormalities of oVEMP. It is indicated that the dysfunction of the utricle is related to the presence of residual symptoms after the CRP for IBPPV.

Low-p_{T} e^{+}e^{-} Pair Production in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV and U+U Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193 GeV at STAR

We report first measurements of e^{+}e^{-} pair production in the mass region 0.4<M_{ee}<2.6  GeV/c^{2} at low transverse momentum (p_{T}<0.15  GeV/c) in noncentral Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV and U+U collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=193  GeV. Significant enhancement factors, expressed as ratios of data over known hadronic contributions, are observed in the 40%-80% centrality of these collisions. The excess yields peak distinctly at low p_{T} with a width (sqrt[⟨p_{T}^{2}⟩]) between 40 and 60  MeV/c. The absolute cross section of the excess depends weakly on centrality, while those from a theoretical model calculation incorporating an in-medium broadened ρ spectral function and radiation from a quark gluon plasma or hadronic cocktail contributions increase dramatically with an increasing number of participant nucleons. Model calculations of photon-photon interactions generated by the initial projectile and target nuclei describe the observed excess yields but fail to reproduce the p_{T}^{2} distributions.

Origin of Hydrophilic Surface Functionalization-Induced Thermal Conductance Enhancement across Solid-Water Interfaces

Thermal transport across solid-water interfaces is critical for a wide range of applications such as solar thermal evaporation, nanoparticle-assisted hyperthermia therapeutics, and nanofluids. Surface functionalization using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to change the hydrophilicity of the solid surface is a common strategy to improve the thermal conductance of solid-water interfaces. Although it is known that hydrophilic interfaces increase the interfacial bonding, how it impacts the molecular level energy transport across the interface is still not clear. In this paper, we perform molecular dynamics simulations to calculate the thermal conductance of differently functionalized gold (Au)-water interfaces. Combining the heat flux decomposition to different interatomic interactions across interfaces and analyses of water structures close to the functionalized surfaces, we found that there is a collaborative effect from the electrostatic interactions and the Lennard-Jones (L-J) interactions (especially the repulsive part). The electrostatic interactions, which are between the polar functional groups of SAMs and water, will attract water molecules closer to the SAM surface, leading both the electrostatic and L-J interactions to have larger effective forces across the interfaces. This increases the power exchanged between solid and water atoms, enhancing the thermal energy transport. The results from this work will provide new insights to the understanding of thermal transport across solid-water interfaces.

Time-reversal invariant resonant backscattering on a topological insulator surface driven by a time-periodic gate voltage

We study the scattering of the Dirac electrons by a point-like nonmagnetic impurity on the surface of a topological insulator, driven by a time-periodic gate voltage. It is found that, due to the doublet degenerate crossing points of different Floquet sidebands, resonant backscattering can happen for the surface electrons, even without breaking the time-reversal (TR) symmetry of the topological surface states (TSSs). The energy spectrum is reshuffled in a way quite different from that for the circularly polarized light, so that new features are exhibited in the Friedel oscillations of the local charge and spin density of states. Although the electron scattering is dramatically modified by the driving voltage, the 1/ρ scale law of the spin precession persists for the TSSs. The TR invariant backscattering provides a possible way to engineer the Dirac electronic spectrum of the TSSs, without destroying the unique property of spin-momentum interlocking of the TSSs.

Beam Energy Dependence of Jet-Quenching Effects in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, and 62.4 GeV

We report measurements of the nuclear modification factor R_{CP} for charged hadrons as well as identified π^{+(-)}, K^{+(-)}, and p(p[over ¯]) for Au+Au collision energies of sqrt[s_{NN}]=7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, and 62.4 GeV. We observe a clear high-p_{T} net suppression in central collisions at 62.4 GeV for charged hadrons which evolves smoothly to a large net enhancement at lower energies. This trend is driven by the evolution of the pion spectra but is also very similar for the kaon spectra. While the magnitude of the proton R_{CP} at high p_{T} does depend on the collision energy, neither the proton nor the antiproton R_{CP} at high p_{T} exhibit net suppression at any energy. A study of how the binary collision-scaled high-p_{T} yield evolves with centrality reveals a nonmonotonic shape that is consistent with the idea that jet quenching is increasing faster than the combined phenomena that lead to enhancement.

