SFTS virus (SFTSV) is a novel bunyavirus that causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), an emerging infectious disease that occurred in China in recent years, with an average case ...fatality rate of 10–12%. Intervention in the early clinical stage is the most effective measure to reduce the mortality rate of disease. To elucidate the natural course of and immune mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of SFTSV, 59 laboratory-confirmed SFTS patients in the acute phase, who were hospitalized between October 2010 and September 2011, were enrolled in this study, and the patients sera were dynamically collected and tested for SFTSV viral RNA load, 34 cytokines or chemokines and other related laboratory parameters. All clinical diagnostic factors in the acute phase of SFTS were evaluated and assessed. The study showed that the severity of the disease in 11 (18.6%) patients was associated with abdominal pain (p 0.007; OR = 21.95; 95% CI, 2.32–208.11) and gingival bleeding (p 0.001; OR = 122.11; 95% CI, 6.41–2328). The IP-10, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, granzyme B and HSP70 levels were higher over the 7–8 days in severe cases, accompanied by altered AST, CK and LDH levels. HSP70 (p 0.012; OR = 8.29; 95% CI, 1.58–43.40) was independently correlated with the severity of the early acute phase of SFTSV infection. The severity of SFTS can be predicted based on the presence of symptoms such as abdominal pain and gingival bleeding and on the level of HSP70 in the acute phase of the disease.
ABSTRACT Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) theory predicts the abundances of the light elements D, 3He, 4He, and 7Li produced in the early universe. The primordial abundances of D and 4He inferred from ...observational data are in good agreement with predictions, however, BBN theory overestimates the primordial 7Li abundance by about a factor of three. This is the so-called "cosmological lithium problem." Solutions to this problem using conventional astrophysics and nuclear physics have not been successful over the past few decades, probably indicating the presence of new physics during the era of BBN. We have investigated the impact on BBN predictions of adopting a generalized distribution to describe the velocities of nucleons in the framework of Tsallis non-extensive statistics. This generalized velocity distribution is characterized by a parameter q, and reduces to the usually assumed Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution for q = 1. We find excellent agreement between predicted and observed primordial abundances of D, 4He, and 7Li for 1.069 ≤ q ≤ 1.082, suggesting a possible new solution to the cosmological lithium problem.
The micromechanics of different particle–fluid flow regimes, such as fixed, expanded and fluidized beds, in gas fluidization is investigated for group A and B powders. To establish the connection ...between macroscopic and microscopic descriptions of complex particle–fluid flows, focus is given to the following two aspects: the formation of a stable expanded bed in relation to the interparticle cohesive, sliding and rolling frictional forces, and the correlation between coordination number (CN) and porosity (ε). The method employed is the combined approach of three-dimensional (3D) discrete element method (DEM) and two-dimensional (2D) computational fluid dynamics. The results show that compared to 2D DEM, 3D DEM is more reliable in investigating the micromechanics of granular media, although both can capture key features of different flow regimes. The roles of various forces between particles and between particles and fluid are examined, and the origin of different flow regimes is discussed. It is shown that the cohesive force is critical to the formation of a static expanded bed, while the sliding and rolling frictional forces also play a role here. The criterion for bed expansion is analyzed at bulk and particle scales, and the deficiency at a bulk scale is identified. CN, as a key measure of local structure, is analyzed. It is found that the CN–ε relationship for group A powders has a transitional point between the expanded and fluidized bed flow regimes at a bulk scale, unlike group B powders. A new phase diagram is established in terms of CN–ε relationship that has two branches representing expanded and fluidized (bed) states, which corresponds to the one in terms of interparticle forces.
▸ Flow regimes such as fixed, expanded and fluidized beds are numerically reproduced. ▸ The effects of various forces are analysed corresponding to different flow regimes. ▸ The contacts among particles and associated flow structures are studied in details. ▸ A new phase diagram is established to describe the flow regimes.
Screw feeders are widely used in various industries to transfer granular materials at relatively precise rates. The performance can be affected by many factors such as the shape and size of ...particles, and the design of a screw and associated charging container. Some of these factors are difficult to investigate experimentally, including, for example, the cohesion between particles. In this work, a numerical model is developed by means of the discrete element method to study the flow of cohesive particles in screw feeders. In the model, the magnitude of the cohesive force is assumed, but it can be related to the van der Waals attraction for fine particles or the capillary force for wet particles. Based on the simulated results, a correlation for the prediction of solid flowrate is formulated as a function of the magnitude of cohesive force and the rotational speed of a screw. The mechanisms are then depicted in terms of contact forces and their spatial and temporal distributions. Three flow regimes, namely, continuous, intermittent and stable arch, are identified based on the standard deviation of solid flowrate in a screw feeder. Possible methods to reduce the effect of cohesive force on solid flow are discussed, in the study of the effects of the screw length in the associated charging container as well as the container design. The findings should be useful for the design and operation of screw feeders.
Different flow regimes of cohesive solid flow in screw feeders are observed, and the underlying mechanism is investigated. Display omitted
•Interparticle cohesion significantly affects solid flow in screw feeders.•Three flow regimes of cohesive particles in a screw feeder are identified.•The mechanism underlying the effect of interparticle cohesion is depicted.•The effects of some factors are quantified based on the DEM simulation.•Methods to reduce the effect of interparticle cohesion are discussed.
The Paleotethyan tectonic history of northeast Tibet remains hotly debated, particularly regarding the nature of the Jinsha suture. Different interpretations of the Jinsha suture lead to different ...tectonic reconstructions of northeast Tibet, southern Eurasian continent. We identified three tectonic units along the western segment of the Jinsha suture in the Yushu–Zhiduo region: the Bayan Har–Songpan–Garzê fold belt (BSB), the Yushu mélange, and the eastern portion of the Qiangtang block (EQ). New geochemical and geochronological studies help to identify a Triassic continental magmatic arc (the Yushu arc) that developed upon the EQ and that is geochemically similar to magmatism in the Yidun arc. Structural studies, combined with 40Ar/39Ar analyses, reveal a complex deformational history of the Yushu–Zhiduo region: earlier‐stage top‐to‐the‐north asymmetrical fabrics are preserved exclusively in the Yushu mélange, which yields a phengite 40Ar/39Ar age of 230.5 ± 0.8 Ma; later‐stage orthogonal fabrics developed in the BSB and EQ (superposed upon the earlier fabrics in the Yushu mélange), likely resulted from a collision between the BSB and the Yushu arc that continued until ∼195 Ma. The structural patterns and deformation history of Yushu arc region are comparable with those recorded in the Yidun arc region. Thus, the previously defined Jinsha suture should be subdivided into western and southern segments. The western Jinsha suture is continuous with the Garzê‐Litang suture, while the southern Jinsha‐Ailaoshan suture marks the site of the closure of several intracontinental rift basins that have likely been overprinted by intra or back‐arc extension.
Key Points
The Yidun and Yushu arcs, northeast Tibet, have identical tectonothermal history
The southern Jinsha‐Ailaoshan suture doesn't represent a mature ocean
The western Jinsha suture extends eastward and connects to Garze‐Litang suture
Adakite is an intermediate to felsic rock with low K, high Al, Na and Sr, and depleted in Y and HREE, usually occurring in arc settings related to subduction of an oceanic slab. Here we report the ...occurrence of potassic adakites from south Tibet in an orogenic belt produced by the Indo–Asian continent collision. These adakitic intrusives, as a product of Neogene east–west extension, occur in a Miocene Cu-bearing porphyry belt, which developed along the Gangdese arc paralleling the Yarlung–Zangbo suture, but is locally controlled by NS-striking normal faulting systems. Available age data define a duration of magmatism of 10–18 Ma for the adakitic intrusives and related extrusive analogues in south Tibet, which occur in a post-collisional extensional setting. Geochemical data indicate that these adakitic intrusives are shoshonitic and exhibit calc-alkaline composition with high K, and high Sr/Y and La/Y coupled with low Y and HREE, similar to adakites derived from slab melting. However, a wide range for ϵNd(t) (−6.18 to +5.52), initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7049–0.7079), 207Pb/204Pb (15.502–15.626), and 208Pb/204Pb (38.389–38.960), as well as high K2O contents (2.6–8.6 wt%) and relatively high Mg# values (0.32–0.74) indicate that these adakitic magmas were formed by a complex mechanism involving partial melting of mafic materials in a thickened lower crust with input of enriched mantle and/or upper crust components. Absence of a negative Eu anomaly, extreme depletion in Y, Nb and Ti, and variable high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios suggest that the lower crustal source is probably a hydrous amphibole eclogite or garnet amphibolite, as exhumed in the western and eastern Himalayan syntaxes on the Tibetan plateau. Partial melting of the lower crust was most likely triggered by mantle-derived ultra-potassic magmatism (17–25 Ma) formed by slab breakoff or mantle thinning. During the formation and migration of pristine adakitic melts, additional input of ultra-potassic magmas and upper crustal materials could account for the observed ϵNd–ϵSr signatures and high Rb/Sr, K and Mg# characteristics for most of the adakitic intrusives in south Tibet.