Associations between loneliness and perceived social support and outcomes of mental health problems: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

The adverse effects of loneliness and of poor perceived social support on physical health and mortality are established, but no systematic synthesis is available of their relationship with the outcomes of mental health problems over time. In this systematic review, we aim to examine the evidence on whether loneliness and closely related concepts predict poor outcomes among adults with mental health problems.

METHODS

We searched six databases and reference lists for longitudinal quantitative studies that examined the relationship between baseline measures of loneliness and poor perceived social support and outcomes at follow up. Thirty-four eligible papers were retrieved. Due to heterogeneity among included studies in clinical populations, predictor measures and outcomes, a narrative synthesis was conducted.

RESULTS

We found substantial evidence from prospective studies that people with depression who perceive their social support as poorer have worse outcomes in terms of symptoms, recovery and social functioning. Loneliness has been investigated much less than perceived social support, but there is some evidence that greater loneliness predicts poorer depression outcome. There is also some preliminary evidence of associations between perceived social support and outcomes in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Loneliness and quality of social support in depression are potential targets for development and testing of interventions, while for other conditions further evidence is needed regarding relationships with outcomes.

[Relevant factors of tinnitus in the elderly: an analysis of 150 volunteers]

Objective:To evaluate and characterize tinnitus in elderly volunteers，try to find out the relevant factors that can affect the incidence of tinnitus.Method:The study included 150 elderly volunteers. All volunteers had taken the otology examination and pure tone audiometry. They were interviewed by the investigators who were trained together, using the same questionnaire. The characteristics of tinnitus and the relationship between all relevant factors and tinnitus were analyzed.Result:Average age was 71.4 years. There are now 77 patients with tinnitus(51.3%), of which 31 cases have sustained tinnitus for more than 3 months, accounting for 40.3% of existing tinnitus volunteers. There was negative correlation between tinnitus and age. There was positive correlation between tinnitus and hearing loss. Tinnitus and headache had no correlation(P>0.05).Conclusion:After reach a certain age(70 years old), the incidence of tinnitus decreased. Hearing loss might be the most dangerous factor.If the hearing loss was more serious, the incidence of the tinnitus became higher. Tinnitus in the elderly may be the result of a combination of factors.

Evaluation of a micro/nanofluidic chip platform for the high-throughput detection of bacteria and their antibiotic resistance genes in post-neurosurgical meningitis

BACKGROUND

Post-neurosurgical meningitis (PNM) is one of the most severe hospital-acquired infections worldwide, and a large number of pathogens, especially those possessing multi-resistance genes, are related to these infections. Existing methods for detecting bacteria and measuring their response to antibiotics lack sensitivity and stability, and laboratory-based detection methods are inconvenient, requiring at least 24h to complete. Rapid identification of bacteria and the determination of their susceptibility to antibiotics are urgently needed, in order to combat the emergence of multi-resistant bacterial strains.

METHODS

This study evaluated a novel, fast, and easy-to-use micro/nanofluidic chip platform (MNCP), which overcomes the difficulties of diagnosing bacterial infections in neurosurgery. This platform can identify 10 genus or species targets and 13 genetic resistance determinants within 1h, and it is very simple to operate. A total of 108 bacterium-containing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures were tested using the MNCP for the identification of bacteria and determinants of genetic resistance. The results were compared to those obtained with conventional identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods.

RESULTS

For the 108 CSF cultures, the concordance rate between the MNCP and the conventional identification method was 94.44%; six species attained 100% consistency. For the production of carbapenemase- and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-related antibiotic resistance genes, both the sensitivity and specificity of the MNCP tests were high (>90.0%) and could fully meet the requirements of clinical diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The MNCP is fast, accurate, and easy to use, and has great clinical potential in the treatment of post-neurosurgical meningitis.