This study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of a low dose of chito-oligosaccharide (COS) on intestinal morphology, immune response, antioxidant capacity, and barrier ...function in weaned piglets. A total of 120 weaned pigs (21 d of age; 7.86 ± 0.22 kg average BW) were randomly assigned (6 pens/diet; 10 pigs/pen) to 2 dietary treatments consisting of a basal diet (negative control) or the basal diet supplemented with COS (30 mg/kg) for a 14-d period. Six randomly selected piglets from each treatment were killed for blood and tissue sampling. No significant differences were observed in ADG, ADFI, and G:F between treatment and the control group. Piglets fed the COS-supplemented diet had greater ( < 0.05) stomach pH than those fed the control diet on d 14 postweaning. Dietary supplementation with COS reduced villus height ( < 0.05) and villus height:crypt depth ( < 0.05) in the ileum. Dietary COS supplementation tended to reduce villus height in the duodenum ( = 0.065) and jejunum ( = 0.058). There was no effect on crypt depth in the intestinal segments of treatment group. Piglets fed the COS-supplemented diet increased ( < 0.05) the number of intraepithelial lymphocytes in duodenum or jejunum and goblet cells of ileum. However, COS decreased ( < 0.05) the number of intraepithelial lymphocytes in ileum of weaned piglets. The concentrations of IL-10 (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) and secretory immunoglobulin (SIgA; duodenum and ileum) were higher in piglets fed the COS-supplemented diet compared with control ( < 0.05). Dietary COS supplementation reduced ( < 0.05) the concentration of total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase of the jejunum or ileum. The mRNA expression of occludin in the ileum and ZO-1 in jejunum and ileum had a significant change in piglets fed the COS-supplemented diet compared with the control group ( < 0.05). In conclusion, these results indicated that dietary COS supplementation at 30 mg/kg had no effects on promoting growth performance and tended to reduce villus height in the duodenum or jejunum of weaned piglets. The results further showed that supplemental COS at this level may cause an immune and oxidative stress response in small intestine and have compromised the intestinal barrier integrity in weaned piglets. The research will provide guidance on the low dosage of COS supplementation on weaning pigs.
To investigate the clinical and immunological characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with retinopathy.
Fifty SLE patients with retinopathy without hypertension and diabetes ...(retinopathy group) who were hospitalized in the Peking University People's Hospital from January 2009 to July 2022 were screened. Fifty SLE patients without blurred vision during the course of the SLE and without retinopathy in the fundus examinations (non-retinopathy group) matched for sex and age were selected. Their clinical manifestations, laboratory tests and lymphocyte subsets were statistically analyzed.
The most common fundus ocular change of the SLE patients with retinopathy was cotton-wool spots (33/50, 66.0%), followed by intraretinal hemorrhage (31/50, 62.0%). Retinopathy could occur at any stage of SLE duration, with a median of 1 year (20 days to 30 years). The proportion of lupus nephritis (72.0%
46.0%,
=0.008) and serositis (58.0%
28.0%,
=0.002) in the retinopathy group were significantly higher than those i
The bound states of a particle confined in a one-dimensional finite square well cannot be solved analytically, since the eigen-energies are determined by transcendental equations. Here, we ...numerically calculate the bound states and show their non-classical properties, using Wigner's quasi-probability distribution (also called the Wigner functions) in the phase space (x, p). In contrast to the infinite-well case, we find that the Wigner functions spread over the space dimension x, get squeezed along the momentum dimension p, and show negativity outside the well. Negativity in a Wigner function indicates non-classical properties of the bound states.
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