[Comparison of the prognostic value of the seventh and eighth edition of The AJCC Esophageal Cancer Staging System for the patients with stage Ⅱ and Ⅲesophageal squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To compare and evaluate the prognostic value of the 7(th) and 8(th) edition of The AJCC Esophageal Cancer Staging System for patients with stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: The clinical data of 328 esophageal cancer patients who received operation at Department of Esophageal Cancer, Tianjin Tumour Hospital from January 2006 to December 2010 were restrospectively analyzed. There were 63 female and 265 male patients. The mean age was 65 (range: 33 to 87) years. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to identify the prognosis factors. Results: The five years overall survival rates among patients with stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ were both significantly different (χ(2)=87.035, 84.730, all P=0.000) according to the 7(th) and 8(th) editions of the TNM staging systems. The five years overall survival rate among patients with stage ⅡB and ⅢA were significantly different (39.6% vs 23.4%, P=0.001) according to the 7(th) edition of the esophageal cancer staging systems.According to the 8(th) edition of the esophageal cancer staging system, the 5 years survival rate of patients with stage ⅡA and ⅡB, ⅢB and Ⅳ was statistically significant (58.5% vs. 35.5%, P=0.040; 18.9% vs. 0, P=0.000). In multivariate analysis, tumor size, T staging, N staging and tumor differentiation (HR=1.592, 95%CI: 1.185 to 2.139, P=0.002; HR=1.519, 95% CI: 1.236 to 1.867, P=0.000; HR=1.647, 95% CI: 1.448 to 1.874, P=0.000; HR=1.404, 95% CI: 1.059 to 1.861, P=0.018) were the main independent prognosis factors affecting the prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients. Conclusions: Both the 7(th) and the 8(th) editions of TNM staging systems are able to reflect the clinical prognosis of patients receiving radical resection of esophageal cancer, and the factors of tumor size, differentiaton, invasion depth and lymph node metastases are the independent predictors of prognosis. The 8(th) edition provides a more detailed and more reasonable for the staging of stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ for esophageal cancer patients than the 7(th) edition, and it is more accurate for the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer after surgery.

Beam-Energy Dependence of Directed Flow of Λ, Λ[over ¯], K^{±}, K_{s}^{0}, and ϕ in Au+Au Collisions

Rapidity-odd directed-flow measurements at midrapidity are presented for Λ, Λ[over ¯], K^{±}, K_{s}^{0}, and ϕ at sqrt[s_{NN}]=7.7, 11.5, 14.5, 19.6, 27, 39, 62.4, and 200 GeV in Au+Au collisions recorded by the Solenoidal Tracker detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. These measurements greatly expand the scope of data available to constrain models with differing prescriptions for the equation of state of quantum chromodynamics. Results show good sensitivity for testing a picture where flow is assumed to be imposed before hadron formation and the observed particles are assumed to form via coalescence of constituent quarks. The pattern of departure from a coalescence-inspired sum rule can be a valuable new tool for probing the collision dynamics.

Influence of the IGFBP3-202A/C Gene Polymorphism on Clinical Features and Surgery Outcome in Acromegalic Patients

Purpose: Excess growth hormone (GH) secretion in acromegaly patients results in increased levels of IGF-1 expression, which causes the clinical manifestations of acromegaly. IGF-1 levels are attenuated by IGFBP3, and a polymorphism in the promoter of IGFBP3 is known to affect the circulating level of IGFBP3 protein. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association of the IGFBP3 gene polymorphism with clinical features and surgery outcomes in acromegaly. We also investigate the difference in IGFBP3 polymorphism between acromegaly and general population. Methods: The study included 102 acromegalic patients and 142 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. The genotyping of IGFBP3 was carried out using the MassARRAY method. Patients were followed up for 4-12 months to estimate the neurosurgical effects. Clinical data were obtained from the medical records. Results: The CC genotype, which is associated with decreased IGFBP3 levels, was less common in acromegaly patients than among the healthy controls; although, this correlation was not significant (P = 0.056). There was no association of the IGFBP3 gene polymorphism with glucose, lipid, phosphorus, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine or uric acid levels. Additionally, there was no association between tumor size, texture, or hemorrhage/cyst, except there was a trend that more patients with the C allele (P = 0.054) needed additional treatment post-operation than did patients carrying the A allele (OR 1.985, 95% CI 0.983-4.008). Moreover, higher IGF-1 values after treatment were observed in patients carrying the C allele (P = 0.012 and P = 0.014 according to the additive model and dominant model, respectively). Conclusion: Polymorphisms in IGFBP3 may not influence metabolic parameters or pituitary tumor characteristics in acromegalic patients, but they may be associated with the hormone levels and surgery effects.